Speech Sound Disorder and Reading
Children with a history of speech-sound disorders are at risk for reading difficulties. Because of this, it is critical to start working on pre-literacy skills at an early age. Before a child is able to read, there are pre-reading skills that must develop. One of these skill areas is phonological awareness. Phonological awareness refers to the awareness of speech sounds and the ability to reflect and manipulate them. Phonological awareness includes skills such as rhyming, segmenting a word into sounds, blending sounds into a word, identifying the first or last sound in a word, and changing a sound to make a new word. Here are some activities you can try with your child to support the development of these skills: