September--Getting the school year off to a good start: Invest now...Or pay later!

Reading Risk in Children With Speech Sound Disorder: Prevalence, Persistence, and Predictors

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00108 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (11) ◽

pp. 3714-3726

Author(s):

Sherine R. Tambyraja ◽

Kelly Farquharson ◽

Laura Justice

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Sound Production ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Reading Difficulties ◽

School Age Children ◽

Speech Sound Disorder ◽

Word Decoding ◽

School Year ◽

School Based

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which school-age children with speech sound disorder (SSD) exhibit concomitant reading difficulties and examine the extent to which phonological processing and speech production abilities are associated with increased likelihood of reading risks. Method Data were obtained from 120 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade children who were in receipt of school-based speech therapy services. Children were categorized as being “at risk” for reading difficulties if standardized scores on a word decoding measure were 1 SD or more from the mean. The selected predictors of reading risk included children's rapid automatized naming ability, phonological awareness (PA), and accuracy of speech sound production. Results Descriptive results indicated that just over 25% of children receiving school-based speech therapy for an SSD exhibited concomitant deficits in word decoding and that those exhibiting risk at the beginning of the school year were likely to continue to be at risk at the end of the school year. Results from a hierarchical logistic regression suggested that, after accounting for children's age, general language abilities, and socioeconomic status, both PA and speech sound production abilities were significantly associated with the likelihood of being classified as at risk. Conclusions School-age children with SSD are at increased risk for reading difficulties that are likely to persist throughout an academic year. The severity of phonological deficits, reflected by PA and speech output, may be important indicators of subsequent reading problems.

Download Full-text

Applying Generalizability Theory to Optimize Analysis of Spontaneous Teacher Talk in Elementary Classrooms

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00118 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 1947-1957

Author(s):

Alexandra Hollo ◽

Johanna L. Staubitz ◽

Jason C. Chow

Keyword(s):

Special Education Teachers ◽

Generalizability Theory ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Elementary Classrooms ◽

Teacher Talk ◽

Group Instruction ◽

Data Set ◽

School Year ◽

Minimum Number ◽

Representative Samples

Purpose Although sampling teachers' child-directed speech in school settings is needed to understand the influence of linguistic input on child outcomes, empirical guidance for measurement procedures needed to obtain representative samples is lacking. To optimize resources needed to transcribe, code, and analyze classroom samples, this exploratory study assessed the minimum number and duration of samples needed for a reliable analysis of conventional and researcher-developed measures of teacher talk in elementary classrooms. Method This study applied fully crossed, Person (teacher) × Session (samples obtained on 3 separate occasions) generalizability studies to analyze an extant data set of three 10-min language samples provided by 28 general and special education teachers recorded during large-group instruction across the school year. Subsequently, a series of decision studies estimated of the number and duration of sessions needed to obtain the criterion g coefficient ( g > .70). Results The most stable variables were total number of words and mazes, requiring only a single 10-min sample, two 6-min samples, or three 3-min samples to reach criterion. No measured variables related to content or complexity were adequately stable regardless of number and duration of samples. Conclusions Generalizability studies confirmed that a large proportion of variance was attributable to individuals rather than the sampling occasion when analyzing the amount and fluency of spontaneous teacher talk. In general, conventionally reported outcomes were more stable than researcher-developed codes, which suggests some categories of teacher talk are more context dependent than others and thus require more intensive data collection to measure reliably.

Download Full-text