Nurturing Early Readers: How Speech Pathologists Help Your Child Learn to Read
Nurturing Early Readers: How Speech Pathologists Help Your Child Learn to Read
As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I’ve had the joy of helping little ones start their reading journey. At ages 4 and 5, kids are ready to soak up knowledge about letters, sounds, sound patterns, and simple words and phrases. They are ready to use these building blocks to start to read. Our Early Reading Program is designed to meet each child where they are at developmentally and build up their reading skills from there.
Why Speech Pathologists?
Speech Pathologists are experts in the skills needed for early reading. This includes: speech sounds, sound awareness, listening skills, language comprehension skills, and recognition of sound patterns, all of which are needed to become a strong reader. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) has a position statement which explains, “Speech-Language Pathologists play a critical and direct role in the development of literacy.” You can read more about ASHA’s position statement here.
A speech and language approach to reading works best for young, early readers ages 4 and 5. A speech and language approach breaks down the complex process of reading into more manageable pieces which helps young children understand, see, and hear the sounds and patterns of language.
Building Reading Skills from the Bottom Up
Our reading program is structured to build reading skills from the bottom up. We begin by working on letters and their corresponding sounds, which is the very first step in learning how to read. We make it fun with games, songs, and activities that bring letters to life. We then work on vowel and consonant patterns, which helps kids understand and recognize how sound patterns affect words and their pronunciation. As the child’s skills expand, so does their reading. Their sound awareness and pattern recognition become increasingly complex as more and more skills are mastered.
Our Multi-Sensory Approach
Our multi-sensory approach means we use sight, sound, and touch to help kids learn:
Visual: Pictures, picture books, and colorful charts help children connect letters with sounds and sound patterns.
Auditory: We use rhymes, songs, and listening games to reinforce sound recognition.
Tactile: Activities like tracing letters in sand or forming letters and words with clay help kids understand letter shapes and sounds in a hands-on way.
How You Can Support Your Child at Home
Here are a few simple ways to support early reading in the home:
Read Aloud: Reading to your child everyday has tremendous benefits. Once you’ve finished a story together, talk about what happened in the beginning, middle, and end and discuss the pictures and the characters from the story. This helps children connect with reading.
Play with Letters: Use cut-out letters, puzzles, or letter blocks to explore the alphabet together. Focus on sounds and start to build words.
Sound Games: Engage in games or songs that involve rhyming, identifying sounds, or blending words. It’s a fun way to build phonemic or sound awareness.
Join Our Early Reading Program
Our Early Reading Program is perfect for children ages 4 and 5 years old. Led by an expert pediatric speech-language pathologist, we help children build essential reading skills. Our speech and language approach is designed to meet each child’s where they are at and build their skills up from there.
If you’re interested in joining our program or want more information, please contact us today. We’re excited to start a joyful reading journey!
