Julie A. Wolter

The Effects of a Multilinguistic Morphological Awareness Approach for Improving Language and Literacy

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a multilinguistic intervention to improve reading and spelling in primary grade students who struggle with literacy. Twenty second-grade students with spelling deficits were randomly assigned to receive a multilinguistic intervention with a phonological and orthographic awareness emphasis, or one with an additional morphological awareness focus. The morphological intervention group performed better on standardized measures of reading comprehension, and spelling, and on a nonstandardized spelling test of morphological patterns. Both groups improved and no between-group differences were found on a standardized measure of word identification and word attack, as well as on a nonstandardized spelling test of orthographic patterns.

Morphological Awareness Intervention in School-Age Children with Language and Literacy Deficits: A Case Study.

This article highlights the clinical application of morphological awareness intervention to facilitate phonological, vocabulary, reading, and spelling success in children with language and literacy deficits. First, the research-based benefits of morphological awareness instruction are reviewed and current theoretical and research-based perspectives on this type of intervention in school-age children with and without language and literacy deficits are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of some evidence- and theory-based techniques and strategies speech-language pathologists can utilize in their intervention with children who have language and literacy deficits. Finally, a case study is provided of how morphological intervention was applied, and resulting language and literacy outcomes for one eight-year-old child with a speech, language, and literacy deficit are discussed.

Initial Mental Graphemic Representation Acquisition and Later Literacy Achievement in Children With Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between the ability to quickly acquire initial mental graphemic representations (MGRs) in kindergarten and fourth grade literacy skills in children with typical language (TL) and children with language impairment (LI). The study is a longitudinal extension of a study conducted by Wolter and Apel in which kindergarten children with LI and TL were administered early literacy measures as well as a novel written pseudoword task of MGR learning (spelling and identification of target pseudowords). In the current study (4 years later), the authors administered reading and spelling measures to 37 of the original 45 children (18 children with LI, 19 children with TL). The children with LI performed significantly lower than their peers with TL on all fourth grade literacy measures. For both groups, kindergarten initial MGR acquisition ability significantly related to fourth grade real-word reading and spelling. For the children with LI, kindergarten initial MGR acquisition ability also related to fourth grade pseudoword decoding and reading comprehension. Collectively, the findings suggest that initial MGR learning in kindergarten is an essential skill that may uniquely relate to later literacy abilities.

Morphological awareness assessment and intervention to improve language and literacy.

Morphological awareness positively influences language and literacy development and may be an ideal intervention focus for improving vocabulary, sight word reading, reading decoding, and reading comprehension in students with and without language and literacy deficits. This article will provide supporting theory, research, and strategies for implementing morphological awareness intervention with students with language and literacy deficits. Additionally, functional connections are explored through the incorporation and application of morphological awareness intervention in academic literacy contexts linked to Common Core State Standards.

An Evidence-Based Practice Model Across the Academic and Clinical Settings

This tutorial is designed to provide academic communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with a comprehensive instructional model on evidence-based practice (EBP). The model was designed to help students view EBP as an ongoing process needed in all clinical decision making. The three facets of EBP (research, client/contextual factors, and clinical expertise) are addressed through explicit teaching practices and assignments in didactic coursework and considered in parallel with a concurrent clinical practicum. At the graduate level, the reciprocal nature between theory, research, and practice is emphasized using components such as structured EBP protocols in coursework and clinic, application of clinical case studies that emphasize EBP procedures, and the integration of authentic research assignments. Examples are provided, and ways in which academic faculty and clinical educators can actively engage in creating a shared language and culture at all levels in a CSD program are presented.

The Effects of Orthographic Pattern Intervention on Spelling Performance of Students With Reading Disabilities A Best Evidence Synthesis

Although the orthographic processing skill of recognizing and producing letters and letter patterns has been established as an important skill for developing spelling, a majority of the research focus has been on early orthographic intervention that did not progress beyond the unit of the letter. The purpose of this article is to provide a best evidence synthesis of current high-quality, peer-reviewed, experimental or control studies on spelling interventions with a focus on orthographic patterns (N = 5). This small synthesis revealed that spelling interventions with an orthographic pattern focus appear to contribute to the significant improvement of spelling skills in kindergarten through ninth-grade students with and at risk for reading disabilities. Several intervention approaches with varying methods to improve orthographic pattern knowledge were considered and were related to moderate to large effect sizes on standardized measures of spelling. Thus, the reviewed interventions appear to reflect educationally significant changes in orthographic pattern knowledge that transferred beyond that of taught spelling words.

Facilitating Postsecondary Transition and Promoting Academic Success Through Language/Literacy-Based Self-Determination Strategies

Purpose As noted by Powell (2018), speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the overarching curriculum for all students in schools, and this holds true for adolescents who require transition planning. The purpose of this tutorial is to focus on transition planning for secondary school students with a language-based learning disability (LLD) and provide a case illustration for how SLPs may use self-determination strategies to facilitate postsecondary transition while promoting academic success. Method As students with LLD enter secondary school, they are expected to write and think at more complex levels than ever before to meet post-graduation workforce demands, yet the provision of needed language-literacy intervention services drastically declines. Teaching students with LLD self-determination skills, such as awareness of their own strengths and limitations, self-advocacy strategies, and self-regulation, is found to be related to positive post-school outcomes and can be readily integrated into transition planning by the SLP. Conclusion SLPs may ideally support secondary school student language-literacy needs in transition planning by using self-determination strategies to help access the curriculum and experience postsecondary success.

A Comparison of the Metalinguistic Performance and Spelling Development of Children With Inconsistent Speech Sound Disorder and Their Age-Matched and Reading-Matched Peers

Purpose This study explored the specific nature of a spelling impairment in children with speech sound disorder (SSD) in relation to metalinguistic predictors of spelling development. Method The metalinguistic (phoneme, morphological, and orthographic awareness) and spelling development of 28 children ages 6-8 years with a history of inconsistent SSD were compared to those of their age-matched (n = 28) and reading-matched (n = 28) peers. Analysis of the literacy outcomes of children within the cohort with persistent (n = 18) versus resolved (n = 10) SSD was also conducted. Results The age-matched peers outperformed the SSD group on all measures. Children with SSD performed comparably to their reading-matched peers on metalinguistic measures but exhibited lower spelling scores. Children with persistent SSD generally had less favorable outcomes than children with resolved SSD; however, even children with resolved SSD performed poorly on normative spelling measures. Conclusion Children with SSD have a specific difficulty with spelling that is not commensurate with their metalinguistic and reading ability. Although low metalinguistic awareness appears to inhibit these childrens spelling development, other factors should be considered, such as nonverbal rehearsal during spelling attempts and motoric ability. Integration of speech-production and spelling-intervention goals is important to enhance literacy outcomes for this group.

From the editors: Considering language and meaning through the lens of the comprehension looking glass

In the opening quotation for this column, Lewis Carroll and Humpty Dumpty pontificate on the power of language, meaning, and the individual’s capacity to create and/or interpret meaning. As Carroll’s Alice navigates through a mad-tea-party world and encounters novel situations and characters, a reader of this story is thrust into Alice’s position of comprehending situations or contexts without the aid of background knowledge. In addition, Carroll’s readers are continually encouraged to examine word meaning through the unique looking-glass Lens, and as such they continue to develop and expand their understanding of language that is then used to comprehend written text. Indeed, the wise Humpty Dumpty directs readers to consider how vocabulary can have both literal and valuable abstract inferential significance, and the use of this linguistic knowledge may lead one to comprehend or understand at a deeper level.

Overheard: Know Your MorphemesJulie Wolter, an expert in early language development, recently led an online chat about the contribution of morphological awareness to semantic understanding and literacy development. Here’s what the Leader overheard ...

Julie Wolter, an expert in early language development, recently led an online chat about the contribution of morphological awareness to semantic understanding and literacy development. Heres what ...