Speech Language Pathologist
Speech Language Specialist
Speech and language therapy for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades at the Davies School
Office telephone: 609-476-6121
email: scottd@hamiltonschools.org
The Effect of Language Delays on
Reading and Writing Skills: FAQs
Is there a relationship between language delays and reading/writing skills
?Ask any classroom teacher or special educator (SE) and he/she will tell you that children
with language delays are much more likely to experience difficulties in the classroom,
particularly in the areas of reading and writing. According to research, 73% of all second-grade students who are identified as poor readers have difficulties with phonemic awareness or spoken language in kindergarten (Catts, 1999). As a result, Speech-Language
Pathologists (SLPs) are becoming increasingly more involved in the remediation of reading
and writing skills in children diagnosed with a language disorder.
What type of difficulties will a child with language delays child have
?A child with a language delay may have difficulties in the classroom with:
• Understanding oral directions.
• Vocabulary skills.
• Using complete sentences or correct grammar.
• Completing assignments independently.
• Becoming easily frustrated.
How can a child’s reading and writing skills be affected by a language delay
?A child’s reading and writing skills can be affected by a language delay in many different
ways. He/she may experience problems with:
• Learning the relationship between letters and sounds.
• Discriminating between sounds.
• Learning sight words.
• “Guessing” at words based on pictures or the beginning sound.
• Spelling.
• Fluent oral reading (not sounding “choppy”).
• Forming letters and words on paper.
• Organizing thoughts on paper.
• Reading comprehension
As a parent, what should I do if I suspect that my child might have a language
delay and/or problems with reading and writing
?First of all, discuss your concerns with your child’s classroom teacher/SE. It may be
possible that some changes could be made in the classroom that will help your child be
more successful. If your child has not had a speech and language evaluation, request an
evaluation be done by the SLP at school. Be sure to tell the SLP about the difficulties you
have observed in your child.
What can I do to help
?If your child is diagnosed with a language delay, be sure you understand his/her areas
of weakness and the goals he/she is working on at school. Ask his/her SLP for activities
that you can work on at home. Also, talk to the classroom teacher/SE about any problems
that he/she may be having with reading or writing. Remember that good communication
between the parent, classroom teacher/SE, and SLP is one of the most important things
you can do to help your child.
What can I do at home to help my child
?Here are some suggestions for things you can do at home:
•
Read a book with your middle schooler. In the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade,novels are part of the Language Arts curriculum. You can get a copy of the book from
the library or ask your child's Language Arts teacher if you may borrow a book for use
at home. Read a magazine that interests your child or a newspaper article together. Make it a
special and enjoyable time together. If your middle schooler sees that you enjoy reading,
it’s likely that he/she will see reading as fun! Also, reading books introduces your child to
new vocabulary and allows him/her to hear grammatically correct sentence structures.
Exposing your child to new experiences provides opportunities
for increasing vocabulary. For example, take your child a local museum or local art exhibit.
Walk in the woods and talk about things you see, the effects of global warming
on plant and animal life, loss of animal habitat due to construction of buildings in southern
New Jersey, Cape May and all over the world.
• Encourage your child. A child that is struggling academically
needs a lot of positive feedback to encourage success. Use phrases
like “You are really working hard, You are doing a great job, etc.”
Reference:
Catts, H.W., Fey, M.D., Zhang, X. & Tomblin, J.B. “Language basis of reading disabilities: Evidence
from a longitudinal investigation,” Scientific Studies of Reading; 1999; 3:331-361.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES FOR HOME
PRACTICE OF LANGUAGE SKILLS
http://www.languagearts.pppst.com/
Although edhelper is a subscription service, you may access many free materials.
FOR PRACTICE OF SPEECH SKILLS
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/#