Catering for Dyslexia in the inclusive literacy classroom

Recommendation 4. Speech - Language Pathologists

 

Ideally students with dyslexia require professional support from a speech language pathologist (SLP). However this can be expensive and often there is no funding for schools and parents due to the spectrum nature of dyslexia (Ryan 2011).

 

Speech language pathologists are generally thought to develop oral language and sound development only. However there is now an understanding that oral language plays an important part in learning to read and spell. ‘Oral language skills are the foundation for learning to read’ (Dyslexia Help 2015).  SLP’s use the following areas of literacy to help students learn to read, write and spell:

 

• Oral language comprehension and use (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics)

• Phonological processing, including phonemic awareness

• Articulation (speech sound production)

• Letter/sound knowledge

• Word-finding difficulties

• Emergent metalinguistic awareness

• Narrative discourse

• Short-term memory

 

Spoken language provides an important foundation in the development on reading, spelling and written expression. Interventions such as explicit, systematic and intensive teaching that benefits students with dyslexia are often difficult to implement in the classroom situation. This is where ‘speech pathologists play a critical role in supporting teachers and students’ when such intensive instruction is required (Speech Pathology Australia 2005, p. 10). Speech pathologists are able to tailor their instruction specifically to the individual which allows them to identify and address their strengths and weaknesses when completing diagnostic testing (Speech Pathology Australia 2005, p. 12).