Reading Development (Phonemic Awareness)
Children's Service Areas
Reading development (also known as phonemic awareness) refers to the knowledge of sounds in our language and how those sounds blend together to form words, phrases and sentences. Developing the knowledge of our sound system is essential to the process of learning to read and spell.
A beginner reader must learn to decode printed letters in a word and store those sounds temporarily in their memory as they blend all the sounds together. Therefore sounding out a word requires 3 high level skills:
- decoding the sounds of letters
- memory skills
- ability to blend
Studies have shown that approximately 30% of children do not make the connection between sounds and their corresponding letters on their own. This results in poor academic performance as the child who fails to read falls further and further behind.
If your child is four years of age or older and having difficulty with reading development, contact us. At Speech Pathways, we use a variety of fun and interactive therapy tools that motivate your child to learn to read. We will evaluate the level your child has achieved, and bridge the gap, enabling them to catch up with their peers.
