speech and reading therapy

How Speech Therapy can Help Remediate Reading

• August 26, 2022

Amy Yacoub, MS, CCC-SLP

Reading is one of the most important skills for children to learn. It’s correlated with academic success , self-esteem, concentration, vocabulary, memory, and critical thinking skills.

It’s never too early to start exposing children to literacy. According to the American Pediatrics Association, even reading to infants has been shown to improve their later academic success.

It’s also important to seek the right services for your child from a young age if you are concerned that he or she may be struggling with reading. Studies show that it is more difficult for children to catch up later if they start off with reading difficulties and don’t receive the proper interventions.

One service that can help is Speech Therapy.

Speech and language impairments in children are linked to reading difficulties. So many Speech Therapists (also known as Speech-Language Pathologists) are trained to be able to assess and provide treatment for children with literacy disorders.

Let’s talk more about some ways that Speech Therapy can help children with reading skills.

Improving Phonological Awareness Skills

A critical early skill children must develop for learning to read is phonological awareness.

If your child is already receiving Speech Therapy, it’s important to keep an eye on their phonological awareness skills. Children with speech sound disorders have been found to have more trouble with phonological awareness tasks.

If your child is Pre-Kindergarten age (around 4 to 5 years old), and is showing difficulty with phonological awareness tasks, a Speech Therapist may be able to help.

In Speech Therapy, your child’s therapist can work with him or her on tasks like syllable awareness. Your child might be asked to clap or tap out each syllable in multisyllabic words, like butterfly .

Another sound awareness activity might involve the Speech Therapist saying individual sounds and asking your child to blend those sounds into a word. For example, being able to blend the sounds c-a-t into the word cat .

Even though your child may not be starting to read yet, seeking extra help to work on these pre-literacy skills through Speech Therapy can help prevent your child from falling behind later as they start to learn to read.

Assessment of Reading Skills

A Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) who specializes in literacy can complete a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation if you have concerns with your child’s reading skills.

Based on your child’s age, the therapist’s observations, and specific areas of concern reported by you or your child’s teacher, the SLP may test your child’s skills in several areas of literacy . For example, sound-letter correspondence, decoding, reading fluency (speed, accuracy), word recognition, and reading comprehension.

A literacy evaluation completed by a Speech Therapist can be helpful in determining whether a child has signs of a reading disorder. The assessment can also help the therapist make appropriate recommendations for interventions that can help improve your child’s skills in specific areas of literacy. That might include weekly Speech Therapy.

Phonics-Based Reading Programs

A Speech Therapist can help remediate your child’s reading skills by using specific approaches to improve his or her skills.

Orton-Gillingham is an approach to teaching reading that some Speech Therapists are specifically trained in using. This approach is language-based, multi-sensory, and uses a structured method to teach children to read at the word level.

In the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading, children learn letter-sound correlation through multi-sensory activities, like tracing a letter in sand.

Children also learn certain rules and patterns behind reading. Then, they build on these skills over time. The Orton-Gillingham approach is often used to remediate reading skills in children with Dyslexia.

Reading Comprehension

Of course, not only is it important for kids to learn to read, but it’s also critical for them to learn to understand and remember what they read.

As children grow, reading comprehension is essential for them to continue developing academic skills by reading everything from textbooks to word problems in math. Not to mention, children can get more enjoyment out of reading when they understand what they’ve read!

Your child’s Speech Therapist will likely teach him or her strategies to facilitate comprehension, like re-reading passages or taking notes. Your child may be asked to use these strategies while reading grade-level passages and then answering questions about the information they read.

How to Start Speech Therapy

TherapyWorks offers Speech Therapy with Speech-Language Pathologists experienced in literacy and trained in specific reading treatment approaches, such as Orton-Gilingham.

We offer Speech Therapy, Occupational and Physical Therapy both in person and through teletherapy (nationwide). If you would like to learn more, or discuss your child’s specific needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to TherapyWorks!

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Reasons Parents May Seek ABA for Their Child

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Comprehensive Care for Every Child's Speech, Reading, and Cognitive Growth

At Children's Speech & Reading Center, we're dedicated to unlocking every child's potential through personalized care in speech, reading, and cognitive development. Our expert team crafts individualized programs to build fundamental skills that foster confidence and academic success. By partnering with families and utilizing evidence-based techniques, we ensure that each child embarks on a journey of growth and discovery. With us, your child's future is bright, filled with endless possibilities and opportunities for success.

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The Crisis in Reading, Speech, and Literacy Among Children and Teens in The US

In a world brimming with words, an alarming number of our children and teens navigate a silent challenge. Statistics reveal a stark reality: over 30% of children struggle with basic literacy by the fourth grade. While nearly 20% of students exhibit speech or language delays. This crisis casts long shadows over academic achievement, social integration, and future opportunities. Intervention is not just beneficial. It's imperative.

How Can We Help Close The Gap?

Children’s Speech and Reading Center stands as a beacon of hope and progress in Northern Colorado. We offer a suite of services to children and teens that directly address pressing challenges.

Speech & Language Screenings

Our journey begins with complimentary speech & language screenings for children. This is a crucial first step in identifying potential communication barriers. This detection is key to setting a tailored path forward. Through this, every child has the opportunity to express themselves clearly and confidently. By addressing these hurdles from the start, we lay a solid foundation for future success.

Evaluations  

Following screenings, our comprehensive evaluations for speech, language, and literacy delve deeper. We aim to uncover specific areas that require attention. These assessments are pivotal in crafting customized literacy plans and interventions. Our team of professionals is equipped with the expertise in literacy instruction needed to navigate the complexities of language deficits and developmental language disabilities.

Individualized Speech-Language Therapy  

At the heart of our services is individualized speech-language therapy . Our dedicated speech-language pathologists employ a range of speech-language teaching materials and specialized workshops. Tailored to meet the ability levels and speech-language skill needs of each child, sessions are designed to foster rapid and sustainable progress. Through one-on-one tutoring, every child receives the focused attention they deserve. This promotes in-depth language development and oral language proficiency.

Reading Therapy  

Our reading therapy program transforms children into proficient readers. We employ structured literacy programs and evidence-based strategies. We also focus on literacy development from the ground up to address literacy delays. Plus, we instill a growth mindset that champions life-long literacy. Our approach not only boosts reading competency but also nurtures a genuine love for reading. 

Executive Function  

Recognizing the unique challenges faced by older students, our executive function programs are tailored to equip teens with essential organizational and cognitive skills for success. This service is pivotal for students with disabilities and those at risk. Through group sessions, they can acquire the skills for success in academia and beyond. Our approach fosters teens’ success which helps them prepare for the complexities of higher education and life's challenges.

Early Literacy Programs  

For preschoolers aged 4-5, especially those from low-income families, our early literacy programs lay a strong foundation of learning. These interventions are crucial in preventing issues in literacy before they start going to school. Through engaging literacy activities and literacy coaching, we make learning accessible and fun. This will spark a curiosity that fuels lifelong learning.

At Children’s Speech & Reading Center (CSRC), we're more than a center. We're a cornerstone for student success in Northern Colorado. We specialize in in-depth language reading competency, oral language mastery, and fostering a strong foundation of literacy. Our services are designed to meet the unique needs of children experiencing speech, language, or reading delays.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, CSRC is committed to providing professional and affordable services to children and teens. Our professional team and caring staff are dedicated to creating a supportive environment where children and teens can develop their speech, language, literacy, executive functioning, and reading skills. 

Our center is located just north of Prospect on Shields. You'll find us at 1302 S. Shields, Units A1-3, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Our doors are always open for consultations and support.

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Why Choose Us

Choosing Children’s Speech & Reading Center means investing in a future where every child can achieve their full potential. We equip your kids with the fundamental language skills and comprehension skills necessary for lifelong success. Here’s a deeper look into what sets us apart.

Our center is renowned for its expertise in addressing a wide array of communication challenges. With a team of highly skilled professionals, we bring a wealth of knowledge and specialized skills to every session. 

Personalized Care

We believe in personalized care that sees beyond the immediate challenges to recognize the unique potential within every child. Our approach ensures that every child progresses at their own pace.

More than just a service provider, we are a vibrant community. Our center is a place where families, professionals, and caring staff come together supported to create a nurturing environment. We also partner with local schools to conduct our on-campus services. Our on-campus tutoring sessions are part of our structured literacy programs. 

Proven Results

The heart of our center is the proven results we achieve. Each one stands as a testament to the transformative impact of our dedicated support and the efficacy of our alternative academic support services.

Comprehensive Support

Our comprehensive support extends from the very first consultation for student success to the joyous celebrations of every milestone achieved. We offer a range of services to students so no stone is left unturned in our quest to support your child's growth.

Our Impact and Success Stories

Each success story at our center is a testament to resilience. At Children's Speech & Reading Center, we weave a rich mosaic of these narratives. Every strand represents a child's journey that starts with a challenge and culminates in a remarkable triumph. Our community's unwavering belief in the potential of every child serves as the bedrock upon which these transformations are built.

"My son has been coming to CSRC off and on for years. From speech therapy and social skills group in the early years, to more complex needs with reading comprehension and inference - CSRC and their amazing staff have helped him more than words can say…   More

How to Get Started

Starting your journey with our center is a straightforward, supportive, and personalized process. Here's a simple approach that parents and guardians can follow to engage with our services. 

Inquiry and Initial Consultation

Begin by reaching out to us through our website, phone at (970) 419-0486, or email [email protected] to express your interest in our services. Our team will provide you with all the necessary information and answer any questions you may have about our programs and how we can support your child's needs.

Screening and Assessment

Attend the screening session where our experienced professionals will engage with your child. We conduct the screening and assessment in a friendly and supportive environment to understand their unique strengths and challenges.

Personalized Plan Development

Following the screening, our team will discuss the results with you and recommend a tailored plan of action. This plan will outline the specific services and programs that best suit your child's needs. We take into account their individual learning style and goals.

Enrollment and Start of Services

Once the personalized plan is agreed upon, we'll guide you through the enrollment process to start the recommended services. Your child will then begin their journey with us. They can start receiving in-person tutoring as well as expert care and support that they need to thrive at their intended level and beyond.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Our strength lies in unity. We collaborate with local schools where we do our on-campus services. We also partner with libraries and community organizations to weave a network of support that extends far beyond our center's walls. Our affiliations with esteemed educational and professional bodies further cement our commitment to excellence and community service. 

Interested in partnering or collaborating with us? Reach out to us and let’s explore how we can work together. 

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Education extends beyond individual and group sessions. Our center is a vibrant hub for community education where we offer workshops and seminars. These events are designed to empower parents, educators, and the broader community with knowledge and strategies for supporting our children.

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Information and Tips from CSRC

Armed with the right strategies, every parent can be a catalyst for their child's success. Our educational resources page is a treasure trove of tips, techniques, and insights into speech, language, and literacy development.

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We have immediate openings for SLPs and Preliteracy specialists. 

Please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected]  

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Join hands with the Children’s Speech & Reading Center and play a pivotal role in shaping the futures of children in our community. Here’s how you can get involved in our mission. 

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Your donations are the lifeline that allows us to continue offering affordable and specialized services to children facing challenges with speech, reading, and language. As a recognized 501(c)(3) organization, your contributions are tax-deductible. Beyond monetary support, consider donating your old vehicle or initiating personal fundraising campaigns. These efforts are crucial, especially in supporting children with dyslexia. Through our collective effort, we can provide them with the resources and structured literacy programs they need to succeed.

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Volunteering at our center offers a unique opportunity to contribute directly to our day-to-day operations and special events. Whether you're assisting with event logistics, participating in book drives, or helping distribute brochures, your time and effort significantly enhance our community outreach and academic support services. Volunteers are essential in creating an engaging and supportive environment.

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Small Acts, Significant Impact

Every act of generosity contributes to the transformative experiences of the children we serve. Monetary donations, ranging from $5 to $40,000, directly support our mission to provide access to students for essential speech and reading therapies. Your contribution aids in maintaining our hours of operation and enabling personal tutoring. Sharing your blessings also helps kids with difficulties, particularly those with dyslexia, receive the targeted support they need to flourish.

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Frequently Asked Questions  

How do I know if my child needs help?  

Look for signs like delayed speech milestones, difficulty following instructions, or struggles with reading and writing tasks appropriate for their age.

How can parents support their child's development at home?  

Engage in regular reading, encourage expressive conversation, and practice the strategies recommended by our team of professionals. 

Are your services free of charge?  

We provide free screenings and early literacy programs to kids aged 4-5 from low-income families. While we offer professional and affordable treatment for our other services.  

How many sessions do you provide and how long does it take per session? 

The number of sessions varies per service. Usually, we hold weekly sessions that last for 30 minutes. For group executive functions, we hold weekly classes for an hour. 

How long does it take to see progress?  

While individual results vary, most families notice significant improvements within a few months of consistent therapy.

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Every word spoken and every page turned can be a step toward a brighter future. Let's make that journey together. With Children’s Speech & Reading Center, your child's potential knows no bounds. Contact us today for more information. 

Speech therapy: What it is and how it helps with language challenges

Speech therapy can help with communication skills, including spoken and written language. It can even help with reading. Learn more about this treatment, and how to request it for your child.

By Gail Belsky

Expert reviewed by Kelli Johnson, MA

Speech therapy is a treatment that can help improve communication skills. It’s sometimes called speech-language therapy.

Many people think that speech therapy is only for kids with speech disorders that affect pronunciation. But it can also target problems with:

Receptive language (understanding language)

Expressive language (using language)

Social communication (using language in socially appropriate ways)

Reading and spelling (including dyslexia )

Here’s more about speech therapy and how it can help kids with language challenges.

Dive deeper

How speech-language therapy works.

The specialists who do this type of therapy are speech-language pathologists (SLPs). They first identify what kind of speech or language problem a child has. Then they find the underlying causes and the best treatment. 

Therapy can happen one-on-one or in small groups. It may last from a few months to a few years. The earlier therapy begins, the more helpful it is. Language difficulties are usually lifelong, but skills can improve with the right support. 

Kids may get therapy in school for free as part of special education. It would be part of an IEP . Or they might start even earlier. One way is through their state’s early intervention system. Therapy can also happen in private settings.

Speech-language therapy is tailored to a child’s specific needs. Here are some common skills SLPs work on:

Phonological awareness. An early reading skill. To improve it, SLPs might focus on rhyming and identifying sounds in words. 

Expressing more complex ideas. SLPs might teach “joining words” like and , but , or because to help kids combine their ideas in sentences.

Building vocabulary. SLPs might help kids remember words by acting them out or using them to tell a story.

Conversation skills. SLPs might role-play conversation and help kids pick up on social cues.

Parents and caregivers can help kids practice these exercises at home. This can make speech therapy even more effective.

Learn more about how speech-language pathologists work with kids .

Speech-language therapy and reading challenges

Phonological awareness is one of the first reading skills. It’s the ability to recognize and use sounds in spoken language. Kids rely on this skill to sound out (decode) words. 

Kids with reading challenges like dyslexia often have trouble with this skill. Speech-language therapy can help them hear that the word bat breaks down into b , a , and t sounds. This can improve reading comprehension skills.

Challenges with language can also cause problems with reading comprehension. SLPs work on those skills, too.

Learn more about phonological awareness .

How to request speech therapy

To get speech therapy at school, kids need to be evaluated by the SLP. This tends to be part of a full school evaluation for special education services. For some kids, speech therapy is the only service they need. Find out how to request a free evaluation for:

Early intervention (kids under age 3)

Preschoolers (kids ages 3–5)

Kids in kindergarten and up

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Literacy Interventions in Speech Therapy

Speech pathologists have an important role to play in literacy instruciton. Unfortunately, my graduate program never taught me what that role was or what to do about it. So…I have spent at least a decade scoffing at presenters who tell me that I need to take on yet ANOTHER responsibility. Isn’t the SLP’s scope of practice large enough without adding reading onto the plate?

Slowly (and embarrassingly, reluctantly) have I come to embrace ASHA’s position that SLPs play a “critical and direct role in the development of literacy” (ASHA, 2001). However, in my 2×30 minute weekly sessions, I have neither the time nor energy to lead a direct reading instruction intervention. But I’ve wondered what I can do to promote literacy skills while staying true to my role as a communication specialist (rather than reading tutor).

This year, the class across the hall from my speech room was selected to be part of a special literacy cohort for children with multiple disabilities. Dr. Caroline Musselwhite is an incredible instructor and wealth of knowledge and I highly encourage you to check out her resources and conferences. In one training she referred to the article “Comprehensive Literacy Instruction, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, and Students with Severe Disability” (Erickson, 2017), which describes how interprofessional collaborative practice is essential for teaching literacy skills in children with severe disabilities.

Comprehensive literacy instruction

Erickson (2017) states that literacy instruction must be comprehensive. This may include the special education teacher providing direct instruction, the SLP providing communication boards for individuals needing AAC, and the OT providing adaptive methods to turn pages or access AT. Elements of comprehensive literacy instruction include shared reading, independent reading, shared writing, independent writing, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness. In the remainder of this blog post, I will look more closely at four of these areas and how they can be used in speech.

Shared reading is an evidence-based practice for increasing language skills, enjoyment of text, social relationships, and text-to-life relationships. Shared reading includes reading books aloud, while commenting, asking questions, responding, and allowing for meaningful interaction within the reading. I use shared reading daily with my complex communicators in whole group circle time instruction . In addition, most of my monthly lesson plans include the use of literature for several sessions of speech therapy for language, social skills, or articulation.

Shared writing is part of comprehensive literacy instruction . In these activities, adults write the words that the students use when describing an experience, then read it back to the students (Erickson, 2017).  With coaching from Dr. Musselwhite, the literacy cohort classroom in my school is practicing using predictable chart writing. The teacher determines a sentence starter and students add one to two words to the end of the sentence. These words are selected verbally, by pointing to pictures, or through AAC devices.

For example, the teacher recently focused on garden words with the sentence starter, “I like…..” The students pointed to the plant that they like and she wrote it down and re-read all of the answers. After repeating the activity for a week, she typed up the answers and created a mini-book to read together or within independent reading times. I love this shared writing and sentence frames because it is an activity I often do within speech therapy sessions, without ever realizing that I was promoting literacy skills! I have students verbally or with AAC finish sentences and then read them back to me to increase vocabulary, grammar, and describing. I also use this technique when working on sequencing skills, such as “First I…”

Comprehensive literacy intervention also includes alphabet knowledge . As a part of circle time activities , I teach the alphabet through the letter of the week song, and motor and movement activities. I pair singing the alphabet with seeing the letters via alphabet apps and youtube songs. Within the speech room, I have the alphabet, Alphafriends , and ASL alphabet displayed. I refer to these visual alphabets frequently.

In the past, I have provided phonological awareness activities primarily to my students working on articulation sounds. However, Erickson (2017), states that all educational team members can teach phonological awareness skills through books, rhymes, poetry, rap, alliteration, and music. In 1970, Wylie  & Durrell published the 37 most common rimes (word endings) in written primary grades. Learning these rimes not only teaches decoding skills but also spelling patterns (Erickson, 2017). It enables students to create rhymes and therefore rhyme-based poetry and rap. When I saw these words, I realized that SLPs, as well as teachers, can use rimes throughout instruction.

Using rimes for phonemic awareness:

• Teach students how to read one or more of the rimes (word endings).
• Using the speech sounds alphabet, name as many rhymes (real or nonsense) as possible.
• Sort real and nonsense words – define if necessary.
• Write short poems or raps using the rhymes.

Using rimes for articulation practice:

• Identify the targeted articulation consonant sound.
• Write the sound at the beginning of each rime .
• Practice using correct speech sounds while stating the 37 words.
• Sort real and nonsense words based on the targeted articulation sound.

Collaboration

Although literacy instruction has traditionally been believed to be in the realm of only the teacher, Erickson (2017) argues that comprehensive instruction requires that all educational team members collaborate. With collaboration, all areas of instruction including shared reading and writing, alphabet, and phonological awareness can be addressed daily with students while emphasizing both print and language skills. Take some time to discuss these ideas with your special education teacher(s) and determine ways to work together towards literacy instruction for shared students.

Incorporating literacy instruction in speech therapy

I would recommend that you consider these four areas of comprehensive literacy instruction and determine ways to incorporate them into your speech therapy practices. Below are several examples of ways to build literacy while working on speech and language goals.

Shared reading:

• Focus on comprehension based on sequencing
• Have students predict what will happen next
• Work on sequencing beginning, middle, end of the story
• Ask an open-ended question that relates the text to the students’ life experiences
• Determine synonyms for words used within the text
• Describe pictures or characters from the text

Shared writing:

• Create sentence starters and have children read them
• Write down words contributed by students when describing or finishing a sentence
• Read the sentences back to the students
• Have students read the sentences to the group

Alphabet knowledge:

• Refer to alphabet displays throughout therapy
• Ask students to determine the beginning letter of a word
• Develop stories based on a chosen letter
• Refer to the alphabet frequently during articulation therapy

Phonological awareness:

• Sound out unknown articulation words or words from books
• Use rime endings to practice articulation
• Create rhymes
• Determine and write two-line rhyming poems or wraps
• Use alliteration to create silly sentences or stories
• Use phonological skills to encourage writing unknown words

References:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2001). Roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists with respect to reading and writing in children and adolescents [Position Statement]. Available from www.asha.org/policy .

Erickson, K. A. (2017). Comprehensive literacy instruction, interprofessional collaborative practice, and students with severe disabilities. American Journal of Speech-L anguage Pathology , 26 (2), 193-205.

Wylie, R. E., & Durrell, D. D. (1970). Teaching vowels through phonograms. Elementary English , 47 (6), 787-791.

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How to plan a literacy-based speech therapy session

Literacy-based therapy has become quite a buzzy term lately, but what is it, really? In short, it is using books ( or other literature ) as the foundation for your therapeutic interventions. Did you know that almost half of preschool children with language-impairments develop significant literacy learning difficulties ( Aram & Nation, 1980) even if their delays appear to be resolved by age 5 ( Scarborough 1980;2002). Integrating literature into our sessions is a kind of like adding spinach to some chocolate muffins. You are sneaking in some extra goodness and the kids are none the wiser.

Another reason I am head over heels for literacy-based therapy is the semantic exposure it provides our students. As SLPs we know how critical reading to a child is. Many of our students, for many different reasons, are not read to at home, making their time at school the only chance for reading/exposure to literacy. Did you know if a child is read to for just 20 minutes a day, by the time they are in 6th grade they will have been exposed to 1,800,000 words a year. Where as a student who is read to just one minute a day is exposed to 8,000 words a year. Which student do you think will have a more developed vocabulary? Better critical thinking skills? We can be the opportunity for our students ( at least a few days a weeks ) to give them that boost they may be missing.

It was documented that shared reading activities ( like a literacy-based speech session ) can increase development in multiple areas (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006; Debaryshe, 1993; Burner, 1978) and promote language development in children with typical development (Teale & Sulzby, 1986; Westby, 1985) and with language impairments (Gillam & Ukrainetz, 2006).

Children with oral language impairments are at a greater risk for reading disabilities ( Schuele, 2004 ) By offering exposure during speech therapy, we can help offer instances of practice with reading skills as they relate to their language goals. Proficient reading requires integrated skills across decoding and comprehension that draw on language tenets ( semantics, syntax, and phonology ) ( Schuele, 2004 )

So where do you start? Here is my session break down for using a book to target student goals while giving them and adequate exposure to literacy.

You’ve scoured Pinterest and found the perfect book. Amazon Prime came in, in the clutch and delivered your book the next day! So now what?

On day 1 you’re not even going to read book. I know that sounds a but crazy but stay with me. One of the big things our students lack is background knowledge, in all areas really. Not having adequate background knowledge meanings great difficulty trying to connect to vocabulary, social situations, etc. We need to front load background knowledge for our students to pull from and reference in order for them to learn the skills we are going to be teaching and do so successfully. So your first activity is a book walk . Start by looking at pictures, page by page, and talking about what they see. Who are the characters going to be, what is the setting, look at their facial expressions, how do they characters feel on each page, etc. This is also when you are going to introduce the story grammar vocabulary: character, setting, plot, etc. One thing I always make sure to add in is ‘time’. I ask my kids when they think the story is happening ( year or season ). This is when I will also discuss vocabulary they may not be familiar with it. My word of caution here is NEVER PRESUME KNOWLEDGE. Do not assume your 2nd grade student understands the word ‘travel’ or ‘borrow’. Choose vocabulary in terms of verbs and adjectives that play a large role in the story and/or are repeated in the story. Did you know kids who were read the same book multiple times, remembered the meaning of a new word more than kids who heard different books with the same word ( Horst, Parsons, Bryan, 2011). You can make cards for the book if you want, especially if you plan to use the book again or just use post its if you think this is a one time deal. Write the word and kid generated meaning on card/post it.

Now, while you are doing this introduction you can still incorporate student goals for the session. Use the pictures to draw your inspiration. Have a student working on articulation? Can they find a picture with their sound? If not provide a word but give a tie in to the page. An example could be if you are looking at a pumpkin book and the student has a target for /l/. If there is nothing that can be used and an /l/ target you may want to improvise by tying a word in such as, ” Pumpkins can be heavy to lift, let’s say ‘ Lift the pumpkin’ “. You can follow this same method with language goals.

Today you will get to go a bit more in depth with the book, but you’re still not reading the story yet. In this session you are going to introduce the story elements for the book you are using. I know it sounds crazy that you still aren’t reading the book, but stay with me here. Characters, setting, etc, these are concepts and vocabulary our kids struggle with. If you don’t take the time to introduce and teach them, your students are going to get lost fast, disengage from the session, and miss out targeting their goals. First, I review the story/narrative terminology. To make sure they are engaged I have have them draw for each concept. When talking about character they can draw their favorite movie or book character, for setting I have then draw where the place the would love to travel to. Finding a way for them to make a connection to the word is key. When it comes to more abstract concepts like plot, I have them draw an icon that they feels represents the meaning and we dig into it further from there.

Today is the day! You actually will start reading the book! Start by reviewing the vocabulary and narrative terms from days 1 and 2. Now that everyone is caught up, go ahead and read first half of book. Be sure to point out the vocabulary you introduced as it comes up. Take a few moments to see how it is being used in the story. After you have read the first half, work with students to identify story characters, setting, the problem. Something else not to be overlooked is character emotion and how it plays into the development of the story. What caused the character to feel like that? What did they do because of it? You will be pleasantly surprised by how much more your kids will participate because you front loaded the information. People sometimes feel like they are ‘giving away too much’ by front loading the information but here is where we need to keep in mind that we want our students to be successful and holding them accountable to for information they don’t know is not a way learn. Integrate student goals into the session as you did before.

Last time you read the first half of the book, so today you will read 2nd half. Kick things off by reviewing of 1st half of the book. Most likely is has been a few days since you last saw your students so a review is good everyone. After you have gone over the events of the 1st half, as well as the vocabulary that has come up thus far, ask for predictions about what may happen next. Be sure to continue to point out the vocabulary you front loaded along the way. You can put the remaining vocabulary cards on the table in front of the students and them use their hands or fly swatters to tap the words that come as they hear them. This is a fun way to make sure everyone is engaged and listening. Once you finish the story discuss ending, how did plot change, did anything surprise them, etc. Be sure to sure their narrative terminology ( character, setting, plot, etc ) and point out an example for each one in the story. Again, you can integrate their goals into the session or simply let it be about the story.

Today is the big day, you read the full story! Review all of the vocabulary you had targeted in the beginning and go over the basic story elements. Read the story in its entirety. During this reading I will just read the story, I won’t stop to point things out or discuss as I read. I do this for two reasons: 1) So they can hear how the story would typically flow and 2) because it is just nice to sit and listen to a story sometimes. When the story is done have the students use the story elements ( aka narrative terminology ) to draw out the story. Have them use the vocabulary you targeted to discuss their artistic creations. Review their predictions. Were they correct? If no, what occurred in the story to make their prediction not come true? Who was their favorite character and why?

This is set up I use for a literacy based approach. I integrate their goals into the sessions for each day while following this framework.

One thing to mention as far as story elements/grammar. There are a few different methods out there. A popular one is Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then. While this is a nice strategy I have found it to be a bit ‘incomplete’ when it comes to understanding the complete story. Yes, it hits the big things which is great, but over looks the detailed but necessary elements, such as character emotion. This might be a nice introduction strategy that you can then graduate students from as they master story element knowledge. I tend to teach my students this strategy from the beginning, just to avoid hopping around, but everyone is different. The strategy I use is: Time, Character, Setting, Problem, Emotion, Plan, End ( sometimes Ending Emotion ).

If you are trying to figure out what book to use with your first experience with this framework, you can read this post about the best books for your speechie library.

Oh, BTW! I have a One Page Book Target Sheet in the FREE RESOURCES section of my site. I use this to keep track of all the different concepts for a story without using a bunch of post its. Then I just tape this in the back of the book. If you are a part of my email community then you have the password to go in and download this freebie. If you aren’t in our email community of speechie awesomeness, then click HERE to join us.

References:

Aram, D. M., & Nation, J. E. (1980). Preschool language disorders and subsequent language and academic difficulties.  Journal of Communication Disorders, 13 (2), 159-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0021-9924(80)90033-7

Horst, Jessica & Parsons, Kelly & Bryan, Natasha. (2011). Get the Story Straight: Contextual Repetition Promotes Word Learning from Storybooks . Frontiers in psychology. 2. 17. 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00017.

Leach, J. M., Scarborough, H. S., & Rescorla, L. (2003). Late-emerging reading disabilities.  Journal of Educational Psychology, 95 (2), 211-224.

Doyle B and Bramwell W (2006) Promoting emergent literacy and social–emotional learning through dialogic reading. The Reading Teacher 59(6): 554–564.

Teale, W. H., & Sulzby, E. (1986).  Emergent Literacy as a Perspective for Examining How Young Children Become Writers and Readers.  Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Schuele, C. M. (2004), The impact of developmental speech and language impairments on the acquisition of literacy skills. Ment. Retard. Dev. Disabil. Res. Rev., 10: 176-183. doi: 10.1002/mrdd.20014

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Hey there! I’m Maureen Wilson, a school-base SLP who is data driven and caffeine powered. My passion is supporting other pediatric SLPs by teaching them how to harness the power of literacy and data to help their students achieve their goals…without sacrificing time they don’t have.

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5 responses.

Would you use this same strategy for Pre-school aged kiddos? Thanks for this post! I use books allll the time in therapy. It’s definitely my jam, but I like to see how others use them.

I would, just incorporate movement breaks 🙂

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Written by Team TE

June 13, 2024.

Content by: Karalynne Alliss | Therapeutic Endeavors Intern

Speech and language skills form the foundation of literacy. The ability to understand and use spoken language is closely tied to the ability to read and write. For children struggling with speech and language disorders, this connection means they are at a higher risk of facing difficulties with reading and academic performance. In this blog post, we’ll explore the vital link between speech therapy and reading skills, and how early intervention can set the stage for lifelong literacy success.

Understanding the connection between speech therapy and reading skills is essential for fostering early literacy and academic success. Key areas influenced by speech therapy include phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, syntax and grammar, narrative skills, and listening comprehension. Early intervention by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) can address these foundational skills, preventing reading difficulties and boosting a child’s confidence and performance. Through targeted activities and strategies, speech therapy enhances both verbal communication and reading abilities, paving the way for a child’s successful learning journey.

Understanding the Connection

Speech therapy addresses a range of communication issues, including articulation, fluency, and language disorders. These areas are critical not only for effective verbal communication but also for developing reading skills. Here’s how:

Phonemic Awareness

Definition: The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

Connection to Reading: Phonemic awareness is crucial for learning to read. Children must be able to segment and blend sounds to decode words. Speech therapy helps children develop these skills by focusing on sound production and auditory discrimination.

Vocabulary Development

Definition: The body of words a person knows and uses.

Connection to Reading: A robust vocabulary is essential for reading comprehension. Speech therapy enhances vocabulary through activities that introduce new words and concepts, improving a child’s ability to understand and interpret texts.

Syntax and Grammar

Definition: The set of rules, principles, and processes that govern the structure of sentences.

Connection to Reading: Understanding syntax and grammar helps children make sense of what they read. Speech therapy targets these areas, helping children construct and understand complex sentences, which translates to better reading comprehension.

Narrative Skills

Definition: The ability to tell a story with a clear sequence of events.

Connection to Reading: Narrative skills are important for both reading and writing. Speech therapy encourages children to organize their thoughts and convey them coherently, which supports their ability to understand and create narratives in written form.

Listening Comprehension

Definition: The ability to understand spoken language.

Connection to Reading: Listening comprehension is a precursor to reading comprehension. Speech therapy helps children follow directions, understand stories, and answer questions about what they’ve heard, laying the groundwork for reading comprehension.

Early Intervention and Its Impact

Early intervention is key to addressing speech and language issues before they significantly impact reading development. Here’s why it’s so important:

Prevents Learning Gaps:

Early speech therapy can mitigate the risk of children falling behind in reading skills. Addressing issues early ensures that children develop the necessary language foundation before they start formal reading instruction.

Boosts Confidence:

Children who struggle with speech and reading often experience frustration and low self-esteem. Early intervention helps build their skills and confidence, making them more likely to engage with reading and enjoy learning.

Supports Academic Success:

Strong speech and language skills are linked to better academic performance. Early speech therapy can improve reading skills, leading to better grades and a more positive school experience.

How Speech Therapy Supports Reading Development

Speech therapists employ various strategies to support reading development:

• Phonological Awareness Activities: These include rhyming games, sound matching, and segmenting and blending sounds.
• Vocabulary Building: Speech therapists use picture cards, storytelling, and interactive reading to introduce new words.
• Sentence Structure Exercises: Activities that focus on building and understanding complex sentences help improve syntax and grammar.
• Storytelling and Sequencing: Therapists encourage children to tell stories and sequence events, which enhances narrative skills.
• Listening and Comprehension Activities: These activities improve a child’s ability to understand spoken language and follow directions, which are essential for reading comprehension.

The connection between speech therapy and reading skills is undeniable. Strong speech and language abilities are the foundation of literacy, and early intervention plays a crucial role in preventing reading difficulties. If you have concerns about your child’s speech and reading development, consulting with a speech-language pathologist can provide the guidance and support needed to ensure their success.

At Therapeutic Endeavors, we are dedicated to helping children develop the skills they need for effective communication and literacy. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can support your child’s speech and reading development.

Early speech therapy is not just about improving communication; it’s about laying the foundation for lifelong literacy and learning.

Understanding the link between speech therapy and reading skills is essential for your child’s development. Parents are encouraged to seek help at the first signs of speech and language issues and to actively support their child’s literacy growth. Balancing therapy sessions with engaging, real-world interactions fosters a conducive learning environment. Additionally, incorporating educational activities that reinforce speech therapy can significantly enhance reading progress. Using enriching tools and resources that stimulate both communication and literacy skills transforms early intervention into a valuable, multifaceted learning experience.

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Sadly, the above scenario is far from unique but occurs rather frequently. That is because many professionals providing intervention to children with reading comprehension deficits, fail to grasp that reading comprehension is not a unitary skill but rather a collection of skills   (Gray, 2017) that require mastery prior to improvement taking place.

So what does it mean for learners diagnosed with Developmental Language  Disorder (DLD) ? Well, studies show that their reading comprehension abilities will show weaknesses , which is why it would be important to improve those abilities explicitly in the context of language and literacy therapy services ( Gough Kenyon ,  Palikara , &  Lucas 2018 ) .

Hence, parents and professionals need to be mindful of “ illusory recovery ” or  “ a time period when the students with early language disorders seem to catch up with their typically developing peers” by undergoing a “spurt” in language learning, which is followed by a “ post spurt plateau ”. Due to their ongoing deficits and an increase in academic demands “ many children with early language disorders fail to “outgrow” these difficulties or catch up with their typically developing peers” (Sun & Wallach, 2014). As such, if a formerly discharged from language therapy student begins to display reading comprehension difficulties, it is very important to reassess their language abilities in order to determine the extent to which their covert language deficits are contributing to their reading comprehension issues.

Now let us move on to the role of attention in reading. If one “zones out” during reading tasks, becomes distracted, and attends poorly to text, their comprehension of read text will be adversely affected. To illustrate, studies on reading abilities of children with ADHD consistently identify their reading comprehension abilities as being poorer as compared to peers without the ADHD diagnosis (Miller et al, 2013) .

Finally, there’s processing speed which refers to the speed of task completion with accuracy. The tasks provided to the child can be visual (e.g., rapidly naming colors, numbers, letters, etc during RAN/RAS assessment), or verbal (asked to answer a question, summarize information, etc).  Children with slow processing speed may take a significantly longer time decoding text (Landerl et al, 2018) . This, in turn, will affect how well they comprehend the read text.  Together, memory, attention, and processing will affect not only the comprehension of read text but also the child’s ability to respond to open-ended concrete and abstract reading comprehension questions regarding the presented text.

Now that we have covered the role of impaired language abilities as well as memory, attention, and processing led us move on to cover numerous other components of reading comprehension. On the surface, reading comprehension involves understanding the meaning of the read text. However, there are numerous fundamental skills required for the readers to meaningfully understand they read as confirmed by a reliable assessment means. Of course, it is important to reiterate once again that in this post I am referencing specifically fluent readers. These are children who can decode the text accurately in a reasonable timeframe. This is important to reiterate because additional deficit areas will be present for non-fluent readers as related to reading comprehension.

To continue, to be good comprehenders, children need to know the meanings of numerous literate vocabulary words ( abstract nouns , metacognitive verbs , etc.), and not just in isolation but in the context of read text ( Nippold ,  Hegel , &  Sohlberg  1999; Nippold, 2006 ). This is once again a challenge for children with undiagnosed language deficits. On the surface, they may present with seemingly excellent vocabulary repertoires. However, when asked to define more abstract vocabulary words, use them in the context of discourse or reading comprehension tasks, parents and professionals become highly surprised to see how poorly these kids actually perform.

This brings us to the two hugely important determiners of reading comprehension: the ability to coherently and cohesively state the main ideas of read texts, as well as cogently summarize read texts. This is a monumental area of difficulty for children with language as well as social communication disorders (Fitch, Fein, & Eigsti, 2015) secondary to deficits in the area of Gestalt Processing (the ability to grasp the “big picture” vs. over-focusing on irrelevant details) (Brosnan et al, 2004). 

Good readers are also adept at following and grasping passage organization or text structure (e.g., descriptive, chronological, cause/effect, compare/contrast, primacy or the order of importance, problem/solution, sequencing or steps of a process, etc.).  Readers who lack this ability need to be explicitly taught . But the good news is that we have multiple studies with information on how to improve this ability (Roehling et al 2017) .

In addition to the above, students also need to have a good grasp of the numerous literary devices (e.g., foreshadowing, allusion, imagery, juxtaposition, flashbacks, symbolism, etc) used by authors of various texts.  Similarly, they need to grasp the mood of each text as well as to determine the writer’s purpose for writing the text.

It is also very important to explicitly point out that there are significant differences found between various texts even at the same grade level. To illustrate, fourth grade-level language arts passages may contain far simpler literate vocabulary words as compared to social studies and science texts containing esoteric vocabulary and explaining technical topics (e.g., electricity). Similarly, fictional texts also possess various complexity. Poetry contains a number of literary devices and as such is much more difficult to analyze than a simpler fictional text.

I could write on and on, as there’s still a great deal more to say regarding many other skills pertaining to reading comprehension, but for the sake of practicality, I would like to stop right here in order to address some of the effective ways good reading comprehension can be reliably measured.  This in itself is of course yet another problem as different tests of reading comprehension have been found to measure different abilities (Keenan et al, 2008) .

So what is the best way to assess reading comprehension? For starters, standardized reading assessments such as the GORT-5 or the TORC-4 , etc, are a good start to establish basic reading competence and ensure that the student has a solid mastery of foundational basics. Clinical grade-level reading assessment is the next step as it allows the clinicians to determine the student’s reading abilities on a deep vs. shallow level.

• Asking abstract verbal reasoning questions
• Asking to define literate vocabulary words
• Asking to state the main idea of the passage
• Asking to summarize the passage

The above methods will reveal a true understanding of passage content. In contrast, multiple-choice questions and factual open-ended questions will tap into the student’s shallow knowledge of the passage and may result in an illusion that the student understands the passage ,  but are not adequate enough to ascertain true comprehension of passage content .

There you have it! Now that you know the skills involved in reading comprehension you understand what a monumental role strong language abilities, play in it. This is exactly why speech-language pathologists should be integral members of every team involved in assessment and remediation of students with reading comprehension deficits! Reading comprehension involves mastering a highly complex set of skills that goes far beyond answering comprehension questions based on text. So now that you know that, go out there and create truly meaningful goals in order to serve the students on your caseloads in the most evidenced way possible!

For more  evidence-based information pertaining to assessment and treatment of reading cmprehesnion difficulties, visit the SLPs for Evidence-Based Practice  group on Facebook.

References :

• Arnold, E. M., Goldston, D. B., Walsh, A. K., et al. (2005). Severity of emotional and behavioral problems among poor and typical readers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 33(2):205-217.
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•  Zipoli, R (2017) Unraveling Difficult Sentences: Strategies to Support Reading Comprehension. Intervention in School and Clinic, Vol. 52(4) 218–227

8 thoughts on “ Comprehending Reading Comprehension ”

Sadly, even when brought to their attention about the illusory recovery for many students, SLP’s often don’t have the skills or even a stepping point into remediating higher order language skills and this jams up SPED case loads. I know SLPs are busy and overtaxed, but for those students not remediated properly and early enough – it is no wonder the numbers on remediating students past 2nd grade are so dismal.

I absolutely agree with you! That’s why the Power Up Conference that I run with Adriana Lavi focuses only on how to provide the most functional assessment and remediation so these strategies are available to all SLPs to maximize client outcomes. https://laviinstitute.com/online-power-up-slp-conference-august-2022/

Amazing post! So much wonderful information!

As usual this article is right on target. I will be digesting it further. I would also like to point out that I have worked with hyper-lexic students who are very fluent but have no idea what they have just read. Also autistic students have great difficulty with referents while reading. They do not know who the various pronouns refer to in the story so they cannot get the gist of what is happening. I have had to backtrack and teach pronouns, then introduce in simple sentences with nouns. In fact I am working with a student now on this. I agree that we have so much to “bring to the table” and I am glad to say I am a member of the team as I collaborate with our reading specialists in my school. However, reading comprehension is complicated and I appreciate all your articles that are shedding more light on this.

This article came at the perfect time. I have a HS dyslexic student whose decoding and oral reading abilities are almost on grade level but his comprehension skills are still stuck several grade levels behind. I am rereading and digesting the information in your article so I can better help his reading elective teacher, case manager, and parents better understand his growth and how we move forward.

Question.. In the following paragraph, “Readers who lack this disability needed to be explicitly taught.” Should it read ability instead of disability?

“Good readers are also adept at following and grasping passage organization or text structure (e.g., descriptive, chronological, cause/effect, compare/contrast, primacy or the order of importance, problem/solution, sequencing or steps of a process, etc.). Readers who lack this disability needed to be explicitly taught. But the good news is that we have multiple studies with information on how to improve this ability (Roehling et al 2017).”

Thank you for poin8ng out the typo which was corrected.

This is spot-on. However, our district insists that language services, even as a related service for those students who do not have SLI eligibility, are not provided, unless they find an oral language deficiency via their language testing. (CELF-5 and CASL-2) They do not see their SLPs having a role in working with students with reading and writing difficulties. Info on ASHA website even seems to agree with this, although perhaps to a lesser degree.

The problem with both CELF-5 and CASL-2 is they both possess psychometric limitations and are not necessarily the best tools to detect oral language deficits. Info on the ASHA website actually strongly supports the role of SLPs in reading and writing. I even created a document which actually outlines this information, which is available here https://www.smartspeechtherapy.com/shop/the-role-of-speech-language-pathologists-slps-in-assessment-and-management-of-dyslexia/

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