Decoding, reading comprehension and linguistic skills in Specific Language Impairment first grade students

Abstract

Specific language impairment (SLI) is one of the most common childhood disorders in oral communication and is characterized by the presence of difficulties in the different language components. Children with SLI are a risk group for learning written language. Their heterogeneity of linguistic and metalinguistic characteristics can impact their reader profile. It is known that problems in phonological awareness affect decoding, as well as deficits in grammar, semantics and narrative discourse impact reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of SLI students in decoding and reading comprehension, and to identify the relationship of these performances with phonological awareness, vocabulary and narrative discourse. Objectives: a) To determine the performance in linguistic and reading skills of SLI first grade students, b) to study the relationship between decoding and linguistic skills (phonological awareness, narrative discourse and vocabulary) and c) to study the relationship between reading comprehension and linguistic skills (phonological awareness, narrative discourse and vocabulary). Method: The sample consisted in 60 children with SLI and a control group of 60 children without SLI. All of them were assessed in reading skills (decoding and reading comprehension) and linguistic skills (phonological awareness, vocabulary and comprehension and production of narratives). Results: Results showed that the performance of SLI students was significantly lower than the performance of the control group in both skills: linguistic and reading. Besides, in both groups a relationship was established between decoding and phonological awareness, and between reading comprehension and phonological awareness and vocabulary. Conclusions: SLIstudents are a risk group for learning to read because they show decreased performances in decoding and reading comprehension. In addition, it was noted that phonological awareness is a skill related to decoding and reading comprehension. Therefore, it is an important skill for these children to learn how to read.