Genetic and environmental influences on aspects of literacy and language in early childhood: Continuity and change from preschool to Grade 2

Brian Byrne, William L. Coventry, Richard K. Olson, Stefan Samuelsson, Robin Corley, Erik G. Willcutt, Sally Wadsworth, John C. DeFries

Early literacy and language skills of twin children in the USA, Australia, and Scandinavia were explored in a genetically sensitive design (maximum N = 615 pairs). For this article, we report aspects of preschool and Grade 2 data. In Grade 2, there were strong genetic influences on word reading, reading comprehension, and spelling. Vocabulary was about equally affected by genes and shared environment. Multivariate analyses indicated substantial genetic overlap among the Grade 2 literacy variables. Longitudinal analyses showed that genetic factors evident at the preschool stage continued to affect literacy and vocabulary three years later in Grade 2, but there was also evidence of new genetic factors coming into play over the time interval, at least for literacy. Suggestions are made about the search for underlying biological and cognitive processes, and educational implications are explored.