Literacy and Language Difficulties

Speech-language pathologists play a key role in assessing and treating language difficulties in school-aged children. A strong understanding of language is essential for a child's success in both academic and social settings.

If your child is facing a language disorder, they may struggle with:

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• Learning new vocabulary

• Comprehending questions or instructions

• Recalling story details and plots

• Explaining ideas or academic concepts

• Narrating stories

• Constructing grammatically correct sentences

• Associating sounds with letters

• Reading

• Writing and spelling

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Literacy and language difficulties in school-aged children can significantly impact their academic performance and overall development. These challenges may include difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, and understanding spoken or written language. Children with language difficulties might struggle with phonemic awareness, decoding words, or comprehending texts, while literacy challenges can manifest as trouble forming sentences, using grammar correctly, or expressing ideas clearly in writing. These issues often affect a child's ability to keep up with their peers in the classroom, leading to frustration, low self-esteem, and academic setbacks.

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Role of a Speech-Language Pathologist?

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A speech-language pathologist plays a crucial role in assessing and treating literacy and language difficulties in school-aged children. The SLP evaluated the child’s ability to understand and use language through speaking, listening, reading, writing tasks. Based on the assessment, the SLP creates personalized intervention plans targeting specific challenges.

 

Areas addressed in therapy may include:

• Expanding vocabulary

• Improving reading comprehension

• Enhancing sentence structure

• Developing writing skills