What happens to reading between first and third grade? Implications for students who use AAC

Abstract

School-age students who use AAC need access to communication, reading, and writing tools that can support them to actively engage in literacy learning. They also require access to core literacy learning opportunities across grade levels that foster development of conventional literacy skills. The importance of the acquisition of conventional literacy skills for students who use AAC cannot be overemphasized. And yet, one of the critical challenges in supporting the literacy learning of students who use AAC has been a lack of knowledge about literacy curricula and supports to literacy learning for these students. Most students who use AAC do not become conventionally literate and few of those who do achieve literacy skills beyond the second grade level. This article will provide an overview of the most frequent reading instructional activities in first and third grade classrooms. To better understand the foundational experiences important to literacy learning, the results of a survey project that examined the reading activities of general education students and teachers during primary grade instruction are presented, and critical shifts in instruction that occurred between first and third grade are highlighted. The primary instructional focus of core reading activities is also examined, along with adaptations for students who use AAC.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Literacy Teams: Facing the Challenges, Forging Ahead

“…With research repeatedly describing the challenges of providing literacy instruction to students with complex communication needs, it is important to more closely examine the current preparedness of literacy team members to provide literacy instruction to this population in the school setting. 7,10,11 Knowledge and Skills of Team Members One literacy service provider, the SLP, brings a combination of expertise in spoken language, written language, and AAC practice to the literacy team. With a professional scope of practice that covers all of these areas, it is critical that SLPs feel competent and comfortable in teaching literacy skills to students who use AAC.…”

“…12,13 Further, SLP participants have often suggested that this lack of competence and training in the area of AAC is a barrier to effective service provision for students with complex communication needs and one that may contribute to overall negative outcomes for students who require AAC. 7,14 The data describing the lack of self-perceived expertise and competence for the provision of literacy services to students who require AAC clearly highlights a critical professional development challenge that must be overcome. Further, these data support the current literature base, which consistently suggests that a common barrier to literacy development is a lack of professional knowledge and skills needed to adapt literacy curricula and meet the unique learning needs of students who use AAC.…”

“…The lack of spoken responses often precludes the use of traditional assessment methods and requires educators to adapt teaching techniques to meet these complex needs. 3,4,7,8 Given these obstacles, students who use AAC typically do not have the same rich and consistent literacy learning experiences as their speaking peers. In fact, the research suggests that the literacy learning experiences of students who use AAC are inconsistent and often of a lesser quality and quantity.…”

“…In fact, the research suggests that the literacy learning experiences of students who use AAC are inconsistent and often of a lesser quality and quantity. 7,[9][10][11] The presence of these challenges, however, does not prevent dedicated literacy teams from recognizing three indisputable facts. (1) Now more than ever, reading and writing skills are crucial for all children to achieve success as text-based technologies become increasingly interwoven into academic, social, and vocational contexts.…”

Visual Supports for Shared Reading with Young Children: The Effect of Static Overlay Design

“…At a young age these children often demonstrate delays in the development of emergent literacy skills (Sturm & Clendon, 2004). The benefits of early literacy skill development in children who require AAC are well recognized for inclusion and participation in society, access to the general education curriculum, improving vocabulary and general knowledge, and serving as a compensatory mode of communication (Kelford-Smith, Thurston, Light, Parnes, & O'Keefe, 1989;Light & Drager, 2007;Pufpaff, 2008;Sturm et al 2006). Shared reading has been identified as an effective venue to foster typically developing children's emergent literacy knowledge, through increasing exposure to print, introducing novel vocabulary, and establishing early reading experiences as enjoyable (Biemiller, 2003;Bus, 2001;Elley, 1989;Holdaway, 1982;Neuman, 1999;Whitehurst et al, 1988).…”