Isabel Monte-Tablada

Although children who grow up in a low socioeconomic situation present deficits in literacy skills, the present research aimed to shed light on the skills they possess and how detecting them can help improve their development. A total of 439 children were analysed for their literacy skills, learning potential in reading‐ and writing‐related skills as determined by dynamic assessment methodology, and behaviour during the test situation. Participants belonged to three groups: children with socioeconomic disadvantage, children with literacy difficulties and children with typical development. Results showed that children with socioeconomic disadvantage and those with literacy difficulties showed similar results in traditional reading and writing tests. Nonetheless, children with socioeconomic disadvantage showed higher learning potential in these skills than children with literacy difficulties. This result supports the accuracy of dynamic assessment for classification. In addition, the behavioural profile in a test situation differed between the groups. The study conclusions relate to the importance of developing intervention programmes in reading and writing skills for children at risk of learning difficulties, considering not only their initial level but also their learning potential and behavioural profiles.