Issue 25: What Is Rapid Naming and How Does It Affect Your Child's Reading? Dr. Erin Pzinski

Research has shown a strong connection between slower rapid naming and reading challenges.

If someone says your child struggles with rapid naming, you may wonder what it means and how it affects their reading. Rapid naming, or rapid automatized naming (RAN), is the ability to quickly name a series of familiar items, such as colors, numbers, objects, or letters. It has been studied for nearly 50 years and is now included in many widely used reading assessments.

Research has shown that children with dyslexia often name items more slowly on rapid naming tasks than their peers, revealing a strong connection between slower rapid naming and reading challenges. In 1999, Wolf and Bowers introduced the "double-deficit hypothesis," suggesting that difficulties in phonological awareness, rapid naming, or both are significant risk factors for dyslexia. Although a rapid naming deficit doesn't mean a child will struggle forever, understanding its impact early can help parents and educators plan adequate support for reading growth.

The History of Rapid Naming

The study of rapid naming traces back to the work of Norman Geschwind in the mid-20th century, when he observed slowed naming speeds in an adult patient with acquired dyslexia. Building on this insight, Martha Denkla and Rita Rudel conducted pioneering research in the 1970s, comparing the rapid naming performance of children with dyslexia to that of their typically developing peers. They found that children with dyslexia consistently exhibited slower naming speeds, revealing a potential link between rapid naming deficits and reading difficulties. Since then, extensive research has confirmed that slow rapid automatized naming is strongly associated with reading challenges and is a robust predictor of future reading performance. Despite this progress, the underlying causes of differences in rapid naming ability remain poorly understood, with some theories pointing to deficits in phonological processing, working memory, and attentional control (Araujo et al., 2015; Norton & Wolf, 2012). Rapid naming remains a critical research focus and a key component of reading assessments, offering valuable insights into early identification and intervention for struggling readers.

What Should Parents Know About Rapid Naming Tests?

Understanding how rapid naming is assessed can help parents feel more confident in supporting and advocating for their child. During a rapid naming test, your child is asked to name familiar items as quickly as possible. Items should be presented in a grid or array and named from left to right and top to bottom, just like reading. Colors and objects are often used for younger children because they are easy to identify. For older children, letters and numbers are preferred because they better predict future reading success.

It's essential that the items in the test are familiar to your child. For instance, a child who hasn't learned their letters yet shouldn't be tested using letters. Valid assessments are crucial for identifying a rapid naming deficit and ensuring your child gets the proper support.

Common Misconceptions About Rapid Naming

Practicing rapid naming is NOT likely to improve reading skills. It's natural to think that practicing rapid naming tasks, like naming items faster, might help improve reading. However, research shows that rapid naming is an indicator of risk, not a skill that should be directly taught. Time spent practicing rapid naming could be better used on reading interventions that target decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills (Kirby et al., 2010).

Slow rapid naming does NOT mean a child will never read fluently. While slow rapid naming can make learning to read more challenging, it doesn't mean your child won't succeed. With appropriate, evidence-based instruction, children with slow rapid naming can develop reading fluency over time (Wolf & Norton, 2012)

Fluency practice is usually NOT the best intervention for rapid naming deficits. Although slower reading fluency is a hallmark of slow rapid naming, fluency practice alone isn't usually the most effective way to address the issue. Fluency often depends on underlying skills like decoding and word recognition. Building automaticity in these foundational skills is often more effective than focusing on fluency drills. "Problems with automaticity in reading fluency are extensions of difficulty with the accuracy and automaticity of word-level skills" (Fletcher et al., 2019, p. 65)

Supporting Children with Rapid Naming Deficits

If your child has been identified with a rapid naming deficit, it's important to understand what this means for their reading journey. Dr. Elizabeth Norton (2020) describes slow rapid naming as a "check engine light" for reading development. It signals the need for close monitoring and structured, high-intensity instruction to support your child's progress.

Effective instruction for children with rapid naming deficits includes frequent opportunities to respond and build automaticity. This starts with focused practice on new skills, such as blending sounds or applying phonics rules. Once a child has practiced a skill enough, they should move on to interleaved practice—mixing the new skill with a previously learned concept. For example, a child learning the silent e rule might practice it in isolation first and then combine it with another phonics rule they've already learned.