Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Vol.42 561-579 October 2011. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2011/10-0038)
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrowCustom Print
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow My Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wellman, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Stein, C. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wellman, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Stein, C. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Delicious   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Article

Narrative Ability of Children With Speech Sound Disorders and the Prediction of Later Literacy Skills

Rachel L. Wellmana
Barbara A. Lewisb
Lisa A. Freebairnb
Allison A. Avrichb
Amy J. Hansenb
Catherine M. Steinb
a Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, Cleveland, OH
b Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Correspondence to Barbara A. Lewis: bxl{at}case.edu

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine how children with isolated speech sound disorders (SSDs; n = 20), children with combined SSDs and language impairment (LI; n = 20), and typically developing children (n = 20), ages 3;3 (years;months) to 6;6, differ in narrative ability. The second purpose was to determine if early narrative ability predicts school-age (8–12 years) literacy skills.

Method: This study employed a longitudinal cohort design. The children completed a narrative retelling task before their formal literacy instruction began. The narratives were analyzed and compared for group differences. Performance on these early narratives was then used to predict the children's reading decoding, reading comprehension, and written language ability at school age.

Results: Significant group differences were found in children's (a) ability to answer questions about the story, (b) use of story grammars, and (c) number of correct and irrelevant utterances. Regression analysis demonstrated that measures of story structure and accuracy were the best predictors of the decoding of real words, reading comprehension, and written language. Measures of syntax and lexical diversity were the best predictors of the decoding of nonsense words.

Conclusion: Combined SSDs and LI, and not isolated SSDs, impact a child's narrative abilities. Narrative retelling is a useful task for predicting which children may be at risk for later literacy problems.

KEY WORDS: speech sound disorder, language impairment, narratives, literacy


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Delicious Delicious   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?