Ranting about RAN

Lots of kids with reading difficulties have trouble on measures of rapid automatized naming (RAN). RAN tasks measure the time taken for a child to name alphabet letters, digits, colors or common objects presented in a random order. Poorer readers consistently perform more slowly on automatized naming tasks.

Carefully controlled experiments help researchers learn more about why poor readers perform slowly on RAN tasks. To avoid getting hopelessly dull in describing what we know about the likely underlying phonological deficits and the double deficit hypothesis, I’ll just repeat that poor readers perform poorly on RAN tasks. Their slow rateThe speed at which a person reads. is likely confounded by (but not completely the result of) underlying phonological deficits.

Why is this post about such a strangely serious topic? It’s because I’m worried!

A recent report (opens in a new window) describes (1) skills and abilities linked to later outcomes in reading, writing and spelling and (2) the impact of various interventions and programs on young children’s early literacyThe ability to understand oral language, read fluently, and write well. skills.

It’s a good report, and (I’m sure) the product of many long years of work. But on the list of the skills that predict reading achievement are two RAN tasks: RAN of letters or digits, and RAN of objects or colors.

While I’m not surprised by this scientific finding, I’m worried about it. I’m worried that well intentioned preschool and kindergarten teachers will read the report (or the executive summary (opens in a new window) or a bulleted list of the six variables) and think, “Hmmm…. I better teach kids to perform well on RAN tasks.”

The thing is, slow performance on RAN is indicative of core deficits. I consider it more of a symptom of the reading difficulty than the problem.

So, that said, I’m going to come out and say this: Don’t drill kids on RAN tasks. Don’t give them pages of letters and digits and ask them to say them quickly. Don’t focus your instruction on random strings of colored boxes and common objects. The RAN info is more important for diagnostic purposes than instructional ones.

Rather, help kids develop phonological awarenessA group of skills related to the ability to recognize the parts of spoken words. and alphabet knowledge. Teach them to write their letters and their name. Engage in explicit instructionTeaching children in a systematic and sequential manner. about letters, letter sounds, and help them fall in love with language.

Okay, rant over.