Improving Reading Fluency: Phonological Awareness Training

Introduction

Recently, reading and written language skills have consistently fallen within the domain of the speech-language pathologist (SLP). It has been widely documented that children with speech and language disorders are probable candidates for, and are likely to demonstrate reading difficulties (Catts, Fey, Tomblin, and Zhang, 2002). As the ASHA scope of practice statement explicitly included reading and written language skills (ASHA, 2001), many questions have emerged regarding the speech-language pathologist's role in delivering services directed at remediating reading and written language deficits.

One aspect of literacy quickly embraced by many school-based SLPs has been phonological awareness skills. Phonological awareness can be thought of as the ability to think about and manipulate the speech sound segments of language (Swank & Catts, 1994). Activities targeting phonological awareness skills, readily lend themselves towards integration into speech and language therapy.

Research has shown that students with speech and language disabilities who receive direct phonological awareness training demonstrated significant improvement in phonological awareness, reading, and spelling (Gillon, 2000). Additional support for SLPs addressing phonological awareness training is derived from the vast knowledge SLPs have about sounds and their relationship to words. SLPs, by virtue of their education, training and license know how to dissect words into smaller sound units to maximally convey the physical sound, the cognitive impression and the appropriate articulatory manuevers to the student.

It is important to consider the functional aspects of phonological awareness, which necessarily, must be transferable to print. Therefore, it is important and desirable to consider collaboration with a resource room teacher or reading specialist to focus these skills on pragmatic material to promote carryover from the auditory analysis of sound, to the visual analysis of words. These skills can be thought of as ''decoding.'' As SLP caseloads and time constraints limit service delivery options, creative group sessions may be necessary. This group model provides an opportunity for resource room collaboration.

The following treatment approach relied on this group model for SLP-directed intervention for reading disabilities.