Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T02:08:13.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Speech impairment and literacy difficulties: Underlying links

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Suze Leitão ,
Janet Fletcher  and
John Hogben
Suze Leitão*
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
Janet Fletcher
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
John Hogben
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
*
Child Study Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907, Ph: +61 (08) 9380 3259, Fax: +61 (08) 9380 3643, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Despite clinical observation of the problems in emergent literacy experienced by unintelligible children, there are conflicting data about the possible relationship of expressive speech problems to literacy acquisition. Several confounding factors may explain the inconsistency in results across studies. Potential confounds include specificity and severity of speech impairment, age of participants, and pattern of speech errors. It was hypothesised that the presence of nondevelopmental speech errors can be considered a symptom of a breakdown at the level of processing phonological information that has an impact on both speech and literacy development. A cohort of 21 specifically speech-impaired children entering Year 1 at school was selected and classified into subgroups based on pattern of speech errors. Phonological awareness measures were administered early in Year 1 and literacy measures in Year 3. The results confirmed thot the presence of nondevelopmental speech errors predicted poorer phonological awareness skills and weaker literacy outcomes, particularly spelling.

Keywords

Language impairmentliteracy difficultiesphonological awarenessspeech impairment
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , 2000 , pp. 63 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Bashir, A., & Scavuzzo, A. (1992). Children with language disorders: Natural history and academic success. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 25, 53–65.Google Scholar
Blachman, B. (1989). Phonological awareness and word recognition: Assessment and intervention. In Kamhi, A.G. & Catts, H.W. (Eds.), Reading disabilities: A developmental language perspective (pp. 133–158). Boston: College Hill Press.Google Scholar
Blum-Harasty, J., & Rosenthal, J. (1992). The prevalence of communication disorders in children: A summary and critical review. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 20(1), 63–80.Google Scholar
Byrne, B., & Liberman, A. (1999). Meaningless, productivity and reading: Some observations about the relation between the alphabet and speech. In Oakhill, J. & Beard, R. (Eds.), Reading development and the teaching of reading: A psychological perspective (pp. 157–173). Oxford: Blackwell Science.Google Scholar
Dodd, B., Gillon, G., Oerlemans, M., Russell, T., Syrmis, M., & Wilson, H. (1995). Phonological disorder and the acquisition of literacy. In Dodd, B. (Ed.), Differential diagnosis and treatment of children with speech disorder (pp. 125–146). London: Whurr Publishers.Google Scholar
Dodd, B., Leahy, J., & Hambly, G. (1989). Phonological disorders in children: Underlying cognitive deficits. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 7, 55–71.Google Scholar
Dodd, B., Oerlemanns, M., Holm, A., & McCormick, M. (1996). Queensland University Inventory of Literacy. St. Lucia, Qld: Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Queensland.Google Scholar
Goldman, R., & Fristoe, M. (1986). Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Grunwell, P. (1985). PACS: Phonological assessment of child speech. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Hodson, B. (1994). Helping individuals become intelligible, literate, and articulate: The role of phonology. Topics in Language Disorders, 14, 1–16.Google Scholar
Hodson, B., Nonomura, C., & Zappia, M. (1989). Phonological disorders: Impact on academic performance? Seminars in Speech and Language, 10, 252–259.Google Scholar
Ingram, D. (1976). Phonological disability in children: Vol 2. (1st ed.). London: Edward Arnold.Google Scholar
Kirkpatrick, E., & Ward, J. (1984). Prevalence of articulation errors in N.S.W. school pupils. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 12, 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leitão, S. (1998). Speech impairment, phonological processing skills, and literacy outcomes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.Google Scholar
Leitão, S., Hogben, J., & Fletcher, J. (1997). Phonological processing skills in speech and language impaired children. European Journal of Disorders of Communication, 32, 91–111.Google Scholar
Liberman, I., Shankweiler, D., Fischer, F., & Carter, B. (1974). Explicit syllable and phoneme segmentation in the young child. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 18, 201–212.Google Scholar
Magnusson, E., & Naucler, K. (1990). Reading and spelling in language disordered children linguistic and metalinguistic prerequisites: Report on a longitudinal study. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 4, 49–61.Google Scholar
Menyuk, P., Chesnick, M., Liebergott, J., Korngold, B., D’Agostino, R., & Belanger, A. (1991). Predicting reading problems in at-risk children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 34, 893–903.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neale, M. (1988). Neale Analysis of Reading Ability – Revised. Hawthorn: Australian Council for Educational Research Limited.Google Scholar
Oerlemans, M., & Dodd, B. (1993). Development of spelling ability and letter-sound orientation in primary school children. European Journal of Disorders of Communication, 28, 349–367.Google Scholar
Semel, E., Wiig, E.H., & Secord, W. (1987). Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Revised. Marrickville, NSW: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Shriberg, L., & Kwiatkowksi, J. (1988). A follow-up study of children with phonologic disorders of unknown origin. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 53, 144–155.Google Scholar
Stackhouse, J. (1996). Speech, spelling, and reading: Who is at risk and why? In Snowling, M. & Stackhouse, J. (Eds.), Dyslexia, speech, and language (pp. 12–30). London: Whurr Publishers Ltd.Google Scholar
Stackhouse, J., & Wells, B. (1997). Children’s speech and literacy difficulties. London: Whurr Publishers Ltd.Google Scholar
Torgeson, J., Wagner, R., & Rashotte, C. (1994). Longitudinal studies of phonological processing and reading. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27, 276–286.Google Scholar
Tunmer, W., & Cole, P. (1985). Learning to read: A metalinguistic act. In Simon, C. (Ed.), Communication skills and classroom success: Therapy methodologies for learning disabled children (pp. 293–312). London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.Google Scholar
Wagner, R., & Torgesen, J. (1987). The nature of phonological processing and its causal role in the acquisition of reading skills. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 192–212.Google Scholar
Woodcock, R.W. (1987). Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar