Children who are raised in homes where English is not the first language and/or standard English is not spoken may have difficulty with hearing the difference between similar sounding words like “send” and “sent.” Any child who is not in a home, day care, or preschool environment where English phonology operates may have difficulty perceiving and demonstrating the differences between English language phonemes. In other words, their phoneme awareness in terms of the English language will be poor. If children cannot hear the difference
between words that sound the same like “grow” and “glow,” they will be confused when these words appear in a print context. This confusion is likely to impact their comprehension.
Considerations for teaching phonological processing to ELL children include recognition by the teacher that what works for the English language speaking child from an English language speaking family does not necessarily work with students who speak other primary languages.
Research recommends that ELL children initially learn to read in their first language. It has also been found that a priority for ELL should be learning to speak English before being taught to read English. Research supports oral language development, since it lays the foundation for phonological awareness.
All phonological instruction programs must be tailored to the children’s learning backgrounds. Rhymes and alliteration introduced to ELL children should be read or shared with them in their first language, if possible. If you do not speak the student’s first language, get a paraprofessional or pull out an ELL educator to support your instruction in the first language.
Struggling Readers
Among the causes that make reading a struggle for some children (and adults) is auditory trauma or ear infections that affect the ability to hear speech. Such children need one-on-one support with articulation and perception of different sounds. When a child says a word such as “parrot” incorrectly, repeat it back as
a question with the correct pronunciation of the sounds. If the child “gets” the sound correctly after your question, this type of extra support was all that was needed. If the child still has difficulty with pronunciation, it may be necessary to consult with a speech therapist or audiologist. Early identification of medical conditions that affect hearing is crucial to reading development. Therefore, as an educator, you need to make the time to sit with struggling readers and play games such as “same or different” in order to identify those children who may be struggling due to a hearing difficulty.
The most common characteristic among children with language learning disabilities that produce delays in learning to read is weakness in either phonological or phonemic awareness. Many students with reading disabilities will have been diagnosed with some form of Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a language learning disorder that is often based on difficulties with phonological awareness and processing. Common symptoms included difficulty decoding words, poor fluency, poor writing and spelling, and sometimes comprehension difficulties, as well. These difficulties are present in spite of normal intelligence and instructional methods. Pierangelo & Giuliani (2007) describe a variety of types of Dyslexia cited by and most of them have phonemic or phonological weakness as one significant component.
Read More : THE ROLE OF PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING IN THE READING DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS
