Brooklyn Letters (Online Speech Language Therapy, Literacy & Math Tutoring)
1139 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn
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We were delighted with Christie. First, and most importantly, our son made great strides under her guidance. So great, that we felt he no longer needed help! She was incredibly patient and kind with him and our son really responded to her. Christie was also great with me and my wife. She provided thorough and informative updates on our son's progress and which exercises she was using with him, so we could reinforce what she was teaching him. All in all, we had a fabulous experience with Christie and would highly recommend her. -
Our experience with Theo was terrific. Theo was great with my son. He developed a positive relationship with him based on sincerity, respect, trust and a deep personal connection. In their lessons, Theo was encouraging, creative and kind. He helped our son understand how to differentiate the sounds he made when he spoke, and gave him great exercises to practice every week between lessons. Our son was sorry to have the lessons come to an end, but recognized that Theo had helped him as much as possible and it was time for him to stop. Theo explained to him (and us) how to keep working to get the last 5%, and encouraged him to keep working on the exercises on his own. I have recommended Theo to another parent who noticed my son's improvement and inquired for her own son.
We are all grateful to have gotten to know Theo, and we greatly appreciate all the work he did to help our son. -
Theo is a wonderful Clinton Hill speech therapist. We were really pleased with him. Our son showed drastic improvement, not only in his speech but in his confidence. -
Alexa has been an enthusiastic, reliable, well prepared and caring teacher for our 6 year old daughter. She has been able to improve and increase our daughter's confidence lesson by lesson with patience and competence; through varied and productive didactic practice. Alexa has engaged our daughter in several activities that always kept her motivated and eager to learn literacy. My wife and I, both of us are educators, feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe Alexa's pedagogical skills. Alexa has had a big impact on our daughter literacy growth. Thank you Brooklyn Letters! -
We were absolutely DELIGHTED with Marsha's services. She was wonderful. We found her to be kind, fun, engaging, very knowledgeable. She provided us with clear instructions and additional written handouts each week. She engaged our son with different techniques and toys, and showed us how to use her techniques when we were interacting with him. I actually just texted her on Saturday - Our son finally said "more" - one of the target words we had been working on with her. It was a total joy to hear, and I had to share it with her - she wrote back immediately to congratulate us. I am so appreciative of her expertise, and wish we could have seen her for longer. I recommended her to another family in our neighborhood who is looking for a speech therapist.
The Importance of Phonological Processing in Learning to Read and Write
Introduction
Phonological processing plays a vital role in our ability to understand and use language effectively. It involves using phonemes, the sounds of one’s language, to process both spoken and written language. In this blog post, we will explore the definition of phonological processing defined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its significance in developing reading and writing skills. Additionally, we will discuss the impact of phonological process disorders on children’s learning abilities while highlighting that not all struggling readers and writers have a history of such disorders.
Understanding Phonological Processing
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, phonological processing encompasses various skills, including phonological awareness, phonological working memory, and phonological retrieval. The ability to recognize and control the sounds of language, such as distinguishing individual sounds (phonemes) in words, combining sounds to make words, or segmenting words into their constituent sounds, is referred to as phonological awareness. Phonological working memory involves the ability to temporarily store and manipulate phonological information, while phonological retrieval refers to the efficient and accurate retrieval of phonological information from long-term memory.
The Role of Phonological Processing in Reading and Writing
Phonological processing is crucial for acquiring and developing reading and writing skills. Phonological awareness, in particular, serves as a foundational skill for reading and spelling. When children are able to recognize and manipulate individual sounds within words, it becomes easier for them to decode unfamiliar words, understand the relationships between letters and sounds, and, ultimately, comprehend written text.
Research has consistently shown that children who experience phonological process disorders during their early years are at a higher risk of facing difficulties in phonological awareness, reading, and spelling when they begin formal schooling. These disorders can manifest as challenges in accurately perceiving and producing phonemes and in the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds within words. Early identification and intervention for such children are crucial to support their development of fundamental literacy skills.
Fundations, developed by the Wilson Language Training Corporation, is a classroom program designed for whole-class instruction in early literacy skills. It shares similarities with Wilson and Orton-Gillingham, employing multisensory, systematic, and explicit teaching methods. Structured and sequential phonics, spelling, and handwriting instruction enable gradual skill development.
Beyond Phonological Process Disorders
While phonological process disorders pose a significant risk to reading and writing abilities, it is important to note that not all children who struggle with learning how to read and write have a history of such disorders. Difficulties in reading and writing can arise from various factors, including but not limited to inadequate instruction, lack of exposure to print, limited vocabulary, and poor comprehension strategies.
Other factors, such as attention deficits and language comprehension deficits, can also contribute to challenges in literacy development. Therefore, it is essential to consider a holistic approach when assessing and addressing the needs of struggling readers and writers, considering a wide range of cognitive and linguistic factors that may be influencing their performance.
Conclusion
Phonological processing is a fundamental aspect of language acquisition and plays a crucial role in developing reading and writing skills. Children who experience phonological process disorders during their early years are at a higher risk of facing difficulties in phonological awareness, reading, and spelling.
However, it is important to recognize that not all struggling readers and writers have a history of phonological process disorders. Multiple factors can contribute to challenges in literacy development, necessitating a comprehensive assessment and intervention approach to support all children in their journey toward becoming proficient readers and writers.
By understanding the significance of phonological processing and addressing the individual needs of learners, we can foster a strong foundation for literacy and language development.
