Speech Therapists Can Help Your Child Read
When looking for help for reading or reading disorders, a Speech Language Pathologist (or speech therapist) is not the first person that comes to mind. A few buzzwords might come to mind: terms like stuttering, articulation, and voice. Most people do not think of reading when they think of speech therapists. But if you are looking for a highly qualified professional with extensive knowledge in language development and literacy, look to your speech-language pathologist. When it comes to the core foundations of literacy, it is well within their scope of practice to diagnose and treat reading and written language disorders. Speech therapists understand how the speaking, reading, and writing brain works. Literacy involves phonology (the sound structure of language), orthography (the representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols), and semantics (the understanding or comprehension of language).
Speech therapists treat children with phonological disorders as well as work with students who are struggling in the area of language, where the process of language acquisition does not come naturally. The student may not be acquiring skills at the same rate as their classmates. Whether the problem is phonology, orthography, or semantics, a Speech therapist’s knowledge base about language development and acquisition is valuable in supporting the child. They have a thorough knowledge base of morphology, syntax, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics, which are all crucial elements for fluent reading, reading comprehension, and written expression.
Speech therapists also have the unique skill set of using diagnostic-prescriptive approaches to address the specific area of need. They are able to find the child’s strengths and weaknesses in the child’s phonological awareness and reading skills to develop a treatment plan individualized to the child’s specific needs. There is a hierarchy of skills in oral language that must be developed before we can start looking at being able to do those same skills in reading and writing. We cannot expect a student to be able to develop a five-paragraph essay if they cannot comprehend language at the most basic level. We know that a student’s writing level is generally commensurate with that of their language ability.
Speech therapists have had extensive training in all the components that make up not only spoken and written language, but phonics and sound production as well. But what about reading? When coupled with certification in a structured literacy program like Orton Gillingham, a speech therapist has the specialized knowledge, skill set, and experience that is needed to help children build their preliteracy and literacy skills. When you think about it, who better to teach your child reading than an expert in sound production, comprehension, and language: a speech therapist!
