Finger localization and the prediction of reading disability.

Tests of finger localization, letter naming, design copying, and receptive vocabulary were given to 100 kindergarten children. When the children had reached the end of first grade, their achievement in reading and arithmetic was related to these test performances. Poor readers had scores lower than good readers on all kindergarten measures, with their finger localization and letter naming performances being particularly poor. Finger localization scores correlated significantly with both reading and arithmetic achievement. These findings are interpreted as suggesting that the significance of finger localization as a predictor of reading and arithmetic achievement results from the ability of finger localization performance to reflect not simply one specific skill, but rather a number of important cognitive abilities.