This longitudinal study examined the development of phono logical processing (phonological loop, phonological sensitivity) and syntactic awareness from Kindergarten to Grade 1, and addressed the question of their interaction with reading. The subjects were 37 French-speaking children. The experimental design consisted of a set of six tasks administered in two sessions. In the second phase of the study, reading efficiency was also evaluated. The individual profiles of the children with reading difficulties were analysed. The major findings reveal: (1) that the kindergarten children who exhibited early syntactic skills and syllable processing made particularly significant progress in consonant identification after one year of reading instruction; (2) that, within phonological sensitivity, syllable processing significantly contributed to reading; (3) that the relevance of syntactic awareness to reading could not be ruled out. This investigation also provided support for implementing early therapy programmes involving both phonological and syntactic features for children with reading disabilities.
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