For professionals in speech-language pathology, we emphasize strongly (and yes, a little perseveratively) that a young child’s learning up to this point has been laying the foundation for next year’s success… and success for the year after that, and the one after that. There are a few good reasons for our enthusiastic advocacy:

Spoken Vocabulary

A number of spoken vocabulary skills are strongly connected to reading success. Children with deeper spoken vocabulary skills have a stronger base of language learning to draw from when they are learning to read. Listen to your children describe what they see/hear/touch/taste/smell and monitor if they have more than one word to describe their observations. For example, is something always beautiful? Or do you also hear words such as pretty, glittery, sparkly, nice, wonderful etc. During construction play, do you hear words such as strong, steady, stable, wobbly, weak, balanced etc. ?

Rhyming Skills

Children who can detect rhymes and generate their own rhymes are demonstrating early language manipulation skills. Most children enjoy rhymes, and if they do not, it’s important to teach children how to listen for rhymes and how to make up their own rhymes. Playful interactions with books, songs, nursery rhymes, and silly/nonsense words can naturally highlight the fun side of rhymes and encourage children to start playing with words and sounds. It’s a process so encourage these types of games gradually and over a variety of different games and activities.

Language Comprehension

By the time children enter school, they should be able to listen to and understand short conversations, listen to stories then retell the general idea & events, and ask questions about stories. Being able to hear and understand what is being said are important skills for school success.

Resources

There are many sources of information that can help parents and caregivers better prepare children for school. A few we are happy to recommend include:

ASHA’s Literacy Gateway – they have some great resources on getting children ready for reading and writing, as well as for building children’s listening and talking skills

Reading Rockets is a wealth of resources on many topics related to reading and writing skills. They also have a nice section on choosing books for young children, as well as recommended books lists.

The Hanen Centre has a Helpful Info tab and there you can find great links to play ideas for strengthening communication skills, a Preliteracy Corner, and a Technology Corner, in addition to more.

As always, feel welcome to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about your child’s listening, speaking, reading, writing, or general communication skill development.

 Talk soon!

The post School Readiness: A Speech-Language Pathologist’s Perspective appeared first on Stillwater Speech Therapy.

How do S-LPs help with reading?

The American Speech & Hearing Association (ASHA) outlines 8 key areas in which S-LPs help, including prevention, assessment, treatment, development of programs, and advocacy. S-LPs are specially trained to identify root causes of reading and writing difficulties.

What do professionals know about reading?

Trained professionals who are helping children and youth with reading and writing should be knowledgeable about:
• the relationship between spoken and written language
• reading and writing as tools of communication
• letters representing speech sounds and how readers use these representations to decode and spell words
• emergent and pre-literacy skills that build the foundation for later reading development
• the risk factors in early childhood development that can influence literacy skills

Why is research important?

S-LPs maintain their certification through required professional development activities. Research-based evidence guides best practice recommendations. Research-based intervention protects the public from non-helpful services that could take up valuable time and resources. Research tells us repeatedly that effective reading intervention programs include focus on ALL of the following elements of learning:
• phonics (and phonological awareness…skills that are needed to learn how to read)
• fluency in language
• vocabulary (comprehension and spoken)
• reading comprehension

What should parents do?

Parents are necessary partners in speech & language therapy, and will be trained to work with S-LPs, to deliver the homework portion of their child’s reading intervention program. Parents who are looking for a ‘good fit’ with a speech therapist should be encouraged to:
• sit in and directly observe their child’s treatment sessions so that they can follow through with the home program, modeling the correct sounds and strategies
• ask questions and ask for resources
• be critical of the program their child is receiving and expect to see improvements – if progress is not being made, ask why

Teaching children that reading is fun and enjoyable is an important part of the learning process. Some ideas we can recommend include:
• Point out and comment on signage in your subdivision or local community
• Read and re-read your children’s favourite books to them
• When children start to learn to read, continue reading books above their reading level to them – this supports vocabulary growth
• Ask your child to describe or talk about pictures they have drawn – write down keywords or names of objects/places/people in the picture as they talk

If you think a speech-language pathologist might be able to help your child, reach out to your teachers and ask for a referral to be made in the school. Other options include accessing the benefits in a private medical health plan for speech therapy services, to help cover the costs of private services.

Stillwater Speech Therapy is happy to help, and we frequently use our Facebook page to share ideas and resources that parents find helpful. Please feel welcome to request specific topics and we will get the resources to you!

Talk soon,
Julie

The post Reading & Speech appeared first on Stillwater Speech Therapy.