Identifying Speech and Reading Difficulties in Students

Classroom Observation and Assessment

Observation in natural settings, such as a classroom, is crucial. These interactions provide valuable insights for various professionals, including speech therapists and psychopedagogues, to inform different activities. This can be observed in any situation, such as group activities, game scenarios, and class discussions.

Observation and Recording Methods

• Timing: Brief observations conducted over several days.
• Record Types:
  • Daily Records: Anecdotal notes.
  • Systematic Observations: Using predefined categories of behavior.
• Tests: Standardized assessments or tests like the Monfort Induced Phonological Test.

Understanding Learning Difficulties

Learning Difficulties (LD): These are challenges that disrupt a student's personal and academic progress, manifested by an inability to access school learning effectively.

The Three Phases of the Reading Process

1. Logographic Phase: The student recognizes familiar words by sight, imitating the act of reading. They may show interest in the meaning of words and phrases.
2. Alphabetic Phase: Phonological awareness develops. The student may know a few words without knowing all the corresponding graphemes (letters).
3. Orthographic Phase: The student understands morphosyntax, semantics, punctuation, and capitalization, allowing for more fluent reading.

Methods for Teaching Reading

Global Method (Analytical)

This method focuses on creating an extensive visual vocabulary for the direct recognition of whole words and their meanings.

Phonetic Method (Synthetic)

This method teaches the code by which sounds (phonemes) are converted into letters (graphemes) and vice versa, focusing on decoding.

Implementing Guided Reading

Guided reading is structured into three stages:

• Before Reading: Activate prior knowledge, establish the purpose for reading, make predictions about the content, and discuss the text type (e.g., children's story, informational text).
• During Reading: Make and verify predictions, clarify vocabulary, and detect potential comprehension difficulties.
• After Reading: Evaluate if the reading purpose was met, extract personal ideas, ask comprehension questions, and summarize the text.

Common Speech and Language Disorders

Dysarthria

A motor speech disorder caused by neurological injury to the central nervous system (CNS), which impairs the muscle control mechanisms for speech. It affects expression and can be caused by tumors, strokes, or other neurological conditions.

Dysglossia

Difficulty with oral articulation due to anatomical or physiological alterations of the speech organs. It can affect the lips, tongue, or palate. It is usually congenital but can also be acquired.

Dyslalia

A disorder in the articulation of phonemes resulting from a malfunction of the peripheral speech organs. It involves phonetic and phonological issues where the child cannot repeat sounds through imitation. This diagnosis is typically considered for children over 5 years old.

Dyslexia

A learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). It prevents the correct implementation of reading skills. Two types include:

• Dyseidetic Dyslexia: An inability to perceive whole words, leading to phonetic reading. The reader may replace words with others that have similar sounds.
• Dysphonetic Dyslexia: A deficit in consolidating the phoneme-grapheme relationship. The reader has difficulty with phonetic skills and cannot decipher words that are not already in their visual vocabulary.

Spasmodic Dysphonia

A voice disorder caused by organic disharmony or incoordination of the respiratory and laryngeal muscles, affecting only vocal expression.