Did you know that International Literacy Day is in September?
Literacy is incredibly important for young and old. It not only enriches an individual's life, but it creates opportunities for us to develop skills that will help us throughout our lives.
To be able to read, we require: Hearing to hear the difference between sounds and to be able to blend sounds together.
Phonological awareness skills: The awareness of what sounds are and how they come together to make words. Skills include the ability to rhyme, segment words into syllables and single sounds, blend sounds together, identify sounds in different positions in words and manipulate sounds within words.
Oral language skills: This includes a child’s understanding and use of language and their abilities to describe, give instructions and tell stories as well as their vocabulary knowledge.
Visual perceptual skills
If a child has difficulties with reading they might:
Have difficulty decoding unfamiliar words.
Have difficulty understanding and recalling what they are reading.
Have difficulty spelling words.
Have difficulty learning and accessing the curriculum at school.
Lack motivation to participate in reading and writing activities.
Present with low self-esteem
If you are worried that your child is having difficulty with the above, contact an occupational therapist near you for assistance.
