Early education special education communication delay and literacy

Abstract

The traditional view of literacy assumes that learning to read and write can only begin after a firm foundation in oral language has been built. In this view children must learn oral language so that they will later be able to learn to read and write. Several other assumptions of this view of literacy are that (1) learning to read requires a certain "readiness"; (2) readiness skills such as auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, visual motor skills, and knowledge of the alphabet must be established before reading instruction; (3) learning to write follows only after first learning to read; and (4) reading and writing are skills that must be taught. Contrasting with the traditional view of literacy is that of emergent literacy. An emergent literacy view holds that learning to read and write begins early in life. Toddlers begin to identify familiar signs and logos in their environment, scribble on paper (and on walls and other objects), and try to make sense of environmental print. In this view children are active in the construct ion of their own li teracy through experiences of and engagement with their environments. A particular characteristic of this view, which contrasts with the traditional view, is that reading, writing, and oral language develop concurrently.