Final answer:
Automaticity in word recognition during reading proficiency in middle childhood frees working memory, enabling children to engage in higher-level cognitive activities and reading comprehension, paving the way to academic success.
Step-by-step explanation:
Research on reading proficiency in middle childhood shows that improvements in automaticity release working memory for higher-level activities. As children transition from learning to reading to reading to learning, their ability to automatically recognize words becomes critical. This automaticity means that they no longer have to focus on decoding each word, freeing up cognitive resources for comprehending text, critical thinking, and engaging in more complex tasks. As per the information provided, cognitive skills and attention spans significantly improve during middle and late childhood, enhancing children's abilities to plan, achieve goals, and understand complex concepts. Hence, in the context of reading, practice and effective reading programs, such as those discussed in Slavin et al.'s synthesis, are imperative for the development of reading fluency and overall academic success.