Nonverbal communication was investigated in poor readers and matched adequate readers. Contrary to expectations, poor readers did not differ from adequate readers on duration of smiling or gaze during a video-recorded interview with an adult. However, they made significantly more filled pauses during the interview than adequate readers, F(1,54) = 9.65, p < 0.004. Topic of conversation had a significant effect on nonverbal behavior. Irrespective of reading ability, children talked more, smiled more, and spent more time looking at the interviewer when talking about out-of-school compared with in-school activities, F(5,50) = 5.67, p < 0.001. Implications for poor readers' social interactions in the classroom are discussed.
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