Early Child Maltreatment, Reading Skills, and Comprehension: A Systematic Review and Illustrative Example Study

• In Event: Motivation and Language Arts

Abstract

Students who have experienced child maltreatment often demonstrate poor reading abilities; however, the differential processes driving this effect remain unclear. To address this problem, we first conducted a systematic literature review to examine the state of the literature investigating reading processes for children who have experienced maltreatment. Through our systematic review, we identified two gaps in the literature. First, research utilizing educational theories to understand the effects of maltreatment on reading is lacking. Second, there is a dearth in literature examining reading processes as predictors alongside maltreatment variables. To begin to address these gaps, we then conducted an illustrative example study highlighting the importance of including early reading processes in explaining later reading comprehension for children who have experienced maltreatment.

Authors

• Amanda Ferrara, The Pennsylvania State University

• Casey Mullins, The Pennsylvania State University

• Samantha Lynn Ellner, The Pennsylvania State University

• Carlomagno Panlilio, The Pennsylvania State University