An SLP’s Ultimate Guide to Literacy Intervention
Did you know that SLPs are uniquely qualified to support students’ literacy development?
It’s true! Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) have an incredible base of knowledge and background which are incredibly helpful in supporting struggling readers.
But, at times it can feel difficult for SLPs to know exactly how and where to support these skills.
So let's break it down -
In order to read and write, there are three neurological processors that need to work together.
The orthographic processor is responsible for recognizing and interpreting the visual component of our language. This is the part of our brain that recognizes the curves and lines in "bat" as the letters b, a, and t.
The phonology processor is responsible for recognizing and interpreting the sound structure of our language. This is the part of the brain that recognizes the /b/, /a/, and /t/ sounds in the word "bat."
The semantics processor is responsible for tying meaning to our language. This is the part of our brain that determines if "bat" is a nocturnal flying creature, a wooden/metal club used in sports, or the action of "batting" away a fly.
SLPs are already very well trained to support the phonology and semantics processors.
Often, (and we feel like we can say this because we are literacy interventionists), SLPs are more equipped to support the language development component of reading and writing.
So, when you think about how reading develops in the brain, an SLP is already supporting two of the three cognitive processes. If you can tie the visual component into what you are already doing, you're able to target literacy in addition to language.
And if that wasn't enough to convince you - think about this statistic.
According to Catts, et. al, 40-70% of students who are diagnosed with a specific language impairment also struggle with literacy.
This means that the students you are already working with are likely going to need literacy intervention in addition to language support.
So, how does an SLP get started with literacy?
First -
Identify whether or not the students you are working with have literacy deficits.
Second -
Determine if literacy or language is the primary area of difficulty so that you can most effectively use your time to target the most critical skills.
Third -
Start adding literacy activities to help connect all of the points of the Literacy Processing Triangle pictured above (oftentimes, this simply means pairing the sounds you are targeting or words you're targeting with a visual representation of the sound or words).
To help you get started, we put together the SLP's Ultimate Guide to Literacy Intervention. This getting started guide will walk you through your first steps to implementing literacy intervention services.
Catts, Hugh & Fey, Marc & Zhang, Xuyang & Tomblin, J.. (1999). Language Basis of Reading and Reading Disabilities: Evidence From a Longitudinal Investigation. Scientific Studies of Reading - SCI STUD READ. 3. 331-361. 10.1207/s1532799xssr0304_2.