If you notice that your child is not reaching the expected milestones of literacy development…
…it’s important to seek professional support and guidance. This is especially true if your child continues to struggle with their literacy skills, despite consistent literacy-based support from parents or other caregivers. Additionally, if your child becomes frustrated when working on literacy tasks, such as reading, or attempts to avoid these tasks altogether, professional assistance may be able to alleviate these challenges and support your child’s literacy development. Lastly, it’s important to take suggestions and concerns from your child’s teachers seriously. Teachers have a unique perspective, as they typically work with your child in structured learning environments, rather than in the home. Because teachers observe your child regularly during classroom activities and assessments, they may notice signs of literacy delays that are not as apparent at home. In other words, they may notice struggles that you have never seen and were not aware of. That being said, if your child’s teacher informs you that your child is struggling with their literacy skills and development, and may benefit from professional support, it’s a smart move to seek out that support.
But, WHO can help?
School Personnel
When seeking out professional support for your child, contacting your child’s teachers, principals, guidance counselors, and other relevant school personnel can be very helpful when it comes to getting the ball rolling. These professionals should be able to assist you in getting your child evaluated for any literacy delays or disorders, such as dyslexia and other language disorders. Additionally, if the evaluation determines that your child does have a delay or disorder and qualifies to receive professional support, the school should be able to provide these services or help connect you with resources that can.
Pediatricians
Contacting your child’s pediatrician may also be helpful when it comes to finding professional literacy support. Pediatricians have the ability to conduct general speech and language evaluations, as well as basic literacy screenings, so requesting these tests from your child’s pediatrician should be of no issue. That being said, pediatricians cannot diagnose speech and language disorders. Instead, if they notice literacy delays or struggles throughout their evaluations, they will refer you and your child to specialists who can diagnose and/or treat your child, such as a speech language pathologist.
Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs)
SLPs, also known as speech therapists, play a vital role in identifying literacy development and delays. This is thanks to their in-depth knowledge regarding phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, which are systems that are deeply intertwined with literacy development. That being said, these are the professionals who can assess your child for literacy delays and disorders. Furthermore, depending on the state and disorder, an SLP may either diagnose a literacy disorder or collaborate with a psychologist to come to a diagnosis. In addition, when necessary, SLPs will be able to curate and implement individualized therapy plans in order to help your child meet their literacy goals. Depending on your child’s needs, a variety of evidence-based strategies may be utilized by your child’s SLP. For example, if your child struggles with reading fluency, the SLP may incorporate choral reading into your child’s therapy sessions. This is a strategy in which your child will read aloud while the SLP, and perhaps other students, also read aloud. Overall, this speech therapy technique has been shown to increase the clarity and smoothness of children’s reading.
Literacy Specialists
Literacy specialists play an essential role when it comes to supporting children with literacy delays or disorders. These professionals are highly educated when it comes to literacy development and support, as they typically need a bachelor’s degree in this specialty, and in some states a master’s degree. Literacy specialists can observe and assess your child in school if they are struggling in areas of literacy, such as writing or reading. Additionally, through these observations and assessments, literacy specialists will be able to identify if your child is in need of extra support, as well as curate tailored literacy goals, activities, and lessons. Using this information, the literacy specialist will then be able to best support the improvement of your child’s literacy skills, by working directly with your child, collaborating with their teacher’s, etc. Additionally, some literacy specialists specialize in specific literacy disorders, such as dyslexia. If your child has been diagnosed with a specific literacy disorder, these types of specialists can absolutely benefit your child and their literacy skills.
Audiologists
Sometimes, underlying hearing impairments can contribute to delays in literacy development. This is simply because hearing is extremely involved in the process of learning to read and write, especially when learning the foundational concepts of skills. For example, when children first learn the alphabet, they learn to associate letters with their sounds. If a child has a hearing impairment, they might struggle with these foundational skills, which in return may affect their overall literacy development. That being said, receiving services from an audiologist may be a necessary step to helping your child with their literacy skills. These professionals may conduct hearing screenings and assessments, which can help rule out a hearing impairment as a possible cause of the literacy delay/disorder. On the other hand, if the audiologist does determine that your child has a hearing impairment or auditory processing disorder, they can provide a diagnosis. Furthermore, the audiologist will form a plan of intervention or care, which may include prescribing assisted listening devices (ex. hearing aids) or cochlear implants. If your child has an auditory processing disorder, rather than a hearing loss, the audiologist may even provide auditory training that can enhance your child’s listening skills, which is very important when it comes to developing phonological awareness – a core element of literacy development. Lastly, audiologists can refer you and your child to other specialists when necessary, as well as link you with helpful resources.
Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Physical Therapists (PTs)
Another underlying cause of literacy delays may be physical limitations or sensory barriers, such as those that affect the child’s ability to write. While these limitations evidently affect writing, a key category of literacy, research shows that they often affect other areas of literacy as well, as writing is closely interconnected to these other areas. For instance, studies have found that writing about reading material improves the child’s understanding of the text. That being said, if a child struggles with writing about the reading material due to a physical limitation or sensory barrier, that will impact their reading comprehension. To combat these limitations, a PT may implement therapy strategies that target the muscle strength or movements needed for writing, such as the core strength needed to maintain proper posture while writing or the range of motion your child’s arms require for writing. On the other hand, an OT may work on the fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination needed for writing. Additionally, they will support your child in finding ergonomic and sensory-friendly writing utensils if necessary, which will further support their literacy development. Overall, if a provider finds that a physical limitation or sensory barrier may be impacting your child’s literacy development, an OT or PT may be able to help.
Informative Resources :
Anthony, A. (2022, October 24). The SLP’s Role in Literacy. SpeechPathology.com. https://www.speechpathology.com/ask-the-experts/slp-s-role-in-literacy-20537#:~:text=Answer,educational%20success%20of%20the%20student.
English, K., Freesen, J., Rieger, J., & Squires, M. (2012). Audiologists on the Literacy Team: A Natural Fit. Journal of Educational Audiology, 18. https://www.edaud.org/journal/2012/2-report-12.pdf#:~:text=Because%20learning%20to%20read%20is%20typically%20an,the%20connection%20between%20hearing%2C%20listening%2C%20and%20reading.&text=Audiologists%20can%20promote%20these%20benefits%20to%20families,as%20a%20way%20to%20enhance%20literacy%20development
Iona University. (2023, February 2). What is a Literacy Specialist? | Iona University. https://www.iona.edu/blog/what-is-a-literacy-specialist
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Identifying Speech and Language Concerns About your Child and When Should You Seek Help? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/identifying-speech-and-language-concerns-about-your-child-and-when-should-you-seek-help#:~:text=I%20would%20recommend%20that%20you,speech%20and/or%20language%20skills.
Kids First. (2025, February 19). How Speech Therapy Helps Children with Literacy Development. https://www.kidsfirstservices.com/first-insights/how-speech-therapy-helps-children-with-literacy-development
Ness, M. (2018, October). Pediatricians have a role in early screening of dyslexia – International Dyslexia Association. International Dyslexia Association. https://dyslexiaida.org/an-invitation-to-pediatricians-for-early-dyslexia-screeners/#:~:text=would%20be%20useful.-,While%20pediatricians%20do%20not%20bear%20the%20responsibility%20or%20expertise%20for,part%20of%20well%2Dchild%20visits.&text=Is%20a%20child%20able%20to,Can%20a%20child%20name%20letters
PDX Reading Specialist. (n.d.). Signs Your Child May Be Struggling with Literacy and How to Help. PDX Reading Specialist, LLC. https://pdxreading.com/signs-your-child-may-be-struggling-with-literacy/#:~:text=If%20your%20child%20uses%20a,texts%20and%20expressing%20ideas%20clearly.
Polichino, J. (2017, April 27). OT and PT Support for Literacy in Schools. OccupationalTherapy.com. https://www.occupationaltherapy.com/articles/ot-and-pt-support-for-3715
Reading Rockets. (n.d.-a). Choral Reading. https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/choral-reading
Reading Rockets. (n.d.-b). Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents. https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/advocacy/articles/seeking-help-struggling-reader-8-steps-parents
Speech-Language Therapists and Audiologists in South Africa. (n.d.). The Role of an Audiologist in Literacy Development & Literacy Difficulties. https://cdn.ymaws.com/saslha.co.za/resource/collection/16CFB07E-9AAA-46A9-ACCB-BF03942B5361/The_Role_of_an_Audiologist_in_literacy_development_and_literacy_difficulties.pdf
Spracher, M. M. (2000). Learning About Literacy: SLPs Play Key Role in Reading, Writing. The ASHA Leader, 5(8), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.scm.05082000.1StoryWhys. (2024, September 17). Who Can Diagnose Dyslexia? My Frustrations as a Speech-Language Pathologist in NY State. StoryWhys. https://www.storywhys.com/post/who-can-diagnose-dyslexia-in-ny-state
Image References :
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