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C
ommunication skills are at the heart of life's
experience, particularly for children who are developing
language critical to cognitive development and learning.
Reading, writing, gesturing, listening, and speaking are
all forms of language--a code we learn in order to
communicate ideas.
Learning takes place through the process of
communication. The ability to participate in active and
interactive communication with peers and adults in the
educational setting is essential for students to succeed in
school.
Language and Literacy
Spoken language provides the foundation for the
development of reading and writing. In fact, spoken and
written language share a reciprocal relationship, building
on each other to result in general language and literacy
competence.
Children who have problems with spoken language
frequently experience difficulties learning to read and
write
, and children with reading and writing problems often
experience difficulties using language to communicate,
think and learn. Similarly, instruction in spoken language
often results in growth in written language.
Communication Disorders & Learning
Children with communication disorders frequently perform
at a poor or insufficient academic level, struggle with
reading, have difficulty understanding and expressing
language, misunderstand social cues, avoid attending
school, show poor judgement, and have difficulty with
tests.
Speech-language pathologists work with teachers and
other school personnel to assess and treat children with
communication disorders in order to help them become
effective communicators, problem-solvers and
decision-makers.
If you have questions about speech or language disorders
or their impact on learning and literacy, call ASHA' s
HELPLINE at 1-800-638-TALK (8255) or visit ASHA' s
consumer website at
www.asha.org
.
Parents can read more about children' s language
development in ASHA' s new book, "
Beyond Baby Talk
."
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Communication disorders affect approximately
42 million
Americans. Of these,
28 million
have a hearing loss and
14 million
have a speech or language disorder.
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Audiologists are
hearing health care professionals who specialize in
preventing, identifying and assessing hearing disorders
as well as providing audiologic treatment including
hearing aids and other assistive listening
devices.
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Speech-language pathologists are
the professionals who identify, assess, and treat
speech and language problems including swallowing
disorders.
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ASHA is
the national professional, scientific, and
credentialing association for more than 120,000
audiologists, speech-language pathologists and speech,
language, and hearing scientists.
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