Habilidades cognitivas que predizem competência de leitura e escrita Alessandra Gotuzo Seabra Capovilla 1

To identify cognitive skills capable of predicting subsequent reading and spelling performances, 54 preschoolers and first graders participated in two series of assessments. The first included receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness, sequencing, phonological memory, visual memory, picture copying, arithmetic, and writing quality. The second, 10 months later, assessed reading and spelling. Regression analyses identified these predictors: arithmetic, phonological memory, receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness and sequencing. No significant correlation was found between visual or motor skills and reading or spelling, except for a positive correlation between spelling and visual memory. This study supported the phonological deficit hypothesis, and established the preliminary validity of instruments for identifying children at risk of subsequent reading and spelling acquisition difficulties, thus allowing for effective early intervention.