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Speech impairment and literacy difficulties: Underlying links

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Suze Leitão ,
Janet Fletcher  and
John Hogben
Suze Leitão*
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
Janet Fletcher
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
John Hogben
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Western Australia
*
Child Study Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907, Ph: +61 (08) 9380 3259, Fax: +61 (08) 9380 3643, E-mail: suze@vianet.net.au
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Abstract

Despite clinical observation of the problems in emergent literacy experienced by unintelligible children, there are conflicting data about the possible relationship of expressive speech problems to literacy acquisition. Several confounding factors may explain the inconsistency in results across studies. Potential confounds include specificity and severity of speech impairment, age of participants, and pattern of speech errors. It was hypothesised that the presence of nondevelopmental speech errors can be considered a symptom of a breakdown at the level of processing phonological information that has an impact on both speech and literacy development. A cohort of 21 specifically speech-impaired children entering Year 1 at school was selected and classified into subgroups based on pattern of speech errors. Phonological awareness measures were administered early in Year 1 and literacy measures in Year 3. The results confirmed thot the presence of nondevelopmental speech errors predicted poorer phonological awareness skills and weaker literacy outcomes, particularly spelling.

Keywords

Language impairmentliteracy difficultiesphonological awarenessspeech impairment
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , 2000 , pp. 63 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 2000

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