Abstract
In this study the differential effects of four different types of perceptual skill training programs on a population of disadvantaged kindergarten children were investigated. One program stressed general auditory and visual perceptual skills, a second auditory skills specific to decoding, a third visual skills specific to decoding, and a fourth auditory and visual skills specific to decoding. Each treatment group was taught by the same teachers. Post-tests included IQ, auditory and visual measures of reading readiness, and two learning rate tests.
Two questions were investigated: (1) optimal sequence of perceptual training, and (2) the relative value of the four approaches. Results support the position that proficiency in lower level skills involving non-letter shapes and sounds is not a necessary prerequisite for success with letters shapes and sounds. On the question of the relative value of the four programs, differential performance of the four groups on individual post-tests suggests that the optimum perceptual program for a particular group could depend on the perceptual strength requirements of the projected reading program.