Preschool Teachers' Theoretical and Pedagogical Stances on the Language and Literacy Development of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: Implications for Teacher Preparation and In-Service Programs

This article provides background on the major perspectives involving the development of English language and literacy with respect to the evolving demography of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents. It synthesizes research and controversies on the developmental similarity hypothesis—that is, whether the acquisition of English language and literacy of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students is developmentally similar to that of typical language/literacy learners. The outcomes of this discussion have instructional implications and proffer guidelines for teacher preparation programs. The article concludes with directions for further research.

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Forum: Morphological Awareness as a Key Factor in Language-Literacy Success for Academic Achievement

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2020_lshss-20-00064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 509-513

Author(s):

Ashley Bourque Meaux ◽

Julie A. Wolter ◽

Ginger G. Collins

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Academic Success ◽

Literacy Development ◽

Morphological Awareness ◽

Language And Literacy ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

School Based ◽

Literacy Success ◽

Key Factor ◽

Language And Literacy Development

Purpose This article introduces the Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Forum: Morphological Awareness as a Key Factor in Language-Literacy Success for Academic Achievement. The goal of this forum is to relate the influence morphological awareness (MA) has on overall language and literacy development with morphology acting as the “binding agent” between orthography, phonology, and semantics ( Perfetti, 2007 ) in assessment and intervention for school-aged children. Method This introduction provides a foundation for MA development and explores the influence MA has over the course of school-aged language and literacy development. Through summaries of the 11 articles in this forum, school-based speech-language pathologists will be able to convey the importance of MA to promote successful educational outcomes for kindergarten to adolescent students. The forum explores researcher-developed assessments used to help identify MA skill level in first- through eighth-grade students at risk for literacy failure to support instructional needs. The forum also provides school-based speech-language pathologists with details to design and implement MA interventions to support academic success for school-aged students with varying speech-language needs (e.g., dual language emersion, vocabulary development, reading comprehension) using various service delivery models (e.g., small group, classroom-based, intensive summer camps). Conclusion MA is effective in facilitating language and literacy development and as such can be an ideally focused on using multilinguistic approaches for assessment and intervention. The articles in this issue highlight the importance in assessment measures and intervention approaches that focus on students' MA to improve overall academic success in children of all ages and abilities.

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