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How Are Language Skills And Academic Success Related?

Language is essential to every aspect and interaction in our lives. We use language to inform people of what we feel, desire, question and understand about the world around us. Language is the foundation of communication and comes in various forms including:

  • Gesturing
  • Listening
  • Reading
  • Speaking
  • Writing

Acquiring literacy skills such as reading comprehension, automatic recognition of sight words, reading speed and accuracy, and learning and applying phonics rules help are essential to academic success. Typically, students learn to read by the third grade, and after third grade they begin to read more independently and discover the joy of reading and learning.

Developing appropriate writing skills involves learning the mechanics of writing, whether typing or using a writing tool such as a pen or pencil. It also pertains to learning how to spell, learning different writing styles and their purpose as well as planning and organizing a well-thought-out written response.

Expanding vocabulary skills such as word definition, the relationships between words (compound words, antonyms, synonyms) impact the ability to understand words, write creatively, and communicate effectively with peers and adults.

What Types Of Speech And Language Disorders Are Common And How Do They Impact Students?

Studies show that children with communication disorders frequently do not perform at grade level. They may struggle with reading, have difficulty understanding and expressing language, misunderstand social cues, avoid attending school, show poor judgment, and have difficulty with tests. Difficulty in learning to listen, speak, read, or write can result from problems in language development.

  • Articulation or Speech sound disorders – Difficulty pronouncing sounds, (e.g., lisp, difficulty articulating certain sounds, such as “l” “s” or  “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”)
  • Language disorders –
    • Expressive language disorder: Difficulty using words to express wants, needs, ideas and thoughts
    • Receptive language disorder: Trouble understanding and following directions, instructions, vocabulary words, stories, conversations etc.
  • Cognitive-communication disorders – Limited thinking skills including perception, memory, judgment, awareness, reasoning, intellect and imagination and executive function skills
  • Stuttering (fluency) disorders – Interruption in the ability to produce fluent speech that may include hesitations, repetitions, prolongations of sounds or words

Voice disorders – Quality of voice that may include hoarseness, nasality, volume (too loud or soft)

Online Speech Therapy For Literacy & Reading Fluency

This program is designed to help children and teens develop necessary reading proficiency and ensure academic success.

Program Highlights Include:

  • Determine pattern of strength and weakness in reading skills for understanding and development
  • Establish consistent phonics understanding (sound-symbol connection)
  • Work on common orthographic patterns
  • Record and develop sight word based related to Frye List
  • Establish reading level for practice
  • Have regular writing practice for spelling words and simple sentences

Is There A Link Between Math Abilities And Language Skills?

Studies have proposed a link between language skills and mathematical achievement suggesting that children with language impairments are at risk for deficits in the acquisition of numerical concepts. Language encompasses several aspects that are relevant to math – especially word problem. Grammar (syntax) plays an important role in math language because it can alter a comparison.  For example, “There are more dogs than cats” is different than “There are more cats than dogs.”

Program Highlights Include:

  • Determine areas of strength and weakness in Math functioning
  • Recognize that all math is providing a ‘story’ and directions to follow
  • Identify and use strategies to address areas of weakness
  • Work with computation and application
  • Work with word problems in all topic areas
  • Identify use of Math in everyday life and areas of interest

What Are The Signs Of Academic Issues?

Language is the basis of all learning and essential for reading as well as thinking, building vocabulary, following a storyline, making predications and understanding math word problems.

Academic issues, such as learning disabilities and attention disorders, can impact a child’s performance in the classroom, particularly in reading and writing. Language development plays a major role in learning to read and write. Delayed language acquisition can directly impact literacy, writing and vocabulary skills.

We have found strong success in working with:

  • Students with diagnosed Learning or Developmental Disabilities
  • Students who are performing well below age or grade level
  • Students who recently immigrated to the United States

How Can Great Speech Help?

Our goal is for each student is to provide the knowledge and opportunities to help reach his or her full academic potential. Through an individualized academic support program, we can successfully introduce and reinforce specified skill sets including:

  • Study Skills
  • Test Taking Strategies
  • Note Taking
  • Time Management
  • Writing
  • Reading Instruction and Comprehension

In addition, our therapists are trained in programs such as Phoneme Sequencing® Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech (LiPS®  Seeing Stars®: Symbol Imagery for Phonological and Orthographic Processing in Reading and Spelling (SI™); and Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking® (V/V®).

These programs are designed to help students with different learning styles, and we have seen the successful results firsthand in our practice.

Get started with an introductory call to discuss how a licensed speech and language pathologist can help you achieve your goals.

Intensive Program Frequency of Services Recommended:

This individualized program entails a high intensity approach (much like a bootcamp), offered for 3 sessions per week for 30-minutes, for 6 weeks.  Studies have suggested that a student with language impairments are at risk for deficits in the retrieval of numerical concepts.

Are you ready to begin online speech therapy? Click here to get started today!

“My son, Matthew, struggled academically in third grade and consistently exhibited poor behavior in class. His dyslexia went undiagnosed until we signed up for a Great Speech evaluation for a totally unrelated matter. Our winter weather was brutal; but our sessions continued at an uninterrupted pace. Now in fourth grade, Matthew has learned to compensate for his dyslexia and his classroom behavior is exemplary.”

Christina, 32 years old, Chicago, Illinois

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