Speech Therapy Written Language Course

Lesson 1 • Written Language as a Linguistic System

Defines written language structure across phonological, morphological, and syntactic levels. Anchors the chapter by framing writing as a rule-governed system.

Lesson 2 • Developmental Milestones in Literacy

Outlines typical written language development from emergent literacy through adolescence. Provides the normative baseline needed for later assessment chapters.

Lesson 3 • Relationship Between Oral and Written Language

Examines how phonological awareness, vocabulary, and syntax support literacy. Establishes the oral-written language connection central to SLP practice.

Lesson 1 • Decoding Strategies and Word Recognition

Contrasts phonological, orthographic, and morphological decoding routes. Prepares students to select strategy-based interventions for word-level reading deficits.

Lesson 2 • Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence Rules

Teaches systematic letter-sound relationships including digraphs and vowel patterns. Directly supports decoding instruction planning for struggling readers.

Lesson 3 • Phonological Awareness Skill Hierarchy

Sequences phonological awareness from rhyme to phoneme manipulation. Establishes the skill continuum used throughout assessment and intervention planning.

Lesson 1 • Spelling Error Analysis

Trains systematic classification of spelling errors by type and developmental stage. Directly feeds into the assessment and goal-writing chapters that follow.

Lesson 2 • Orthographic Processing and Memory

Explains how orthographic representations are stored and retrieved. Connects orthographic memory to fluent spelling and reading in clinical contexts.

Lesson 3 • Morphological Knowledge in Spelling

Addresses how prefixes, suffixes, and roots govern spelling patterns. Equips students to teach morphological spelling strategies to older students.

Lesson 1 • Models of Reading Comprehension

Reviews the Simple View of Reading, Construction-Integration, and related models. Grounds clinical reasoning in theoretical frameworks for comprehension intervention.

Lesson 2 • Text Structure and Discourse Comprehension

Teaches narrative and expository text structures and their comprehension demands. Enables students to match text-structure instruction to client profiles.

Lesson 3 • Evidence-Based Comprehension Strategies

Surveys reciprocal teaching, graphic organisers, and self-monitoring techniques. Provides a strategy toolkit students apply during clinical practicum.

Lesson 4 • Comprehension Deficits Across Populations

Profiles comprehension difficulties in language disorders, ASD, TBI, and dyslexia. Connects deficit profiles to the intervention planning covered in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Written Language Sample Analysis

Trains collection and analysis of written language samples using standardised measures. Connects sample analysis directly to goal-writing and progress monitoring.

Lesson 2 • Discourse-Level Writing and Text Organisation

Teaches paragraph structure, cohesion, and genre-specific organisation. Prepares students to address discourse-level deficits in school-age and adult clients.

Lesson 3 • Writing Deficits in Clinical Populations

Profiles written expression difficulties in DLD, dysgraphia, TBI, and ASD. Enables differential identification of composition deficits across client groups.

Lesson 4 • Sentence-Level Writing Skills

Addresses syntactic complexity, sentence combining, and grammatical accuracy in writing. Builds the sentence-level foundation for discourse-level composition work.

Lesson 1 • Differential Diagnosis of Written Language Disorders

Guides differentiation among dyslexia, dysgraphia, DLD, and acquired disorders. Synthesises assessment data into defensible diagnostic conclusions.

Lesson 2 • Standardised Assessment Tools

Reviews widely used standardised batteries for reading, spelling, and writing. Prepares students to select appropriate tools based on referral questions and client age.

Lesson 3 • Report Writing and Diagnostic Communication

Develops skills for writing clear, evidence-based diagnostic reports. Ensures students can communicate findings to educators, families, and medical teams.

Lesson 4 • Assessment Frameworks and Principles

Establishes the purpose, scope, and ethical principles of written language assessment. Grounds all subsequent assessment decisions in a coherent clinical framework.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Written Language Intervention

Establishes explicit instruction, systematic practice, and feedback as core intervention principles. Frames all subsequent intervention techniques within a unified clinical rationale.

Lesson 2 • Comprehension and Written Expression Interventions

Addresses text comprehension strategies and composition frameworks such as SRSD. Integrates reading and writing intervention to reflect their interdependence.

Lesson 3 • Spelling and Encoding Interventions

Presents word study, morphological instruction, and self-correction strategies for spelling. Connects intervention techniques to the error analysis skills from prior chapters.

Lesson 4 • Phonological and Decoding Interventions

Covers structured literacy approaches targeting phonological awareness and decoding. Equips students to implement Orton-Gillingham-based and related programmes.

Lesson 1 • Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practice

Integrates cultural humility and bilingual literacy knowledge into clinical decision-making. Prepares students to serve diverse populations equitably and effectively.

Lesson 2 • Interprofessional Collaboration in Literacy

Defines the SLP role within multidisciplinary literacy teams including educators and psychologists. Builds skills for effective co-treatment, consultation, and role delineation.

Lesson 3 • Service Delivery Models and Settings

Compares pull-out, push-in, telehealth, and classroom-embedded service models. Equips students to select and justify delivery formats for varied clinical contexts.

Lesson 4 • Ethical and Professional Issues in Literacy Practice

Examines scope of practice, advocacy, and evidence-based practice obligations. Prepares students to navigate professional and ethical challenges in literacy service delivery.