LITERACY SUPPORT

Literacy is a comprehensive term that covers the ability to read, write, and understand language effectively. It extends beyond basic reading and writing, encompassing a range of skills crucial for the comprehension and production of various forms of language. These skills are essential for effective communication, learning, and full participation in society. Literacy acquisition builds on language development and involves a conscious awareness of how language functions and is used.

The major components of literacy include:

Phonological awareness: The ability to identify and manipulate sounds in language. This can include blending individual sounds to form words (e.g., C-A-T= Cat); segmenting words into their sounds (e.g., Cat= C-A-T); deleting sounds within a word (e.g., CUP -> UP); inserting sounds within a word (e.g., C + UP= CUP); substituting sounds for other sounds (e.g., CAT/ BAT/ MAT); as well as sound isolation (e.g., identifying the initial/medial/final sound within a word; the initial sound in CAT is /c/).
Phonics: The understanding of the relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds (e.g., the letter “A” can make the sound ‘ah’ in “apple”, or ‘eh’ in “hay”).
Fluency: The pace, efficiency, and expression that a person uses when reading.
Vocabulary: The collection of words that a person understands and uses in spoken or written language to communicate or convey meaning appropriately in a given context.
Comprehension: The ability to process, interpret and evaluate both literal and inferred meaning from print or speech to form inferences about the content.

What is a literacy assessment?

A literacy assessment is a comprehensive evaluation using standardized assessments to help determine your child's literacy skills that build up to reading and writing.

It begins with gathering essential background information. This may include completing a questionnaire or an informal interview to cover fundamental areas such as main concerns, developmental milestones, home language use, medical, family, and academic history, and personal interests. Furthermore, the assessment examines communication methods used at home, and hearing and communication status. Areas of assessment also include reading, writing, and spelling.

This comprehensive case history is crucial for creating an effective and personalized literacy assessment.

What does literacy therapy look like?

Depending on the area of concern, literacy therapy may involve strengthening phonological awareness, phonics and decoding, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.

Everyone has their strengths and areas for improvement, which is why each session is tailored to your child’s specific needs. This individualized approach can involve the use of multisensory tools (such as visual supports, auditory supports, use of manipulatives), parental involvement and coaching, and integrated technology (such as using educational software and programs to support literacy development). We may also take an interdisciplinary approach where we communicate with teachers or other collaborators on how to maximize learning supports in all environments.

Language Support: Service