| Abstract | Establishing the foundation for reading comprehension in the preschool years is critical, as reduced emphasis on print-based reading may hinder the development of essential emergent literacy skills and potentially affect future academic success (Dynia & Solari, 2021). This research investigates preschool-aged children with speech and/or language impairments, focusing on their phonological and print awareness before and after therapy. Therefore, the research questions are: Is there a significant difference in the phonological and print awareness skills of young children with speech and/or language impairments before and after receiving treatment? Does the type or the severity of speech and/or language impairments, speech sound disorders, and single-sound or phonological disorders influence the response to treatment in young children with speech and/or language impairments regarding phonological awareness and print awareness targets? For young children with speech and/or language impairments, is there a correlation between the initial level of phonological awareness, print awareness, and the degree of improvement observed after treatment? Are there any differences in phonological awareness goals versus print awareness that indicate a more pronounced response to treatment in children with speech and/or language impairments or those with speech sound disorders? By analyzing data collected from preschool-aged children with speech and/or language impairments, this research compared pre- and post-treatment results to investigate the impact of the type of disorder and examining their response to treatment. Results indicate that children with mixed disorders (language disorder and speech sound disorder) exhibit more overall growth between the six phonological processing and print awareness tasks. The implications of these findings for children with speech and/or language impairments in mastering these foundational skills are discussed. |
