The critical role of communication in schools cannot be understated. Communication skills are a necessity both in the academic and social atmosphere of the school environment. Unfortunately, there are a large number of children in the schools today identified with speech and language disorders. This special edition of Psychology in the Schools examined issues that impact the academic and social functioning of such children. Several articles are focused on potential early intervention strategies or services surrounding literacy and social skills that may enhance the success of children with communication disorders and/or at risk for communication disorders (e.g., Chapman, Denning, & Jamison, 2008; Thatcher & Fletcher, 2008; van Kleeck, 2008). Two other articles tackle promising strategies that may be used in academic settings with children who stutter (Logan, Mullins, & Jones, 2008) or with children with cognitive impairments (Gillette & DePompei, 2008). Despite promising avenues of intervention and practice, there are also barriers to providing instruction to children with communication disorders in a regular classroom (Pufpaff, 2008). Each article provides insight into the importance of communication skills for academic and social success in the schools. The key to the success of children with or at risk for communication is for all school personnel to be aware of and proactive with children with communication disorders. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This study investigated kindergarten, preschool, and Þrst-grade children who were typical or speciÞc language impaired (SLI) to determine whether there were developmental differences in their phonological awareness abilities (i.e., syllable, onset/rime, phonemes). Results revealed a signiÞcant difference between children who were typical and children who were SLI on the soundsegmentation tasks. The children who were typical were more effective at segmenting than were children who were SLI. SigniÞcant differences were also noted between the types of phonological task completed among participants. The combined data from this study revealed developmental trends in phonological awareness for the typical population. The developmental trend was not observed in the SLI population, however. Clinical implications are suggested. C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.The aim of this study was to expand the literature on the development of phonological awareness in children with speciÞc language impairment (SLI). Although numerous investigations have been conducted on phonological awareness and children with SLI, few studies have examined the development of sound segmentation through an established benchmark protocol as seen in research completed by Treiman and Zukowski (1996, 1991).The link between oral language and reading has been Þrmly established in the current research literature (Catts, 1993;Catts & Hogan, 2003;Goldsworthy, 1996;Gough & Tunmer, 1986;Hoover & Gough, 1990, Kamhi & Catts, 1989 Kahmi, Lee, & Nelson, 1985;Roberts, 1992). Catts and Kahmi (1999) asserted that words, sentences, and discourse elements of written language overlap heavily with those found in oral language. In addition, Kamhi and Catts (1989) described the relationship between spoken and written language as "dynamic and reciprocal." Goldsworthy (1996) proposed that children bring their previous experiences of learning, including their knowledge of oral language, to sustain written language. Therefore, reading acquisition can be described as an extension of oral language development.An area of oral and written language of particular interest to many researchers is phonological awareness. Researchers have documented the correlation between children's phonological awareness skills and early achievement in reading and spelling (Alloway et al

The purpose of the current study was to examine therapists' perceptions about literacy in early intervention services. Little effort has been devoted to the incorporation of literacy into therapy services for very young children with special needs. In an attempt to understand how therapy providers view the role of literacy in their services, 168 providers were surveyed. Responses were compared and in general, speech therapists and developmental therapists reported similar rates of use of books and rhymes and similar attitudes about the role of literacy in services. In contrast, occupational and physical therapists were often similar in their responses, yet, in most analyses, their responses were significantly different than the speech and developmental therapists'. This trend mirrors the existing literature that more attention has been devoted to encouraging the incorporation of literacy into speech services than other therapy services. Implications for these different practices and attitudes across disciplines are discussed. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.