A Window Into Early Literacy: Exploring the Cognitive and Linguistic Underpinnings of Invented Spelling

The purpose of this study was to investigate informal phonological awareness measures as predictors of first-grade broad reading ability. Subjects were 91 former Head Start students who were administered standardized assessments of cognitive ability and receptive vocabulary, and informal phonological awareness measures during kindergarten and early first grade. Regression analyses indicated that three phonological awareness tasks, Invented Spelling, Categorization, and Blending, were the most predictive of standardized reading measures obtained at the end of first grade. Discriminant analyses indicated that these three phonological awareness tasks correctly identified at-risk students with 92% accuracy. Clinical use of a cutoff score for these measures is suggested, along with general intervention guidelines for practicing clinicians.

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What Clinicians Need to Know About Early Literacy Development in Children With Hearing Loss

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2018_lshss-18-0015 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 16-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Elizabeth Runnion ◽

Shelley Gray

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Early Literacy ◽

Skill Development ◽

Reading Proficiency ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Literacy Skill ◽

Early Literacy Development ◽

Literacy Skill Development ◽

Children With Hearing Loss

PurposeChildren with hearing loss may not reach the same level of reading proficiency as their peers with typical development. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have important roles to play in preventing this problem early in children's development. In this tutorial, we aim to communicate how the habilitation practices of audiologists and intervention services of SLPs can support early literacy skill development in children with hearing loss.MethodWe describe key findings from peer-reviewed research articles to provide a review of early literacy skill development, to explain the relationship between early literacy skills and conventional reading skills, and to highlight findings from early literacy skill intervention studies that included children with hearing loss who use spoken language. We conclude with a hypothetical case study to illustrate how audiologists and SLPs can support early literacy acquisition in children with hearing loss.ConclusionFindings from studies of young children with hearing loss suggest that a promising approach to improving reading outcomes is to provide explicit early literacy instruction and intervention.

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Addressing African American English in Early Literacy Assessment and Instruction

Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations ◽

10.1044/cds15.2.54 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 54-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nicole Patton Terry

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Early Literacy ◽

American English ◽

Critical Role ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

African American English ◽

Literacy Assessment ◽

Learning To Read ◽

Speech Language Pathologist ◽

Early Literacy Assessment

Abstract Determining how best to address young children's African American English use in formal literacy assessment and instruction is a challenge. Evidence is not yet available to discern which theory best accounts for the relation between AAE use and literacy skills or to delineate which dialect-informed educational practices are most effective for children in preschool and the primary grades. Nonetheless, consistent observations of an educationally significant relation between AAE use and various early literacy skills suggest that dialect variation should be considered in assessment and instruction practices involving children who are learning to read and write. The speech-language pathologist can play a critical role in instituting such practices in schools.

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