How Phonological and Language Deficits Impact Literacy Proficiency Sherry Comerchero ASHA Certified Speech-Language Pathologist April 4, 2007

Definition of Language: An organized system of symbols used to communicate thoughts, feelings, ideas, and information. This system further includes a variety of modes such as spoken/oral language, written language, sign language and augmentative/alternative communication systems

“An individual’s ability to read, write, and speak...and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential”. (National Literacy Act of l99l, Public Law ) WHAT IS LITERACY?

Receptive Language: The language one hears/reads, processes and understands Expressive Language : The language one speaks, writes, types or signs as a means of expression Reading…Written receptive language Writing…Written expressive language Understanding… Verbal receptive language Speaking… Verbal expressive language

Critical Elements of Language Content – semantics (vocabulary, basic concepts – spatial, quantitative, qualitative, temporal, etc.) Form – syntax (grammar, sentence structure, morphology) Use – pragmatics (social rules of language and conversing – includes initiating & maintaining a conversation; nonverbal means of communication including eye contact and body language, etc.)

Phonological Processes Phonological Awareness Refers to an individual’s awareness of and access to the sound structure of his or her oral language Phonological Memory Refers to coding information phonologically for temporary storage in working or short-term memory; stores brief, verbatim auditory information Rapid Naming Requires efficient retrieval of phonological information from long-term or permanent memory

How do deficits in phonological processing How do deficits in phonological processing and language impact literacy development? Phonological Memory Impairs decoding of new words, particularly those long enough to decode bit by bit as a means of storing intermediate sounds Phonological Awareness Viewed as the hallmark of reading disability or dyslexia Rapid Naming Deficits relate to reading fluency problems Language Deficits Deficits in content and form impact decoding of new vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

What can we do to help students who have language deficits associated with literacy acquisition? Language Content Deficits: Pre-teach new text and curriculum related vocabulary Language Form Deficits: Systematically instruct (i.e. teach meanings associated with grammatical endings “ed” for past tense, “ing” for present tense) Comprehension Deficits: Teach metacognitive strategies -thinking about thinking while reading

How can we help students with deficits in phonological processes? Phonological Awareness: Highly responsive to direct intervention; teach discreet skills such as segmenting/blending, initial sound identification, manipulating sounds/syllables in words; tracking sound changes in increasingly complex syllable sequences Phonological Memory: Pre-teach new reading vocabulary involving multi-syllabic words and longer words; strengthen fluency and sight word recognition Rapid Naming: Enhance fluency by reading easier books, use of repeated readings (audio-taped stories read along with text) and Readers Theatre

Levels of Phonemic Awareness Awareness of rhyming words (age 3-4) Awareness of syllables (age 4-5) Awareness of onsets and rimes-sound substitution (age 6) Sound Isolation-Awareness of beginning, middle, and ending sounds (age 6) Phonemic Blending (age 6) Phoneme segmentation (age 6-7) Phoneme manipulation (age 7+)

Developmental Influences Letter knowledge and phonological sensitivity are much stronger influences on reading achievement in Grades 1 & 2 Conceptual and vocabulary skills become important in later elementary grades once children have cracked the alphabetic code Comments by Grover Whitehurst, Asst. Secy. Of Education, at White House Summit on Early Childhood and Cognitive Development, July 26, 2001

Literacy Risk Factors Nature of language impairment  Diffuse language problems  Vocabulary and Grammar  Severe phonological impairment History of language impairment  Unresolved entering kindergarten Presence of associated risk factors  Child based Attentional deficits Behavioral/Conduct problems Cognitive Impairment  Family Based Socioeconomic status (maternal education/household income) Family history of reading difficulties

Primary predictors of literacy achievement Written language awareness Phonological awareness Letter name knowledge Grapheme-phoneme correspondence Literacy motivation Home literacy (Justice et al.: Early Literacy Screening)