SMART SPEECH THERAPY LLC 2020

The Role of Speech Pathologists (SLPs) in Assessment and Management of . Prepared by Tatyana Elleseff MA CCC-SLP “Dyslexia is a specific that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” (International Dyslexia Association: Dyslexia Definition) • Dyslexia is a language-based disorder (Elbro, Borstrøm, & Petersen, 1998; Snowling, 1998; Adlof & Hogan, 2018) • Oral language deficits place children at a higher risk for dyslexia (Catts et al, 2005; Adlof et al, 2017) • Oral language deficits are characterized by weaknesses in the following areas of language (International Dyslexia Association: Oral Language Impairments) o Phonology (understanding and use of speech sounds -phonemes) o Morphology (understanding and use of word parts including morphemes, affixes, etc.) o Vocabulary and Semantics (understanding how to define and manipulate words) o Syntax (understanding and use of complex sentence structures) o Pragmatics (understanding and use of language in social contexts) • Children who display difficulties in the areas of reading, spelling, and writing often present with deficits in many or all of the above areas of language in addition to deficits in the area of Adlof & Hogan, 2018). • Speech pathologists are professionals with an in-depth training in all of the above language areas (2020 Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology) • Language deficits exacerbate existing literacy deficits due to which a comprehensive language assessment should be a mandatory component of all literacy evaluations. • When language assessment results reveal specific oral language deficit areas, speech language pathologists will provide targeted interventions to improve language abilities for literacy purposes • Speech language pathologists play an important role in direct assessment of reading, spelling, and writing (Disorders of Reading and Writing) • As part of their graduate and/or specialized literacy training, speech pathologists specializing in assessment and treatment of literacy disorders have taken additional classwork and continuing education courses in the assessment and treatment of reading and writing disorders of school-age children (Ad Hoc Committee on Reading and Written Language Disorders) • Given their specialized knowledge of phonology, speech language pathologists assess and treat phonological and phonemic awareness abilities of preschool and school-age children, particularly in the areas of phonemic blending and manipulation, which are prerequisite abilities needed in learning to read (Kilpatrick, 2012) • Given their specialized knowledge of morphology, speech language pathologists assess and treat morphological abilities of preschool and school-age children, for oral language, reading, as well as writing purposes (References Below) • Speech language pathologists play an integral role in assessing and treating reading comprehension deficits of children with reading disorders (Reading Disabilities and the Speech Language Pathologist) • Speech language pathologists play an integral role in assessing and treating spelling deficits in school-age children (References Below) • Speech language pathologists play an integral role in assessing and treating writing deficits in school-age children (Written Language Disorders)

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Additional References:

1. Adlof, S. M., Scoggins, J., Brazendale, A., Babb, S., & Petscher, Y. (2017). Identifying Children at Risk for Language Impairment or Dyslexia With Group-Administered Measures. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(12), 3507-3522. 2. Adlof, S.M. & Hogan, T.P. (2018). Understanding dyslexia in the context of developmental language disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 762-773. 3. Apel, K., Masterson, J. J., & Hart, P. (2004). Integration of language components in spelling: Instruction that maximizes students’ learning. In E. R. Silliman and L. C. Wilkinson (Eds.), Language and literacy learning in schools (pp. 292-315). New York: Guilford Press 4. Apel, K., & Diehm, E. (2013). Morphological awareness intervention with kindergarteners and first and second grade students from low SES homes: A small efficacy study. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 5. Apel, K., & Lawrence, J. (2011). Contributions of morphological awareness skills to word-level reading and spelling in first-grade children with and without . Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 54, 1312– 1327. 6. Apel, K., Brimo, D., Diehm, E., & Apel, L. (2013). Morphological awareness intervention with kindergarteners and first and second grade students from low SES homes: A feasibility study. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 44, 161-173. 7. Carlisle, J. F. (1995). Morphological awareness and early reading achievement. In L. B. Feldman (Ed.), Morphological aspects of language processing (pp. 189–209). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. 8. Carlisle, J. F. (2000). Awareness of the structure and meaning of morphologically complex words: Impact on reading. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal,12,169-190. 9. Carlisle, J. F. (2004). Morphological processes that influence learning to read. In C. A. Stone, E. R. Silliman, B. J. Ehren, & K. Apel (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy. NY: Guilford Press. 10. Carlisle, J. F. (2010). An integrative review of the effects of instruction in morphological awareness on literacy achievement. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 464-487. 11. Catts, H. W., & Kamhi, A. G. (1986). The linguistic basis of reading disorders: Implications for the speech-language pathologist. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 17, 329–341. 12. Catts H, Adlof S, Hogan T, Ellis Weismer S. (2005) Are specific language impairment and dyslexia distinct disorders? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. (48):1378–96. 13. Catts, H.W. & Kamhi, A.G. (2017). Prologue: Reading Comprehension is not a single ability. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools, 1-4. 14. Conrad, N. J. (2008). From reading to spelling and spelling to reading: Transfer goes both ways. Journal of , 4, 869–878. 15. Ehri, L. (2014) Orthographic Mapping in the Acquisition of Sight Word Reading, Spelling Memory, and Vocabulary Learning. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18:5–21. 16. Elbro, C. , Borstrøm, I. , & Petersen, D. K. (1998).Predicting dyslexia from kindergarten: The importance of distinctness of phonological representations of lexical items.Reading Research Quarterly, 33(1), 36–60. 17. Kelman, M., & Apel, K. (2004). The effects of a multiple linguistic, prescriptive approach to spelling instruction: A case study. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 25(2), 56-66. 18. Kilpatrick, D. A. (2012). Phonological segmentation assessment is not enough: A comparison of three phonological awareness tests with first and second graders. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 27(2), 150-165 19. Pacton, S., Foulin, J. N., Casalis, S., & Treiman, R. (2013). Children benefit from morphological relatedness when they learn to spell new words. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 696. 20. Siegel, L.S. (2008) Morphological awareness skills of English language learners and children with dyslexia. Topics in Language Disorders 28 1, 15-27. 21. Snowling, M. J. (1998).Dyslexia as a phonological deficit: Evidence and implications.Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 3(1), 4–11. 22. Tong, X., Deacon, S. H., Kirby, J. R., Cain, K., & Parrila, R. (2011). Morphological awareness: A key to understanding poor reading comprehension in English. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103 (3), 523-534.

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