The relationship between parent-child interactions and early literacy skills in children (ages 1-3) for 27 families living in low-income households was examined. Results found child language, parent language, emotional tone, joint attention, parental guidance, and parental responsivity behaviors were strongly related to later receptive vocabulary,…

A study investigated the effectiveness of supplemental reading instruction that included intensive, explicit, and systematic reading instruction in fluency, phonemic awareness, instructional-level reading with an emphasis on comprehension, word analysis, and spelling. The intervention was effective in improving the reading skills of 70…

This article profiles the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), an assessment designed to detect phonological processing deficits in students ages 5 through 24. The theoretical framework of the CTOPP, age-based versions of the CTOPP, subtests, testing procedures, test scores and interpretation, and reliability and validity are…

This article describes a four-session summer program that provided parents of children with speech and language delays with information on the importance of phonological awareness, research-validated teacher training materials on early literacy, and training on how to use the materials. The Summer Sound Camp was conducted in a home setting.…

Compared two forms of word identification training to promote transfer of learning by dyslexic children. One program taught phonological analysis and blending skills and provided direct instruction of letter-sound correspondences; the other taught the acquisition, use, and monitoring of four metacognitive decoding strategies. Both approaches were…

Investigates the Spanish literacy development of 20 low-socioeconomic-status Spanish dominant students learning in whole-language classrooms. Notes that the children used a variety of reading and writing strategies. Finds that students learned about meaning construction through the use of whole language and that meaning construction was associated…

Students at the U.S. Air Force Academy participated in a study of Chinese language skill acquisition. Findings included more rapid and accurate character recognition was associated with higher proficiency; printed frequency had the greatest effect upon accuracy of naming; character density correlated with recognition accuracy; and denser…

Explored the notion that children's difficulty in reading is a sign of a general inability to selectively attend to parts of perceptual wholes. Children and adults classified triads of spoken syllables and visual objects. Classification of speech was related to reading and spelling ability, but not to classification of visual stimuli. (BC)

Three experiments examined the effect of practice on the acquisition, retention, and generalization of children's skill in rapidly naming visually presented words. Found that, although poor readers did not become as fast as good readers in naming words, they made gains in the time required to access names from print. (PAM)

Notes only a small number of widely-circulated studies are central to the idea that teachers should specifically teach phonemic awareness skills to young children. Shows that they selectively and misleadingly cite other studies out of context to support their argument and that their statistical procedures do not support their propositions. Offers…

Twenty-three first-graders at risk for learning disabilities received one-to-one tutoring from noncertified tutors for 30 minutes, 4 days a week, for one school year. Tutoring included instruction in phonological skills, explicit decoding, writing, spelling, and reading phonically controlled text. Participants significantly outperformed controls…

This article reviews the evidence for balanced literacy instruction in the elementary years. The case is made that the balanced instructional model is particularly appropriate and beneficial for students who have initial difficulties in learning to read and write. Key features of successful reading instruction programs are described. (Contains…

A study investigated how phonemic-awareness research and intervention knowledge was successfully translated for teacher implementation in two kindergarten classes (n=27) over three years. Research-validated strategies were first identified, the research was translated into teacher friendly materials/procedures, teachers participated in choosing…

This article summarizes the National Research Council's conclusions concerning key developmental milestones in the various domains relevant to reading success, including phonological awareness, letter identification, the alphabetic principle, automatic word recognition, and comprehension strategies. Beneficial opportunities for preschoolers and…

This study reports two different experiments, as a part of a longitudinal study, that evaluated a cognitive intervention (PREP: PASS Reading Enhancement Program) to enhance early phonological processing skills, such as odd-word-out, segmenting, and blending, to kindergarten children at-risk for reading difficulties, in order to support the…