what is phonemic awareness

What is Phonemic Awareness?

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Literacy, or the ability to read and write, is paramount to a child’s success in school. Many children struggle with these skills, and this struggle may be due to difficulty with the building blocks of reading and writing, also known as phonological awareness. Phonological awareness can be thought of as one’s ability to identify sounds and letters as they relate to our spoken (and written) language. We all remember playing rhyming games in elementary school, but many people are unaware of their importance!

Children who have an understanding of phonological awareness understand that sentences are made up of words, words are made up parts (syllables), and each syllable has distinctive sounds. One great way to practice phonological awareness is through rhyming games and alliteration. Children will enjoy saying tongue twisters like, “Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore.” and identifying how many /s/ and /sh/ words they can count!

Phonemic awareness, a subset of phonological awareness, allows children to manipulate parts of language. Similar to phonological awareness, phonemic awareness is also comprised of parts including the following:
•    Segmenting: what sounds do we hear in the word “hat?” /h/, /a/, /t/
•    Blending: if you hear the sounds /t/, /o/, /p/, what do we get when we put them together?
•    Deleting: what’s “bat” without the “t?”
•    Substituting: if we change the /h/ in “house” to an /m/, what do we get?
•    Identifying: what’s the first sound in “cat?”

Phonemic awareness is separate from letter identification as it targets individual sounds; however, parents can incorporate letter names when practicing.

Phonological awareness typically begins in preschool and continues through early elementary school to prepare children for reading. These skills serve as the foundation for a child’s ability to read and write. If you suspect your child may be struggling with phonological awareness skills, a licensed speech-language pathologist can help!

Click here to read about 7 Ways to Increase Phonological Awareness.

Strategies for Pre-Reading | The Benefits of Wordless Books

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One of my favorite tools to use in speech therapy is a wordless book. They have endless (okay, maybe not completely endless, there is a story in those pictures) possibilities for creating, imagining, predicting, and story telling.

Here are the top 10 reasons why I LOVE wordless books for kids:

1.    It’s reading before reading. These books can empower a young child to be the storyteller instead of having to listen mom or dad read the words. This encourages story telling skills, language and overall comprehension.
2.    It increases vocabulary.  You can use the objects or actions in the books to introduce new words to your child. It’s also a great way to work on synonyms. For example, your child might say, “The dog ran fast” and you could talk about other ways you express what’s happening in the picture (“The dog ran quickly”).
3.    It works on inferencing. Without words, your child will have to rely solely on the pictures to infer what is happening in the story. You can probe further by asking, “How did you know that?”
4.    It works on predicting. You and your child can talk about what you might think will happen next based on the picture you’re looking at; you can also talk about why they made that prediction.
5.    It introduces story structure. Your child will learn about the beginning, middle, and end of the story as he describes each picture. At the end of the book you can go back and identify, then discuss, each part.
6.    It promotes creativity. Your child is not constricted to the words on the page in wordless books. Because there are no words, the pictures on each page often have a lot to say. This encourages your child to go above and beyond with his story telling.
7.    It helps with story retell. I’ve noticed that children who have difficulty retelling stories they’ve read or heard can retell stories that they have helped develop much easier. Wordless books provide a great building block to retelling stories they have read or heard.
8.    It can help with written language. Older children can write their stories down instead of verbally expressing them. This is a great way to work on descriptive language, sequencing, and overall cohesive writing.
9.    It encourages higher level thinking skills. Some of the pictures can be abstract. This opens up questions like, “What if?” and “What would you do?” “What would it be like to___?”
10.    Wordless Books are fun! I love that the story is always changing and evolving each time you “read” it. Children love to create and use their imaginations, and wordless books provide an outlet for that. It’s amazing to see the ideas that children have and they way they process the information. They may have a completely different idea of what’s happening in the picture than you do; and you may realize, that their idea is often more imaginative and original than your own.

Here is a quick list of some of my favorite wordless picture books:

  • Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
  • The Lion and The Mouse by Pinkney
  • *A Boy, a Dog and a Frog by Mercer Mayer
  • *Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Mayer
  • *The Chicken Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez
  • *Fox and Hen Together by Beatrice Rodriguez
  • *Jack and the Missing Piece by Pat Schories
  • *Breakfast for Jack by Pat Schories
  • The Snowman by Raymund Briggs
  • Tuesday by David Wiesner

* Indicates a book series

Click here to read more about the stages of reading development.  If you have concerns about your child’s early reading, contact our Blossom Reading Program.

Strategies and Resources for Your Child’s Reading Disability

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Approximately 3-6% of school-aged children struggle with a reading disability.  This begins to impact students as early as kindergarten and continues to create difficulties across subjects as the child progresses through school.  At NSPT we are frequently asked for recommendations to help students with reading difficulties, both in the classroom and at home.  Below is a list of resources that we have compiled:

Previously known as the Illinois Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, ERI provides information about the diagnosis, research-tested treatments, parent support groups, and community events.  They also keep an up-to-date list of certified tutors in the Chicagoland area.

Bookshare is an excellent online collection of audiobooks, with over 225,000 titles.  Acceptable documentation of the child’s diagnosis (see website for details) grants students free access to download books for use on a variety of electronic devices.

Another option for gaining access to audiobooks, Learning Ally offers features such as highlighting text, play back controls, adjustment of speed and tone of voice for each student’s preference and easy bookmarking.

  • Multi-Sensory Programs

Widely accepted as the gold-standard in reading remediation programs, multi-sensory approaches teach phonics and fluency in a unique way by calling upon the action of various brain systems.  The following have demonstrated effectiveness:

  • Orton-Gillingham
  • Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program
  • Wilson
  • SLANT
  • Earobics

Your child may also have the right to the following:

  • Classroom-Based Accommodations
    • Test directions and/or items read aloud
    • If not read aloud, check for understanding of directions
    • Extended time

For more information on your child’s rights within the public school system, please visit Idea.ed.gov.



Tips to Help Your Child with Word Retrieval

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Parents may notice that their child may take longer to respond, may have difficulty picking the right word or may use filler words like “um” or “uh” more often than expected. All of these are signs of word finding difficulties, or trouble retrieving a desired word. These children are not having difficulties with vocabulary, they know the words, they simply can’t always access them in a desired moment. Difficulties with word finding or word retrieval is commonly associated with ADHD, reading disorders, and specific language disorders. If left untreated, word finding difficulties can impact a child’s success in school, notably in both oral and written communication.

So my child has word finding difficulties – now what?

A licensed speech-language pathologist can help! Direct therapy can target these difficulties and create strategies to help both at home and at school.  Parents can also work with their children at home by incorporating these tips into their everyday communications:

Wait: your child knows what he wants to say, he may just need a little more time. Allowing your child to work through these difficulties, retrieve the desired word, and participate in a conversation will help not only his self-esteem, but will also encourage strategy use.

Describe it: encourage your child to describe an object or experience if he is struggling. As adults, we all have all said, “It’s on the tip of my tongue” and have used this strategy. Support your child by having him describe the following:

  • Color (it can be brown)
  • Shape (it’s round)
  • Size (it fits in my hand)
  • Feel (soft or crunchy)
  • Parts (might have chocolate chips, raisins, or sprinkles)
  • Where we find it (at the grocery store)
  • Who uses it (we all do)
  • When do we use it (after dinner)
  • What do we do with it (eat it)

These strategies can be helpful for children who are not having word finding difficulties, too! Describing things will encourage language development and growth and will allow children to expand their repertoire!



How Do I Know if My Child Has a Reading Disability?

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Reading Disabilities are estimated to occur at a prevalence rate of 5-10%.  A disability, which is a more chronic struggle with reading without early identification and intervention, must be differentiated from the child who demonstrates a slower process in the normal developmental curve of reading development.  A disability will not resolve with repeated practice, extra attention, or the passage of time.  Below are a few clues to help figure out if there really is a disability.

Clues that Indicate Your Child May Have a Reading Disability:

  • Your child has difficulty with basic rhyming.
  • Your child has always been slow to learn the alphabet and maybe even numbers.
  • Your child struggles with sound-letter associations.
  •  Your child’s writing is illegible.
  • Your child likes to be read to but never wants to read.
  • Sight words, despite repeated practice, are easily forgotten by your child.

At times, differentiating between a disability and other factors (e.g., attention, motivation and interest, or behavior) can make accurate identification difficult.  An evaluation can help tease apart any related factors that may be impacting your child’s success.  If you are concerned with your child’s reading development, you can request an evaluation through our Neuropsychology Diagnostic Clinic.  We have clinicians trained in the diagnosis and assessment of reading disabilities and are able to provide efficacious recommendations to best help your child.
Click here to read about signs of a reading disability across grades.


Learning Disabilities Demystified

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Learning concerns are one of the most common neurological issues with which children and adolescents present.  It has been estimated that approximately six percent of the general population meet the clinical criteria for a diagnosis of a learning disability.  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), which is the guide book for psychologists and psychiatrists that provides information regarding diagnostic information, indicates that there are several essential features of specific learning disabilities in children.

5 Features of Learning Disabilities in Children:

  1. Persistent difficulties learning basic foundational academic skills with onset during the early elementary years.  The manual indicates that these foundation academic skills include: reading of single words accurately and fluently, reading comprehension, written expression and spelling, arithmetic computation, and mathematical reasoning.
  2. A child’s performance is well below average for his or her age.
  3. Learning difficulties are readily apparent in the early school years in most individuals.  That being said, there are some instances in which the concerns are not fully evident until later in the individual’s academic life.
  4. The learning disorder is specific in that it is not attributed to other factors such as intellectual disability, socio-economic status, medical conditions, or environmental factors.
  5. The deficit may be restricted only one academic skill or domain.

Prior studies have indicated that learning disorders are more common in males than females.  There are several long-term consequences associated with learning disorders in which the individual never receives any intervention, including:  lower academic achievement, higher rates of high school dropout, higher levels of psychological distress, higher rates of unemployment, and lower incomes.
Data has indicated that children with learning disabilities are often at risk for a variety of co-existing conditions including ADHD and social-emotional concerns.  Click here for more information on learning disabilities.


5 Fun Ways to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary During the Holidays

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During the holidays, children are off of school, families are spending time together, the weather is changing, and everyone is eating delicious food! Parents can use this time off as the perfect time to do vocabulary building activities.

5 Fun Vocabulary Building Activities:

  1. Make Lists: Creating a list of items can help increase your child’s vocabulary. If you create lists with your child of grocery items, gifts needed, or even locations, it can help to promote language development and thought organization. Children can begin to associate new words (e.g., stuffing, cranberries, gravy) with the holidays and may be more likely to use these words appropriately.
  2. Words in Context: Targeting and explaining new winter words in context can help to improve your child’s vocabulary. Saying things like, “look at the snowman,” “the icicle is hanging from the tree,” or “look at those children sledding,” will reinforce the new words and encourage usage. When children use new words appropriately praise them, and if necessary model a different use.
  3.  Read Aloud: Reading aloud to your child is extremely beneficial for vocabulary building.  When reading stories, emphasizing and reinforcing new words will enhance vocabulary skills, and asking questions while reading encourages understanding (e.g., what did the Polar Bear see?). If age appropriate, ask your child to retell the story (or part of the story). This will allow him or her to use new vocabulary words in context.
  4. Stress: Exaggerating words or concepts can help children identify information that may be new or unknown. By putting stress on new vocabulary words, children will learn appropriate times to use these important new words. When emphasizing, try changing volume (louder/softer) or even try singing to make word learning more fun!
  5. Get Crafty: Making decorations for your house around the holidays can be a great way to target vocabulary. Your children practice new words with a practical application by making turkey decorations, carving pumpkins, coloring a menorah, making ornaments, or even popsicle picture frames. Hanging and displaying your child’s artwork will not only give them a sense of accomplishment, but will also reinforce new vocabulary words!

Happy Holidays!

Click here to view a copy of our Speech and Language Milestones Infographic!

School Readiness: What Does it Take for Your Child to Succeed in School?

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In today’s world, expectations for your child’s academic performance are higher than ever. Occasionally, the requirements for school are actually above the developmental norms, causing even typically developing children to have trouble in school. Luckily, we know more than ever before about how to best support early development.

Speech and Language Skills Come First:

Good speech and language skills are the foundation for learning to read. Difficulty in this area will lead to further difficulty down the road. If children cannot say the sounds correctly, they have more trouble associating them with the correct sound. If children have difficulty with the content and grammatical aspects of language, they will have trouble comprehending the concept of how to read and how sentences are constructed. Read more

Books for Specific Sound Productions

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A fun and easy way for your child to practice his articulation is through books! You may have your child practice his articulation sounds by reading aloud a word, phrase, or sentence from a story. If your child is advanced enough, he may even read the entire story to you! Make sure to provide a verbal model for your child if you hear any distortions, substitutions, or omissions of sounds when he is reading. If your child is too young to read, then you may read the book to him. During this activity, have your child repeat target words, phrases, or sentences that contain their sounds.

The following is a list of books that are categorized by sounds: 

B:
A Bug, a Bear, and a Boy by David McPhail
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
The Wheels on the Bus by Paul D. Zelinsky

R:
The Pirate Who Couldn’t Say Arrr! By Angie Neal
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

P:
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw

M:
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow Read more

Signs of Reading Disability Across Grades

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Reading Disability (also known as “Dyslexia”) is a disorder of phonology at its base.  It affects reading, writing, and sometimes other skills such as memorization of math facts and language expression.  We know that Reading Disability is persistent but also highly responsive to the right interventions.  Taken in part from the book Overcoming Dyslexia, written by Sally Shaywitz, M.D., I have put together the following list of common signs across grade levels that a child may be struggling with reading.  The presence of one, or even many of these clues, does not by itself warrant alarm of a problem.  However, if you suspect your child is struggling with reading, please seek an evaluation to determine the nature of the difficulties and to make sure that your child is given a fair chance in reading. Read more