Literacy

Holistic Speech Pathology - Services - Literacy - Phonological awareness literacy foundation

Pre-literacy Skills

Before children learn to read and write, they develop a set of pre-literacy skills — the early building blocks that make literacy possible. These skills begin developing from birth and continue through the preschool years.

Pre-literacy skills include:

  • Phonological awareness – noticing the sounds in words (rhyming, clapping syllables, hearing beginning sounds)
  • Alphabet knowledge – recognising letters and beginning to link letters with sounds
  • Oral language skills – understanding and using spoken language to share ideas, label objects, and follow instructions
  • Print awareness – understanding that print carries meaning, that we read left-to-right, and that books tell stories
  • Listening and attention – being able to sit, listen and respond during stories or play.

Literacy Skills Development

Literacy development is the process of learning to read, write, understand and use written language. Literacy is essential for learning, participation and independence. Children with strong literacy skills engage more confidently in school, learn new concepts more easily, understand and express ideas clearly, access the curriculum across all subject areas, develop long-term academic, social and vocational opportunities.

Research consistently shows that early literacy success predicts later outcomes in education, wellbeing and employment. Strong foundations in pre-literacy and literacy allow children to become lifelong learners who can read, write and communicate with confidence.

Holistic Speech Pathology - Services - Literacy - Literacy development reading and writing
Holistic Speech Pathology - Services - Literacy - Child literacy comprehension and vocabulary

Literacy development includes:

  • Phonics and decoding – blending sounds to read words.
  • Spelling and encoding – mapping sounds to letters to write words.
  • Reading comprehension – understanding stories, instructions and information.
  • Vocabulary and grammar – using rich, connected language for thinking and learning.
  • Written expression – expressing ideas in sentences, paragraphs and simple texts.

If you or your child’s school have concerns about your child’s literacy development, an assessment can help develop a profile of their challenges and make evidence-informed recommendations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

These are the common questions we receive. If you have any further questions not covered here, please contact us.

These are the early skills children develop before they learn to read and write. Awareness of sounds, syllables, letters while using language and books to bring meaning to communication help build a strong foundation for literacy development.

Literacy refers to the skills needed to read, write and spell. This includes understanding written words, using sounds to read and spell and making meaning from text. Strong literacy skills support learning and everyday communication.

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects how a person reads and spells words. It is linked to difficulties with recognising and working with sounds in language, not intelligence. With the right support, children can learn to read and succeed at school.

Dyslexia and DLD are different but sometimes that can occur together.

Dyslexia mainly affects reading and spelling. Children may have difficulty recognising written words, sounding out words and spelling accurately, despite typical intelligence and learning opportunities.

DLD affects the use and comprehension of language, meaning children have difficulty understanding what others are saying or expressing themselves.

Both benefit from early intervention and targeted support.

A speech pathologist is trained to make a differential diagnosis between Dyslexia and DLD.

Dyslexia Support Services

Have concerns about your child’s speech, language, literacy or fluency?

Start with a consultation to learn what the next steps are.

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