Reading and Writing Therapy
Language Development Therapy Guide
How does reading and writing therapy and language development go together? Well, they go hand in hand! Without language, one can not read and vice versa!
What does a reading/writing language disorder look like?
At the word level, a child may have difficulty with:
- phonology and morphology
- decoding
- spelling
At the connected speech level, a child may have difficulty with:
- understanding and using story elements
- understanding and using grammar
- reading comprehension
- writing cohesively
Click here to learn more about reading and writing disorders.
Reading and Writing Therapy by an SLP
Now, on to the good stuff.
First things first, speech therapists work on reading and writing disorders. Just let that sink in.
There are many ways speech pathologists can work with children with reading and writing disorders. Below, I will outline a few.
Reading: Language Comprehension
This is the biggest one that most speech pathologists most likely already do since it concerns language. To target language comprehension, you will work on smaller units/goals such as:
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
- Story Grammar
- Main idea vs details
- Themes
- Etc...
Writing: Organization/Planning
Before writing, it is imperative to plan out what you will write. Many children with language disorders will have trouble with these skills. Speech therapists can help children plan their writing by:
- Using visuals for story grammar components
- Make and practice using graphic organizers
- Teach the skills of main idea and details
- Etc...
Writing: Mechanics
To be a good writer, a child needs to:
- spell,
- write grammatically correct sentences
- use correct grammar
Therefore, like reading, a speech pathologist needs to work on these skills through writing and speaking.
Spelling
Spelling, yes, spelling! This may shock some of you but as speech-language pathologists, we are super equipped to work on spelling. After all, spelling is a language skills. Some ways to target spelling include:
- Working on phonological awareness
- Teach students about morphology
- Practice working memory strategies such as visualization or mnemonics
Dialogic Reading
This teaching technique targets many skills!
Dialogic reading is basically shared reading. Instead of just reading a book word for word with a child, you make it more of an experience!
Take turns describing pictures and “telling” the story. Ask WH questions, talk about pictures, and relate events to real life.
If you want more information, check out our FREE ebook, How to Read to Your Toddler. It’s awesome.
How To Help Your Child Today
If you are concerned about your child, please contact us for an evaluation or find a speech-language pathologist near you.
In the meantime, learn more at:
- How to read to your child
- Narrative Structure Basics
- Oral Language Practice for Story Grammar
- Pre-literacy MUST KNOWS for preschoolers
- Become a member!