1. Image 3: Letter sound folder used for teaching activities.
Teaching Letter Sound Correspondence to an Individual who uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Ali Grandstrand (Undergraduate Researcher), Dr. Thistle (Faculty Mentor) | Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Definitions
baseline
intervention
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
An umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language.
criterion
Image 1: Letters sound teaching materials used during trial training and testing.
Letter Sound Correspondence
Letter sound correspondence is the ability to hear a sound and identify what letter that sound goes with.
Why is letter Sound Correspondence important?
This is a foundational early literacy skill, allowing an individual to decode words and blend sounds, and thus begin reading.
Participant
Graph 1: Performance during testing at the beginning of each teaching session.
The participant in this study was a 14 year old male with autism. He used an AAC device to communicate. He was enrolled in therapy at the Center for Communication Disorders (CCD) on the UWEC campus. He attended therapy for one 90 minute weekly session.
Image 2: Letter sound book used for teaching activities. Contains the same images as below.
Results, Discussion, Conclusion
Confounding factors
Mother and caretaker were in the room during sessions and participant often looked to them for guidance during these activities.
Not enough time for mastery of target letter.
Only met once a week.
Results
Study Design
During testing the participant accurately identified “a” an average of 2/5 attempts across 18 intervention sessions.
During teaching the participant accurately identified “a” in 30/30 attempts in all 18 intervention sessions.
Single subject, changing criterion design.
Methods
Suggestions and Implications for future studies
At the beginning and the end of each weekly 90 minute session, the participant demonstrated knowledge of letter-sound correspondence by pointing to the letter matching the presented sound. Baseline was acquired prior to beginning intervention and intervention started with the teaching of “a”.
Discussion
Letter sound correspondence lays the groundwork for future success with reading.
Future studies:
Complete testing at the end of each teaching session rather than at the beginning.
Remove distractions, such as parents, from the room when completing teaching sessions.
Plan more time for explicit teaching of the target sound.
During teaching, the participant successfully identified “a” in 100% of teaching attempts. Visual prompts in the form of pointing were used to assist the participant in recognizing and identifying the letter sound correspondence.
During testing, the prompt was removed and the participant had to identify “a” independently. The participant failed to demonstrate independent letter sound correspondence for “a”.
Image 3: Letter sound folder used for teaching activities.
Materials Used
Lower-case letters were used as they are more commonly seen in everyday settings. Letters were printed in black ink on yellow cardstock to maximize visual acuity.
Instruction materials include a handmade book with five images that begin with the target sound, a file folder containing the same five images, and a piece of cardboard with a strip of Velcro on which to place the letters.
baseline
intervention
Typical Teaching Session
Test knowledge across 5 testing trials:
Researcher said the target sound
Participant identified the target letter
Teaching activities:
Letter sound teaching using target letter with 3 foils for 10 trials (image 1)
Most to least prompting
Letter sound book using 5 images starting with target sound (image 2)
Errorless learning opportunities
Letter sound folder using same 5 images (image 3)
Graph 2: Performance during letter sound book, letter sound teaching, and letter folder teaching.