Literacy and the Pediatrician
Since the 1955 publication of Why Johnny Can't Read, controversy concerning literacy has raged among educators, parents, and politicians. Pediatricians, for better or worse, have kept out of the fray, confining their efforts to the early detection of language and learning disabilities. No longer. There are now an estimated 23 million illiterate Americans, and pediatricians are increasingly faced with reading failure and its consequences. In a field already crowded with professionals, pediatricians have special contributions to make not only toward diagnosis and management but also toward prevention.
Illiteracy, like a pebble in a pond, lies at the center of an expanding front of psychosocial problems.
