Verbal and Non-verbal Measures of Rapid Automatized Processing - Implications for Reading

Abstract

In the past few decades, Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) has evolved as an ecient clinical tool to assess rapid processing and predict later reading abilities in young children. Over the years, several variants of the task came into existence such as inclusion of variety of stimuli, varying picture size, dierent response modalities etc. However, very few have addressed the in uence of response modality and its relation with reading. This study aimed to compare rapid processing skills in typical children in verbal and nonverbal modalities and its relation with their reading abilities. Thirty typically developing children in the age range of 5-7 years participated in the study. Picture arrays of ve common nouns served as the stimuli. Task comprised of picture naming and picture pointing. The results revealed that there was no signicant dierence in the processing of nouns between the two modalities. In addition, rapid processing in both verbal and non-verbal modalities was found to have a signicant positive correlation with reading. Overall, the results point to the tility of non-verbal task as a measure of rapid processing and to predict later reading skills in children with limited verbal abilities.