How does reading and language development go together? Well, they go hand in hand! Without language, one can not read and vice versa!
At the word level, a child may have difficulty with:
At the connected speech level, a child may have difficulty with:
Click here to learn more about reading and writing disorders.
Now, on to the good stuff.
First things first, speech therapists work on reading and writing disorders. Just let that sink in.
There are many ways speech pathologists can work with children with reading and writing disorders. Below, I will outline a few.
This is the biggest one that most speech pathologists most likely already do since it concerns language. To target language comprehension, you will work on smaller units/goals such as:
Before writing, it is imperative to plan out what you will write. Many children with language disorders will have trouble with these skills. Speech therapists can help children plan their writing by:
To be a good writer, a child needs to:
Therefore, like reading, a speech pathologist needs to work on these skills through writing and speaking.
Spelling, yes, spelling! This may shock some of you but as speech-language pathologists, we are super equipped to work on spelling. After all, spelling is a language skills. Some ways to target spelling include:
This teaching technique targets many skills!
Dialogic reading is basically shared reading. Instead of just reading a book word for word with a child, you make it more of an experience!
Take turns describing pictures and “telling” the story. Ask WH questions, talk about pictures, and relate events to real life.
If you are concerned about your child, please contact us for an evaluation or find a speech-language pathologist near you.
In the meantime, learn more at:
Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech-language pathologist. She is passionate about providing parents with information on child speech and language development as well as provide functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference. Follow Bridget at Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!