How Spatial Skills Predict Language and Reading Outcomes in Chinese-Speaking Preschoolers With Familial Risk for Dyslexia

This longitudinal study investigated cognitive-linguistic profiles of Hong Kong preschool children with a familial risk for dyslexia (FRD) and examined whether constructive spatial assembly contributed to later language and reading development. Among 204 children, 102 with FRD were matched to typically developing (TD) peers on age and gender. At age 4 (time 1), participating children completed assessments of constructive spatial assembly (measured by the Test of Spatial Assembly [TOSA]), executive functioning, rapid naming, and vocabulary knowledge; at age 5 (time 2), they were tested on verbal comprehension and word reading. Children with FRD performed significantly lower across constructive spatial assembly, executive functioning, vocabulary knowledge, verbal comprehension, and word reading. Constructive spatial assembly, a specific dimension of spatial skills, at time 1 significantly predicted verbal comprehension and word reading at time 2, whereas vocabulary knowledge additionally predicted verbal comprehension. These findings suggest that constructive spatial assembly may represent an additional cognitive resource relevant to early language and reading development and may be a useful target for multicomponent early intervention in children with FRD.