.png){kind=logo}
Literacy
Before children read, they need to
master pre-reading skills.
Children who have strong phonological processing skills are more prepared for acquiring literacy. Phonological Processing is defined as: “The ability to quickly and correctly hear, store, recall, and make different speech sounds.” Children who can play with units of sound are engaging in early reading skills. Three fundamental skills acquired in preschool are associated with later reading success. These include rhyming, segmenting sound units (“Say cupcake. Now say it without the cake.”) and combining sound units (“s- a – t / Put those sounds together. What word did you make?”).
When a child is able to “play” with sounds orally, they are better prepared to begin playing with letters in written form. At Playworks we work closely with classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special education teachers to create holistic treatment plans. As children move through the upper elementary grades, the focus shifts to reading comprehension. A fundamental focus of language therapy is teaching children to correctly interpret their communication partner’s “intent”. This is the beginning of reading comprehension. Just as children need to understand the perspective of a friend, children need to decipher the motivations of the characters in their stories.
.png){kind=logo}