This paper discusses the place of reading instruction in the education of brain-injured children and presents some arguments for early reading instruction for children in general. Reading instruction is especially suitable for brain-injured children because reading presents an additional means of stimulating the brain. Meaning is attached to printed words in exactly the same way that meaning is attached to spoken words. The ideal age for learning to read is identical with the ideal age for learning speech. Case histories indicate that the brain grows in response to the demands placed on it. (VM)