Children with language impairment (LI) are at an elevated risk for reading difficulties, particularly if their language difficulties are present at the time of formal schooling entry. Learning to read is heavily dependent on linguistic knowledge, specifically phonological knowledge for word decoding and language comprehension for reading…

Prior research shows that preliteracy development of children with a hearing loss from homes where English is not the primary language parallels literacy development in children with hearing loss from monolingual homes. Although there are some parallels, there are also some elements that are unique to children from linguistically diverse,…

In this study of more than 1,000 typical and at-risk elementary Arabic-speaking students in Oman, we explore relationships between pragmatic (and other) language skills, literacy, cognition, and behavior and the degree to which demography impacts performance on associated tasks. We found, in most cases, that females performed better than males,…

Personalized augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention refers to an approach in which intervention is tailored to the individual's needs and skills, the needs and priorities of the individual's family and other social environments, the evidence base, and the individual's response to intervention. This approach is especially…

Reading achievement gaps are prominent in U.S. schools, most notably when comparing the performance of African American and Latino/Hispanic children to their White peers. Among the many reasons offered to explain and address these achievement gaps, language differences and language proficiency are primary considerations because many African…

Today, children with hearing loss are often identified at birth, fitted with advanced hearing technology, and enrolled in family-centered early intervention. Most of these children have the opportunity to enter kindergarten or first grade with language competencies that rival their hearing peers. For these children to be successful communicators…

Gainful employment for adults in the United States currently requires high levels of literacy. As challenging as these requirements may be for the workforce at large, for adults who have a hearing loss (HL) and whose first spoken language is not English, the demands are especially problematic. Therefore, it is critical that educators prepare…

This pilot study evaluates the feasibility of an integrated intervention titled "Language and Literacy Together" developed to target semantic and narrative skills in bilingual children at risk for developmental language disorder (DLD). Thirteen first-grade bilingual children who scored in the risk range for DLD on the Bilingual English…

This article takes readers along the pathway of language learning and disorders across childhood and adolescence, highlighting the complex relationship between early (preschool) language disorders and later (school age) learning disabilities. The discussion starts with a review of diagnostic labels widely used in schools and other professional…

Disciplinary literacy is defined here as the ability to engage in social, semiotic, and cognitive practices consistent with those of content experts. Characterizing literacy development as a process of braiding 3 language strands of everyday language, abstract language, and metaphoric language, this article describes the lexical and grammatical…

Disciplinary literacy is an increasingly popular focal area in adolescent literacy. In disciplinary literacy, the discourse features of specific knowledge domains (e.g., literature, history, science, and math) assume major importance in understanding and constructing meaning in each discipline. Because language plays a significant role in…

English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the student population. An understanding of the diversity these students bring to contexts of disciplinary learning is critical to determining how best to teach them. At the secondary level, ELLs are required to learn content and build English language proficiency simultaneously.…

The purpose of this article is to present a perspective on disciplinary literacy and the Common Core State Standards based on the argument that disciplinary literacy is embedded in the standards. The article highlights possibilities and challenges associated with national efforts to prepare students for success in college and the workforce.…

There is growing interest in disciplinary literacy instruction as a primary means of improving adolescent literacy outcomes. At times, this disciplinary framework has been represented as a replacement for the more broadly known general strategy instruction. However, disciplinary literacy, a potentially powerful idea, cannot replace general…

Recently, it has been proposed that schools teach disciplinary literacy in science, mathematics, history, and literature classes as students move into middle school and high school. A disciplinary literacy approach emphasizes the specialized knowledge and abilities possessed by those who create, communicate, and use knowledge within each of the…