LITERACY

DIFFICULTIES
Ms. Shari Allana M. Ponce, LPT
Objectives:
◦Define the term “Early Literacy Difficulties”
◦Identify kinds and signs of early literacy
difficulties
◦Cite some strategies on how to help children with
literacy difficulties
What are Literacy Difficulties?
Literacy difficulties are difficulties any person may have with reading or writing.
The person's literacy difficulties may (or may not) occur as a result of another
condition (such as aphasia after a stroke Although literacy difficulties are usually
referred to using the term ‘dyslexia’, this disorder is usually only diagnosed when
there is a specific inability or pronounced difficulty in learning to read and/or spell.
The definition of dyslexia tends to vary between different professions. We often
come across terms such as Specific Language Impairment (SLI), Specific Learning
Disabilities/Difficulties (SpLD) and (Central) Auditory Processing Disorders
(C/APD).
 SOME COMMON
LITERACY DIFFICULTIES
IN CHILDREN
Specific Language Impairment (SLI)
o a developmental language disorder that can
affect both expressive and receptive language.
o SLI is not related to or caused by other
developmental disorders such as hearing loss.
o Individuals with SLI exhibit problems in
combining and selecting speech sounds of
language into meaningful units.
o These problems are different to speech
impairments that arise from difficulties in
coordination of oral-motor musculature.
Therefore, a child whose sole difficulty is
stuttering for example does not have SLI.
SYMPTOMS:
◦ use of short sentences
◦ problems producing and understanding
syntactically complex sentences
◦ an impoverished vocabulary
◦ word finding problems and difficulty learning
new words.
◦ Difficulties with grammatical and syntactic
development (e.g., correct verb tense, word
order and sentence structure), semantic
development (e.g., vocabulary knowledge)
and phonological development (e.g.,
phonological awareness, or awareness of
sounds in spoken language).
Specific Learning Disabilities/Difficulties (SpLD)
◦ sometimes used interchangeably with
learning disability or disorder
◦ difficulty in understanding or in using SYMPTOMS
spoken or written language.
◦ visual-perceptual discomfort and
◦ reduced ability to listen, think, speak, disturbance that is sometimes known as
read, write, spell, or do mathematical
Meares-Irlen syndrome which affects their
calculations.
reading of print on white paper, on
It is not a problem with intelligence. Such overheads and slides, and use of a
difficulties typically affect a student's computer.
motor skills, information processing and
memory.
Auditory Processing Disorders
◦ a difficulty in the brain’s ability to recognize and/or
SYMPTOMS:
interpret the information received through the ear.
◦ sometimes also referred to as central auditory
processing disorder (CAPD) and so-called “word ◦ Difficulty paying attention to and
deafness.” remembering information presented orally 
◦ The cause of APD is often unknown. In children,
◦ Difficulty carrying out multistep directions 
APD may be associated with conditions such as
dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum ◦ Poor listening skills 
disorder, specific language impairment, or
developmental delay. ◦ Low academic performance 
◦ Sometimes this term has been misapplied to ◦ Behavior problems 
children who have no hearing or language disorder
◦ Language difficulty
but have challenges in learning. Children with
auditory processing difficulty typically have normal ◦ Difficulty with reading, comprehension,
hearing and intelligence and need more time to spelling, and vocabulary
process information.
 SIGNS OF
EARLY LITERACY
DIFFICULTIES
Early Literacy Difficulties: 3-4 years
◦ is late to start talking and has difficulty learning and remembering new words
◦ leaves out the words he needs to make a complete sentence – for example, ‘I going zoo’ rather than ‘I’m going to
the zoo’
◦ doesn’t recognize any alphabet letters
◦ has difficulty scribbling to make shapes that look like letters
◦ doesn’t string similar-sounding words together – for example, ‘cat, bat, hat’
◦ can’t repeat at least parts of nursery rhymes.
◦ can’t tell you what action is going on in a picture book – for example, running, barking, eating
◦ can’t seem to tell the difference between the front and back of the book, or doesn’t know that she can hold it the
right way up
◦ can’t name simple objects represented in books
◦ forgets which books she has read before, even when you show her their covers
◦ doesn’t like listening to an adult read to her on a regular basis.
Literacy difficulties: 5 years and over
◦ understanding simple instructions – for example, ‘Please put your coat on’
◦ incorporating new words when he speaks
◦ using noticeably longer sentences – for example, sentences of more than five words
◦ recognising and coming up with words that start the same way like ‘car, cat, can’, and sounds that rhyme
like ‘rat, mat, sat’
◦ breaking simple words into their parts (syllables or single sounds) like ‘ba-na-na’, or putting sounds
together to make words
◦ using mature grammar – for example, he says ‘She broked the glasses’ instead of ‘She broke the glasses’
◦ using comparison words like ‘heavier’, ‘stronger’ or ‘shorter’. For example, if you said,
‘A car is big, but a bus is ... ?’, your child should reply, ‘Bigger’
◦ telling or retelling stories in the right order.
In reading, your child might be having literacy
difficulties if she:
◦ doesn’t show interest in books and reading
◦ mixes up the sequence of events in stories
◦ can’t relate what happens in books to things in her own life
◦ gets distracted when books are read aloud and doesn’t get meaning and pleasure from this activity.

In understanding print concepts, your child might be having literacy

difficulties if he:
◦ doesn’t know that words in print are different from pictures, and are there to be read
◦ doesn’t know that each letter in the alphabet has a name and a sound
◦ can’t name at least eight letters
◦ doesn’t scribble his name, messages and so on – it doesn’t matter whether you can read what he scribbles.
HELPING CHILDREN WITH
LITERACY DIFFICULTIES
◦ Give your child lots of encouragement for
reading, writing and drawing, even if he keeps
making mistakes. For example, encourage your
child to read by giving him lots of books,
magazines, brochures and other print materials.
He’s more likely to read something if it interests
him.
◦ Once your child starts reading, make times to read
with her. Sometimes she can read to you, and
sometimes you can read to her. If she’s struggling,
this will help her avoid too much frustration.
◦ Use everyday opportunities for reading and
writing. For example, read street and shop signs,
menus, prices and labels at the supermarket. You
could also write an email, letter or a text message
to a friend. This shows your child how useful
reading and writing are.
◦ Make writing fun. For example, when your child
starts writing, you can encourage him to make
birthday cards or write shopping lists. You could
write notes to your child and leave them in a special
spot, like his lunch box. Why not ask him to write
back to you too?
◦ Visit your local library – it’s free to join and borrow.
◦ If your child is at school, make sure your child is
ready to learn by being organized in the morning. It
will help her to have routines and quiet times to do
her reading.
Once your child starts school, you can also check in with the teacher about your child’s progress. You might need
to work with the teacher on a support plan for your child. The earlier you and the teacher step in to help your child,
the better his progress will be in the long term.
THE END