Early reading and math developmental trajectories: Examining influences of specific learning disabilities and socioeconomic status

Marks, R. A., Woods, A. D., Mesite, L., Fox, A. B., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2025). Early Reading and Math Developmental Trajectories: Examining Influences of Specific Learning Disabilities and Socioeconomic Status. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194251391828

Summary: This article explored whether socioeconomic status and reading disability status impacted reading and/or math scores for children in K-5th grade, and if so, how their influence interacted. Highlights include: (1) ~70% of students are identified with SLD between grades 3-5, compared to ~30% between K-2, *even though performance is largely comparable between those identified earlier versus later*; (2) Students with SLD, even those from a higher-SES background, score significantly lower than peers throughout grades K-5, even relative to peers from lower-SES backgrounds; (3) Growth in reading and math across elementary school is not linear, with an initial steep increase at the start of schooling followed by a slowing rate of change by the end of elementary school; (4) Reading/math trajectories are impacted by both SES and SLD status starting at school entry that persist, and the impacts of SES and SLD status are additive.