Many children with speech-language impairment will have difficulty with reading. Even those children who begin kindergarten with adequate early literacy skills (e.g., good phonological awareness) may demonstrate a slower rate of reading growth relative to peers with typical speech and language skills. Early intervention should therefore not only boost early literacy skills, but provide support which improves the rate of learning of these children. Intervention efforts should also address the specific literacy needs of children with S-LI (see Schuele et al., 2007). A secondary purpose of the present investigation was to draw attention to the current definition of speech-language impairment. Education policy and practice often groups children with a wide variety of impairments into a single category of speech-language impairment. This broad definition limits researchers and practitioners. IDEA legislation defines a speech-language impairment as a “communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.” U. S. Department of Education, 2004 However, ample evidence exists for the distinct risk factors and outcomes of children within the broad category of speech- language impairment. Children with oral language impairment are 6 times more likely to have reading difficulty than children with typical language (Catts, et al., 2002). Children with speech-sound disorders appear to be at no greater risk that typical children for reading difficulties (Bishop & Adams, 1990). It is critical that we identify those children who are at greatest risk of reading difficulty to effectively allocate the limited resources of the educational system. Reading outcomes of children with speech-language impairment: Longitudinal evidence from the ECLS-K Elizabeth Spencer and C. Melanie Schuele ▪ Vanderbilt University Children with speech-language impairment (S-LI) are at particular risk for reading difficulty (Aram & Nation, 1980; Catts, 1993; Schuele, 2004). Children with S-LI begin kindergarten with poor literacy skills relative to typical peers (Boudreau & Hedberg, 1999). Early reading deficits persist throughout elementary school; children with S-LI perform poorly relative to peers in second and fourth grades (Catts et al., 2002). Previous investigations have examined reading outcomes in children with S-LI. The present study uses individual growth modeling to describe the trajectory of reading growth. READING GROWTH Do children with S-LI enter school with poor literacy skills but demonstrate a rate of reading growth similar to typical peers? OR Do children with S-LI enter school with poor literacy skills and demonstrate a slower rate of reading growth, resulting in a widening achievement gap over time? PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to describe reading growth between kindergarten and fifth grade for a large group of children using individual growth modeling. The study examined the effects of S-LI and early literacy skill on literacy ability at kindergarten and rate of reading growth between kindergarten and fifth grade. Background and Rationale Abstract This study used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten to investigate the effect of speech-language impairment (S-LI) on reading growth between kindergarten and fifth grade. S-LI was a significant negative predictor of literacy ability in the fall of kindergarten and rate of reading growth. Children with S-LI begin kindergarten with poor literacy skills and demonstrate a slower rate of reading growth relative to peers with typical speech and language. Methods PARTICIPANT DATA PARTICIPANTS S-LI children with speech-language impairment n = 1,116 identified using information from the parent interview in fall of kindergarten TL children with typical speech-language development, comparison group n = 9,642 parents did not report a diagnosis of speech-language impairment or other disability MEASURES Each child received an individually administered reading assessment at each data collection point. The design of the reading assessment was guided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress to create an assessment that was linked to curricula. The reading assessment included items drawn from other standardized measures (e.g., Peabody Individual Achievement Test – Revised) as well as items created specifically for the reading assessment. Reading outcome scores were derived using an adapted item response theory (IRT) scale. IRT estimates a given child’s performance on the entire reading assessment from the child’s responses to a limited set of items. The reading IRT scale is continuous over time and allows for measurement of longitudinal growth. Proficiency probability scores for individual literacy skills are derived from the overall reading assessment based on a cluster of four items of similar content and difficulty. Each proficiency probability score, calculated using IRT, is an estimate of the likelihood that a child has mastered a particular skill. METHOD The study used individual growth modeling (Singer & Willett, 2003) to examine reading outcomes and rate of reading growth. Six data collection points were included in the study. VARIABLES Two predictor variables were included in the final model as predictors of literacy ability at fall of kindergarten and rate of reading growth between kindergarten and fifth grade. S-LI status diagnosis of speech-language impairment Beginning Sounds proficiency probability score of Beginning Sounds at fall of kindergarten relies on letter recognition ability, letter-sound association, and initial sound segmentation skill Results A Level 1 (within-person) question focused on individual change in reading ability over time. A Level 2 (between-person) question focused on how these growth trajectories varied between children with or without a diagnosis of S-LI and with good and poor Beginning Sounds scores at fall of kindergarten. S-LI STATUS S-LI status was a significant and negative predictor of both initial status and rate of reading growth. (All predictors were significant at p <.001; pseudo r 2 for the final model was.93.) In the model, children with TL had a reading IRT score of at fall of kindergarten and a yearly rate of growth of 22.5 points. Children with S-LI had a reading IRT score at fall of kindergarten (1.01 points below children with TL) and gained an average of (1.74 points less) per year. BEGINNING SOUNDS Beginning Sounds also contributed significantly to prediction in the model. Each point above the Beginning Sounds mean predicted a reading IRT score 9.76 points higher in fall of kindergarten, and an increase in rate of reading growth of 0.51 points. The figure below projects the growth trajectories for four prototypical groups of children: children with TL and high Beginning Sounds scores, children with TL and low Beginning Sounds scores, children with S-LI and high Beginning Sounds scores, and children with S-LI and low Beginning Sounds scores. The figure provides an illustration of the effect of S-LI and Beginning Sounds scores on initial literacy ability and rate of reading growth. Aram, D., & Nation, J. (1980). Preschool language disorders and subsequent language and academic difficulties. Journal of Communication Disorders, 13, Bishop, D., & Adams, C. (1990). A prospective study of the relationship between specific language impairment, phonological disorders, and reading achievement. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, Boudreau, D., & Hedberg, N. (1999). A comparison of early literacy skills in children with specific language impairment and their typically developing peers. American Journal of Speech- Language Pathology, 8, Catts, H., Fey, M., Tomblin, J.B., & Zhang, X. (2002). A longitudinal investigation of reading outcomes in children with language impairments. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 45, Schuele, C. M. (2004). The impact of developmental speech and language impairments on the acquisition of literacy skills. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 10, Schuele, C.M., Spencer, E., Barako Arndt, K., & Guillot, K. (2007). Literacy and children with specific language impairment. Seminars in Speech and Language, 28(1), Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press. References Implications Discussion The findings of the present study confirm previous research demonstrating that children with S-LI are at high risk of reading difficulties. Children with S-LI began kindergarten with poor literacy skills and demonstrated a slower rate of reading growth relative to peers with typically developing language. The slower rate of reading growth estimated in the model of the present study suggest that, as a group, children with S-LI have trouble learning to read and supports a model of deviance. Of the children with S-LI, even those children with superior early literacy skills (as measured by Beginning Sounds) demonstrate a rate of reading growth which is slower than typical peers. AUTHOR CONTACT Fall of KSpring of KFall of 1 st Spring of 1 st Spring of 3 rd Spring of 5 th An ongoing study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Following a representative sample of the kindergarten class of Used in the study of reading achievement (e.g., Kaplan & Walpole, 2005). Not yet used to explore reading achievement for children with speech-language impairments. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) MODEL OF DELAYMODEL OF DEVIANCE PROTOTYPICAL GROWTH TRAJECTORIES Children with speech-language impairment, particularly those with oral language impairment, are at high risk of reading difficulty.