Language is the Foundation of Learning

Every child’s learning journey begins with connection.

Before reading, before writing—before a child can thrive in school or with peers—they need strong foundations in language and social relationships.

Language is not just a milestone. It’s the foundation drives learning and predicts later later life outcomes.

Relational Roots

Language begins with connection. Responsive interactions, shared attention, and emotional attunement lay the groundwork for communication. These early interactions shape the brain’s architecture for language, social understanding, and regulation.

Research shows that oral language develops best in environments rich with conversation, storytelling, and emotional engagement—at home and in school.

(Snow et al., 1995)

 Language Foundation

This stage includes the essential building blocks of oral language—pragmatics, semantics, morphology, and syntax.

As children grow, they learn to combine words, express ideas, tell stories, and engage in back-and-forth conversation. These foundational skills are directly linked to later reading and writing.

Vocabulary and sentence-level skills in early childhood are strong predictors of later reading success.(Roth et al., 2002)

Oral language lays the groundwork for comprehension, inferencing, and academic writing.(Shanahan, MacArthur, & Graham, 2006)

Literacy

As oral language grows, children begin to connect sounds to symbols, recognize print, and build foundational literacy skills. Phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and early decoding are supported by a strong vocabulary and sentence-level understanding.

Phonology + reading interventions strengthen decoding, while oral language interventions boost grammar and vocabulary—both are essential pathways to reading. (Bowyer-Crane et al., 2008)

Oral language skills in kindergarten—especially vocabulary and syntax—are predictive of reading success. (Roth et al., 2002)

Oral language supports comprehension and composition, linking early speaking and listening to later academic reading and writing. (Shanahan, MacArthur, & Graham, 2006)

Higher-Level Language

As children become readers and learners, they begin to use language for more abstract, cognitive, and social purposes. This includes inferencing, reasoning, problem-solving, perspective-taking, and organizing complex ideas—all of which contribute to deeper learning and social-emotional development.

• This stage marks the beginning of 'reading to learn'—when language skills allow children to use reading as a tool to acquire knowledge and engage critically with content.

• Oral language directly influences reading comprehension and can compensate for decoding weaknesses in struggling readers. (Cain, 2015)

Learning & Participation

When children develop strong language and literacy skills, they can fully engage in learning, relationships, and self-advocacy. They’re able to express ideas, collaborate, solve problems, and thrive in academic and social settings. These foundational skills not only support school success, they are powerful predictors of long-term outcomes like employment, mental health, and overall well-being.

Early literacy and language skills predict academic success into adolescence. (McCoy et al., 2017)

Higher literacy at early stages is linked to better mental health, fewer criminal convictions, and greater employment by age 24. (Reynolds et al., 2007)

Why This Matters

Language development isn’t just about milestones—it’s about building a system for thinking, relating, and learning. Early intervention gives us the opportunity to build a strong foundation during the most powerful developmental window: ages 0–5.

• References

  1. Bowyer-Crane, C., Snowling, M. J., & Duff, F. J. (2008). Improving early language and literacy skills: Differential effects of an oral language versus a phonology with reading intervention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), 422–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01849.x

  2. Snowling, M. J., & Hulme, C. (2021). Annual research review: Reading disorders revisited – The critical importance of oral language. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(5), 636–644. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13324

  3. Roth, F. P., Speece, D. L., & Cooper, D. H. (2002). A longitudinal analysis of the connection between oral language and early reading. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(5), 259–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670209596600

  4. German, D. J., & Newman, R. S. (2007). Oral reading skills of children with oral language (word-finding) difficulties. Reading Psychology, 28(3), 289–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702710701568967

  5. DesJardin, J. L., & Ambrose, S. E. (2009). Literacy skills in children with cochlear implants: The importance of early oral language and joint storybook reading. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 14(1), 22–43. https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article-abstract/14/1/22/379142

  6. Snowling, M. J. (2005). Literacy outcomes for children with oral language impairments: Developmental interactions between language skills and learning to read. In H. W. Catts & A. G. Kamhi (Eds.), The connections between language and reading disabilities (pp. 55–75). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781410612052-11/

  7. Snow, C. E., Tabors, P. O., & Nicholson, P. A. (1995). SHELL: Oral language and early literacy skills in kindergarten and first-grade children. Early Education and Development, 6(2), 111–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568549509594686

  8. Cain, K. (2015). Literacy development: The interdependent roles of oral language and reading comprehension. In R. M. Joshi (Ed.), Handbook of reading disabilities (pp. 263–282). Routledge. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/chapters/edit/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9780203569245-22&type=chapterpdf

  9. Shanahan, T., MacArthur, C. A., & Graham, S. (2006). Relations among oral language, reading, and writing development. In C. A. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of writing research (pp. 171–183). Guilford Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=VT7YCz2G-iQC

  10. Artley, A. S. (1953). Oral-language growth and reading ability. The Elementary School Journal, 53(6), 337–341. https://doi.org/10.1086/458497

  11. Effects of a school-based, early childhood intervention on adult health and well-being: A 19-year follow-up of low-income families. JAMA Pediatrics, 161(8), 730–739.

  12. Impacts of early childhood education on medium- and long-term educational outcomes. Educational Researcher, 46(8), 474–487.

  13. Snow, P. C. (2021). SOLAR: The Science of Language and Reading. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 37(3), 222–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659020947817