A study investigated suggested interrelationships of linguistic awareness, cognitive ability, and reading achievement. The extent to which differences in reading achievement were related to differences in the other areas was also explored. The Linguistic Awareness in Reading Test (LARR), the Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), Primary Level I, Total Reading, were administered to 98 first grade students. Interrelationships among the measures of linguistic awareness, nonverbal problem-solving ability, and reading achievement for the sample were analyzed using correlation techniques. To assess whether differences in reading achievement were related to performance on the other two measures, subjects were assigned to rating groups determined by stanine intervals. SAT reading ratings were employed in a series of one way ANOVA of LARR and CPM scores. The results indicated significant differences between each of the three SAT reading groups. The group rated high on SAT performed better on the CPM than the average group, who performed better than the low SAT group. In addition, students rated high in reading achievement scored better on the LARR than students rated average, who in turn outscored students rated low in reading achievement. The findings involving concurrent interrelationships among LARR, CPM, and SAT reading performance suggest that thought be given to designing a prereading or beginning reading curriculum that not only makes apparent the speech-print connection but also recognizes learning to read as an active, problem-solving endeavor. (HTH)