What is the role of the SLP in literacy (reading and writing), and is literacy within our scope of practice?
Children who have problems developing language are at a high risk for difficulty in learning to read and write. Literacy is a primary factor that contributes to academic, economic, and social success. SLPs’ knowledge of communication processes and disorders and language acquisition provides them with the foundation for addressing problems related to literacy. ASHA’s Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology states that the practice of speech-language pathology includes: “comprehension and expression in oral, written, graphic, and manual modalities; language processing; preliteracy and language-based literacy skills, including phonological awareness.” See ASHA’s family of documents titled ” Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologist With Respect to Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents” and ASHA’s Literacy Gateway for more information.
