The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years

Maria G. Tosto; Marianna E. Hayiou-Thomas; Nicole Harlaar; Elizabeth Prom-Wormley; Philip S. Dale; Robert Plomin

doi:10.1037/dev0000297

The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years

Maria G. Tosto, Marianna E. Hayiou-Thomas^*, Nicole Harlaar, Elizabeth Prom-Wormley, Philip S. Dale, Robert Plomin

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study examines the genetic and environmental etiology underlying the development of oral language and reading skills, and the relationship between them, over a long period of developmental time spanning middle childhood and adolescence. It focuses particularly on the differential relationship between language and two different aspects of reading: reading fluency and reading comprehension. Structural equation models were applied to language and reading data at 7, 12, and 16 years from the large-scale TEDS twin study. A series of multivariate twin models show a clear patterning of oral language with reading comprehension, as distinct from reading fluency: significant but moderate genetic overlap between oral language and reading fluency (genetic correlation r g = .46-.58 at 7, 12, and 16) contrasts with very substantial genetic overlap between oral language and reading comprehension (r g = .81-.87, at 12 and 16). This pattern is even clearer in a latent factors model, fit to the data aggregated across ages, in which a single factor representing oral language and reading comprehension is correlated with-but distinct from-a second factor representing reading fluency. A distinction between oral language and reading fluency is also apparent in different developmental trajectories: While the heritability of oral language increases over the period from 7 to 12 to 16 years (from h² = .27 to .47 to .55), the heritability of reading fluency is high and largely stable over the same period of time (h² = .73 to .71 to .64). (PsycINFO Database Record

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1115-1129
Number of pages	15
Journal	Developmental Psychology
Volume	53
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000297
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2017

Bibliographical note

This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

Keywords

Genetic architecture
Language
Reading comprehension
Reading fluency
Twin study
Vocabulary
Age Factors
Humans
Male
Statistics as Topic
Comprehension/physiology
Gene-Environment Interaction
Reading
Language Tests
Speech/physiology
Child Language
Adolescent
Female
Child
Longitudinal Studies

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10.1037/dev0000297

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Cite this

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title = "The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years",

abstract = "This study examines the genetic and environmental etiology underlying the development of oral language and reading skills, and the relationship between them, over a long period of developmental time spanning middle childhood and adolescence. It focuses particularly on the differential relationship between language and two different aspects of reading: reading fluency and reading comprehension. Structural equation models were applied to language and reading data at 7, 12, and 16 years from the large-scale TEDS twin study. A series of multivariate twin models show a clear patterning of oral language with reading comprehension, as distinct from reading fluency: significant but moderate genetic overlap between oral language and reading fluency (genetic correlation r g = .46-.58 at 7, 12, and 16) contrasts with very substantial genetic overlap between oral language and reading comprehension (r g = .81-.87, at 12 and 16). This pattern is even clearer in a latent factors model, fit to the data aggregated across ages, in which a single factor representing oral language and reading comprehension is correlated with-but distinct from-a second factor representing reading fluency. A distinction between oral language and reading fluency is also apparent in different developmental trajectories: While the heritability of oral language increases over the period from 7 to 12 to 16 years (from h² = .27 to .47 to .55), the heritability of reading fluency is high and largely stable over the same period of time (h² = .73 to .71 to .64). (PsycINFO Database Record ",

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JO - Developmental Psychology

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The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Emma Hayiou-Thomas

Cite this

The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Profiles

Emma Hayiou-Thomas

Cite this