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Word reading and reading comprehension: stability, overlap and independence

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Abstract

Longitudinal twin data were analyzed to investigate the etiology of the stability of genetic and environmental influences on word reading and reading comprehension, as well as the stability of those influences on their relationship. Participating twin pairs were initially tested at a mean age of 10.3 years, and retested approximately five years later. Both word reading and comprehension were found to be highly stable, and genetic influences were primarily responsible for that stability. In contrast to studies with younger participants, no unique genetic influences were observed at follow-up testing in this older sample. High genetic correlations were obtained between word reading and reading comprehension at both ages, indicating common genetic influences. However, significant genetic influence on comprehension was also observed, independent of that on word reading. Although the phenotypic relation between the two measures appeared to decline across time, the genetic etiology of this relation was highly stable.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by NIMH training grant T32 MH016880-25, grant DC-05190 from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study of Reading Disability, and grant HD-027802 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center. We are grateful to all the participants and their families and to all the staff members of the CLDRC and LTSRD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, UCB 447, Boulder, CO, 80309-0447, USA

    Rebecca S. Betjemann, Erik G. Willcutt, Richard K. Olson, John C. DeFries & Sally J. Wadsworth

  2. University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Janice M. Keenan

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  1. Rebecca S. Betjemann
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  2. Erik G. Willcutt
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  3. Richard K. Olson
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  4. Janice M. Keenan
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Correspondence to Rebecca S. Betjemann.

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Betjemann, R.S., Willcutt, E.G., Olson, R.K. et al. Word reading and reading comprehension: stability, overlap and independence. Read Writ 21, 539–558 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-007-9076-8

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