Page 14 - Literacy Based Speech Language Therapy Activities Digital Version

Literacy-Based Speech Language Therapy Activities

The Benefits of Shared Reading

Researchers consistently have found that students

with language learning difficulties have benefited
from literacy-based intervention techniques.

Shared reading activities have been shown to aid in
students’ overall development, including social-
emotional, language, and academic development.
By providing a model or visual experience, books

can promote social-emotional development by
helping students identify with and understand
complex emotions, such as guilt, pride, and shame

(Doyle and Bramwell, 2006).

Shared reading activities can also help students
learn the language necessary to talk about their

emotions. Such socio-emotional development has
been shown to contribute to students’ academic success (Denham, 1998; Zins, 2001). Storybooks
promote language development by providing concurrent exposure to oral and written language

(Teale and Sulzby, 1986). As Westby (1991) noted, narratives provide a bridge that connects oral
communication to social interaction and writing. This allows students to learn new information and
promotes development in different areas that contribute to academic success.

While books have been used as part of therapy for many years, current studies have found numerous
benefits from the use of broader literacy-based intervention techniques.

 Shared reading experiences have been found to have a positive effect on students’ overall

oral language skills (DeBaryshe, 1993), as well as more specific skills.
 Storybook reading has been found effective for improving social language, such as

establishing and maintaining joint attention and promoting conversational turn taking
(Bruner, 1978).
 Literacy-based intervention also has been used successfully for vocabulary and grammar

development by increasing vocabulary and by increasing the understanding of word
relationships and complex sentence structures (Crowe, Norris, and Hoffman, 2000).

 Shared reading experiences give adults an opportunity to provide students with examples of
language structures and vocabulary that they are not yet able to employ independently (Beed,
Hawkins, and Roller, 1991; Bruner, 1978).

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