Distinguishing developmental dyslexia from foundational delay: Reading proficiency of Afrikaans learners after COVID-19 lockdowns

Abstract

The COVID-19 lockdowns and related school closures severely disrupted early literacy development worldwide. In this study we examined the long-term impact of these disruptions on Afrikaans-speaking learners in South Africa who were in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1–3) during the lockdowns and were later assessed in Grades 5, 6, and 7. Grounded in the simple view of reading (SVR), which defines reading comprehension as the product of decoding and language comprehension, we explored how delayed acquisition of foundational skills may be misinterpreted as developmental dyslexia (DD). We propose the concept of foundational delay phenomenon (FDP), a novel term describing persistent literacy difficulties stemming from disrupted foundational instruction, which do not align with established classifications such as developmental dyslexia (DD) or general learning delays. The results show that learners in all 3 grades – especially those in Grade 7 – performed well below chronological age expectations in reading and spelling, with some deficits exceeding 30 to 40 months. While a subset met DD criteria, a larger group displayed compounded foundational delays consistent with FDP. These findings highlight the urgent need for refined diagnostic practices to differentiate between reading disorders and entrenched instructional delays caused by the COVID-19 education disruptions.