As Alan Kahmi has written, "Reading and writing share a common link with talking and understanding. The knowledge and skills your child acquires as part of oral language development will affect the learning of reading and writing. To be literate-that is, to read and write-is to be able to deal with language on paper. "
As human beings, we are born to communicate with each other- wired for oral language. Speaking and listening are part of every culture. We all learn to talk through social interaction. This is not the case with reading and writing. People are usually specifically taught how to read. Children learn to read and write after they have learned to listen and to speak their native language. In western cultures, they need to develop the ability to recognize and identify speech sounds of their language to be able to make sound-letter associations. Children with oral language disorders are at risk for learning disabilities that interfere with reading and writing.
Children who are acquiring English as a second language need sufficient time to learn to understand and speak English before they will be able to comprehend and produce written work. It takes most people about six or seven years to begin to learn to read. It can take the same length of time for a second language learner to acquire enough skill in the new language to be able to use it for written communication.
Spending time talking and listening to others is vital for acquisition of language. Especially in this day of television, computers, and video games, social interaction is key to language development. Children also benefit from experiencing the power of the written word in daily activities. Writing notes, sharing books, and reading mail (or email) together every day can promote reading and writing in the home. Parents can encourage literacy skills in their children by exposing them to formal and informal speech styles and various types of texts (books, magazines, non-fiction articles, etc.)
So, as a speech-language pathologist, I urge parents to Talk with your kids. Write to them. Enjoy communicating with eachother by any means possible; be it at the dinner table, in the car between soccer practices, or through a note on the refrigerator. Read with them. And most importantly, Take time to listen. You are your child's most important teacher and role model for meaningful use of language.
Mrs. DeYoung
