Differential Contributions of Cognitive-Linguistic Skills and Vocabulary Knowledge to Reading Comprehension in Chinese Children With and Without Developmental Dyslexia

Reading is a foundational skill essential for academic achievement and lifelong learning, and primary school is a critical period for its development. Reading comprehension, as the ultimate goal of reading, depends on language-related cognitive-linguistic skills and vocabulary knowledge. However, how these components interact—and whether their contributions differ between typically developing children and those with developmental dyslexia (DD)—remains unclear.This study examined 111 Chinese children with DD and 111 age-matched typically developing children (CA group), identified using an ability–achievement discrepancy model. Cognitive-linguistic skills (phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and rapid automatized naming), vocabulary knowledge, reading fluency, and reading comprehension were assessed. Group comparisons were conducted, and hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling were used to explore the direct and indirect pathways contributing to reading comprehension.Results revealed that children with DD performed significantly worse than their CA peers in all measured domains. For typically developing children, cognitive-linguistic skills contributed to reading comprehension indirectly through vocabulary knowledge and reading fluency. In contrast, among children with DD, morphological awareness had both direct and indirect effects on reading comprehension.These findings suggest that while language-related cognitive skills and vocabulary knowledge are important for reading development in all children, the underlying mechanisms differ. Reading comprehension in typically developing children relies more on vocabulary knowledge and fluency, whereas children with DD depend more directly on morphological processing. These insights have practical implications for designing targeted reading interventions for Chinese children with reading difficulties.