Download PDF
Semin Speech Lang 2007; 28(1): 035-047
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-967928
Copyright © 2007 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Literacy and Children with Specific Language Impairment

C. Melanie Schuele1 , Elizabeth J. Spencer1 , Karen Barako-Arndt1 , Kathryn M. Guillot1
  • 1Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
06 March 2007 (online)

    Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to summarize the literacy outcomes for children with specific language impairment and to consider principles and approaches for literacy intervention with preschool and early school-age children with language impairments. Initially, specific language impairment is defined and differentiated from nonspecific language impairment. In addressing intervention considerations, we first consider the application of best practice principles and then specifically focus on intervention with preschool children and intervention with early school-age children. Consideration of evidence-based treatment approaches is guided by the developmental literature and by the intervention literature.

KEYWORDS

Specific language impairment - literacy - emergent literacy - reading disability

REFERENCES

  • 1 Tomblin J, Records N, Buckwalter P, Zhang X, Smith E, O'Brien M. Prevalence of specific language impairment in kindergarten children.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1997;  40 1245-1260
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Catts H, Fey M, Tomblin J B, Zhang X. A longitudinal investigation of reading outcomes in children with language impairments.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2002;  45 1142-1157
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Stothard S, Snowling M, Bishop D, Chipchase B, Kaplan C. Language-impaired preschoolers: a follow-up into adolescence.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1998;  41 407-418
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Aram D, Hall N. Longitudinal follow-up of children with preschool communication disorders: treatment implications.  School Psych Rev. 1989;  18 487-501
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Aram D, Nation J. Preschool language disorders and subsequent language and academic difficulties.  J Commun Disord. 1980;  13 159-179
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Hall P, Tomblin J B. A follow-up study of children with articulation and language disorders.  J Speech Hear Res. 1978;  43 227-241
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Craig H, Evans J. Pragmatics and SLI: within-group variations in discourse behaviors.  J Speech Hear Res. 1993;  36 777-789
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Rice M, Sell M, Hadley P. Social interactions of speech- and language-impaired children.  J Speech Hear Res. 1991;  34 1299-1307
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Fujiki M, Brinton B, Isaacson T, Summers C. Social behaviors of children with language impairment on the playground: a pilot study.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2001;  32 101-113
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Leonard L. Children with Specific Language Impairment. Boston, MA; MIT Press 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 11 Cole K, Coggins T, Vanderstoep C. The influence of language/cognitive profile on discourse intervention outcome.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 1999;  30 61-67
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Shriberg L, Austin D. Comorbidity of speech-language disorder: implications for a phenotype marker for speech delay. In: Paul R Exploring the Speech-Language Connection. Baltimore, MD; Brookes 1998: 3-115
    Google Scholar
  • 13 Shriberg L, Tomblin J, McSweeny J. Prevalence of speech delay in 6-year-old children and comorbidity with language impairment.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1999;  42 1461-1481
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Watkins R, Rice M. Specific Language Impairments. Baltimore, MD; Brookes 1994
    Google Scholar
  • 15 Bishop D. Uncommon Understanding: Development and Disorders of Language Comprehension in Children. East Sussex, UK; Psychology Press 1997
    Google Scholar
  • 16 Aram D, Ekelman B, Nation J. Preschoolers with language disorders: 10 years later.  J Speech Hear Res. 1984;  27 232-244
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Catts H. The relationship between speech-language impairments and reading disabilities.  J Speech Hear Res. 1993;  36 948-958
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Stark R, Bernstein L, Condino R, Bender M, Tallal P, Catts H. Four-year follow-up study of language-impaired children.  Ann Dyslexia. 1984;  34 49-68
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Catts H, Fey M, Zhang X, Tomblin J B. Estimating the risk of future reading difficulties in kindergarten children: a research-based model and its clinical implementation.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2001;  32 38-50
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Tomblin J B, Zhang A, Buckwalter P, Catts H. The association of reading disability, behavior disorders, and language impairment among second-grade children.  J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000;  41 473-482
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Boudreau D, Hedberg N. A comparison of early literacy skills in children with specific language impairment and their typically developing peers.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 1999;  8 249-260
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Gillam R, Johnston J. Development of print awareness in language disordered preschoolers.  J Speech Hear Res. 1985;  28 521-526
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Kamhi A, Lee R, Nelson L. Word, syllable, and sound awareness in language-disordered children.  J Speech Hear Disord. 1985;  50 207-212
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Gillam R, Johnston J. Spoken and written language relationships in language/learning-impaired and normally achieving school-age children.  J Speech Hear Res. 1992;  35 1303-1315
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Bishop D, Clarkson B. Written language as a window into residual language deficits: a study of children with persistent and residual speech and language impairments.  Cortex. 2003;  39 215-237
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Windsor J, Scott C, Street C. Verb and noun morphology in the spoken and written language of children with language learning disabilities.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2000;  43 1322-1336
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Lewis B, O'Donnell B, Freebairn L, Taylor H. Spoken language and written expression-interplay of delays.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 1998;  7 77-84
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Lewis B, Freebairn L, Taylor H G. Follow-up of children with early expressive phonology disorders.  J Learn Disabil. 2000;  25 586-597
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Lewis B, Freebairn L, Taylor H G. Correlates of spelling abilities in children with early speech sound disorders.  Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 2002;  15 389-407
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Zhang X, Tomblin J B. The association of intervention receipt with speech-language profiles and social-demographic variables.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2000;  9 345-357
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 International Reading Association .Honoring Children's Rights to Excellent Reading Instruction. Newark, DE; International Reading Association 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 32 van Kleeck A. Emergent literacy: learning about print before learning to read.  Topics in Language Disorders. 1990;  10 25-45
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 van Kleeck A. Emphasizing form and meaning separately in prereading and early reading instruction.  Top Lang Disord. 1995;  16 27-49
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Justice L, Schuele C M. Phonological awareness: description, assessment, and intervention. In: Bernthal J, Bankson N Articulation and Phonological Disorders. 5th ed. Boston, MA; Allyn & Bacon 2004: 376-405
    Google Scholar
  • 35 International Reading Association .Learning to read and write: developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Newark, DE and Washington, DC; 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 36 Justice L, Kaderavek J. Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention I: background and description of approach.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2004;  35 201-211
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Dickinson D, Smith M. Long-term effects of preschool teachers' book readings on low-income children's vocabulary and story comprehension.  Read Res Q. 1994;  29 104-122
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Justice L, Ezell H. Use of storybook reading to increase print awareness in at-risk children.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2002;  11 17-29
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 Kaderavek J, Justice L. Shared storybook reading as an intervention context: practices and potential pitfalls.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2002;  11 395-406
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Bus A, Van IJzendoorn M, Pelligrini A. Joint book reading makes for success in learning to read: a meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy.  Rev Educ Res. 1995;  65 1-21
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Whitehurst G, Arnold D, Epstein J, Angell A, Smith M, Fischel J. A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families.  Dev Psychol. 1994;  30 679-689
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development .Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC; Government Printing Office 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 43 Morrow L, Asbury E. Best practices for a balanced early literacy program. In: Gambrell L, Morrow L, Neuman S, Pressley M Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. New York; Guilford Press 1999: 49-67
    Google Scholar
  • 44 International Reading Association .Phonemic Awareness and the Teaching of Reading: A position statement from the board of directors of the international reading association. Washington, DC; International Reading Association 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 45 Purcell-Gates V. Stories, coupons, and the TV Guide: relationships between home literacy experiences and emergent literacy knowledge.  Read Res Q. 1996;  31 406-428
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development .Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction: Report of the Subgroups (NIH Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC; U.S. Government Printing Office 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 47 Beck I, McKeown M, Kucan L. Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. New York; Guilford Press 2002
    Google Scholar
  • 48 Allington R, Baker K. Best practices in literacy instruction for children with special needs. In: Gambrell L, Morrow L, Neuman S, Pressley M Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. New York; Guilford Press 1999: 292-310
    Google Scholar
  • 49 Schuele C M, Larrivee L. What's my job? Differential diagnosis of the speech-language pathologist's role in literacy learning.  Perspectives on Language Learning and Education. 2004;  11 4-7
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 50 Boudreau D, Larsen J. Contributing our voice: speech-language pathologists as members of the literacy team.  Perspectives on Language and Learning Education. ASHA Special Interest Division 1 Newsletter. 2004;  11 8-12
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 51 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association .Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists with Respect to Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents (Position Statement, Executive Summary of Guidelines, Technical Report). Washington, DC; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2001
    Google Scholar
  • 52 Catts H. Facilitating phonological awareness: role of speech-language pathologists.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 1991;  22 196-203
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 53 Spencer E, Guillot K, Schuele C M, Smiley S, Lee M. Phonological Awareness: A Comparison of Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists. In: ASHA Schools Conference 2006 Phoenix, AZ;
    Google Scholar
  • 54 Snow C, Burns M, Griffin P. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington, DC; National Research Council 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 55 van Kleeck A, van der Woude J, Hammett L. Fostering literal and inferential skills in Head Start preschoolers with language impairments using scripted book-sharing discussions.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2006;  15 85-94
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 56 Blank M, Rose S, Berlin L. The Language of Learning: The Preschool Years. Orlando, FL; Grune & Stratton 1978
    Google Scholar
  • 57 Whitehurst G, Arnold D, Epstein J, Angell A, Smith M, Fischell J. A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families.  Dev Psychol. 1994;  30 679-689
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 58 Ezell H, Justice L. Shared Storybook Reading: Building Young Children's Language and Emergent Literacy Skills. Baltimore, MD; Brookes 2005
    Google Scholar
  • 59 van Kleeck A, van der Woude J. Book sharing with preschoolers with language delays. In: A. van Kleeck, Stahl S, Bauer E On Reading Books to Children: Parents and Teachers. Mahwah, NJ; Erlbaum 2003: 58-92
    Google Scholar
  • 60 Justice L, Ezell H. Print referencing: an emergent literacy enhancement strategy and its clinical applications.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2004;  35 185-193
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 61 Justice L, Chow S, Capellini C, Flanigan K, Colton S. Emergent literacy intervention for vulnerable preschoolers: relative effects of two approaches.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2003;  12 320-332
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 62 O'Connor R, Jenkins J, Leicester N, Slocum T. Teaching phonological awareness to young children with learning disabilities.  Except Child. 1993;  59 532-546
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 63 Ukrainetz T, Cooney M, Dyer S, Kysar A, Harris T. An investigation into teaching phonemic awareness through shared reading and writing.  Early Child Res Q. 2000;  15 331-355
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 64 van Kleeck A, Gillam R, McFadden T. A study of classroom-based phonological awareness training for preschoolers with speech and/or language disorders.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 1998;  7 65-76
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 65 Laing S, Espeland W. Low intensity phonological awareness training in a preschool classroom for children with communication impairments.  J Commun Disord. 2003;  38 65-82
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 66 Justice L, Kaderavek J, Bowles R, Grimm K. Language impairment, parent-child shared reading and phonological awareness: a feasibility study.  Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. 2005;  25 143-156
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 67 Fey M, Cleave P, Long S, Hughes D. Two approaches to the facilitation of grammar in children with language impairment: an experimental evaluation.  J Speech Hear Res. 1993;  36 141-157
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 68 O'Connor R, Jenkins J, Slocum R. Transfer among phonological tasks in kindergarten: essential instructional content.  J Educ Psychol. 1995;  87 202-217
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 69 O'Connor R, Notari-Syverson A, Vadasy P. First-grade effects of teacher-led phonological activities in kindergarten for children with mild disabilities: a follow-up study.  Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. 1998;  13 43-52
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 70 Cunningham P. What should we do about phonics?. In: Gambrell L, Morrow L, Neuman S, Pressley M Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. New York; Guilford Press 1999: 68-89
    Google Scholar
  • 71 Troia G. Phonological awareness intervention research: a critical review of the experimental methodology.  Read Res Q. 1999;  34 28-52
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 72 Bus A, Van IJzendoorn M. Phonological awareness and early reading: a meta-analysis of experimental training studies.  J Educ Psychol. 1999;  91 403-414
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 73 Ehri L, Nunes S, Willows D, Schuster B, Yaghoub-Zadeh Z, Shanahan T. Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read: evidence form the National Reading Panel's meta-analysis.  Read Res Q. 2001;  36 250-287
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 74 Warrick N, Rubin H, Rowe-Walsh S. Phoneme awareness in language-delayed children: comparative studies and intervention.  Ann Dyslexia. 1993;  43 153-173
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 75 O'Connor R, Notari-Syverson A, Vadasy P. Ladders to literacy: the effects of teacher-led phonological activities for kindergarten children with and without disabilities.  Except Child. 1996;  63 117-130
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 76 Fuchs D, Fuchs L, Thompson A et al.. Exploring the importance of reading programs for kindergartners with disabilities in mainstream classrooms.  Except Child. 2002;  68 295-311
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 77 Schuele C M, Dayton N D. Intensive Phonological Awareness Program. Nashville, TN; Authors 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 78 Blachman B, Ball E, Black R, Tangel D. Road to the Code: A Phonological Awareness Program for Young Children. Baltimore, MD; Brookes 2000
    Google Scholar
  • 79 O'Connor R, Notari-Syverson A, Vadasy P. Ladders to Literacy: A Kindergarten Activity Book. Baltimore, MD; Brookes 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 80 Segers E, Verhoeven L. Computer-supported phonological awarness intervention for kindergarten children with specific language impairment.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2004;  35 229-239
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 81 Hatcher P, Hulme C, Ellis A. Ameliorating early reading failure by integrating the teaching of reading and phonological skills: the phonological linkage hypothesis.  Child Dev. 1994;  65 41-57
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 82 Kouri T, Selle C, Riley S. Comparison of meaning and graphophonemic feedback strategies for guided reading instruction of children with language delays.  Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2006;  15 236-246
    PubMedGoogle Scholar

Melanie SchuelePh.D. 

Department of Hearing and Speech Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

1215 21st Ave. South, Room 8310, Medical Center East, South Tower, Nashville, TN 37232-8242

Email: melanie.schuele@Vanderbilt.Edu

      >