Kids grasp words as symbols before learning to read
Many preschoolers accept synonyms for pictures but not for written labels, study finds
By Bruce Bower
Preschoolers read a lot into writing before they know how to read.
Youngsters befuddled by printed squiggles on the pages of a storybook nonetheless understand that a written word, unlike a drawing, stands for a specific spoken word, say psychologist Rebecca Treiman of Washington University in St. Louis and her colleagues. Children as young as 3 can be tested for a budding understanding of writing’s symbolic meaning, the researchers conclude January 6 in Child Development.