Spotlight On Literacy

Did you know, speech forms the foundation of literacy development and can serve as a critical early indicator of later success or challenges? In my early literacy support work with students who are finding it a little trickier to get their reading up and running, I find that many of my young students have identifiable difficulties or differences in their production of speech sounds. To fully support literacy development, we can make the most positive gains by first supporting speech. Reading and writing are the next layers of communication that we can develop, using speech as their foundation. 

To help support parent understanding around speech, and to have our young learners primed and ready to reach their full potential, the Department of Education has released the handy tip sheet below. Please have a read and reflect on your child’s development and how you can best support them. If you have any concerns, your child’s teacher should be able to support you in identifying how your child is tracking in this fundamental area of their development.