Speech-language therapist and teacher knowledge of early literacy skills

Purpose: The purposes of this study were: (a) to compare speech-language therapists’ (SLTs’) and general education teachers’ perceived skill for providing early reading and writing instruction and (b) to compare SLTs’ and teachers’ knowledge of early reading and writing skills. Method: SLTs (n = 28) and general education teachers (n = 25) participated in this study. Participants completed a self-assessment of their own skill level for providing early reading and writing instruction and an objective measure of their knowledge of early reading and writing skills. Results: There was a significant difference between groups in self-assessment of current skill for delivering early reading and writing instruction; SLTs rated their own current skill as lower than teachers rated their own current skill. There was not a significant difference in knowledge of early reading and writing skills between SLTs and teachers. Conclusions: SLTs and teachers can benefit from continued professional development related to providing evidence-based reading and writing instruction. Because of their different perceptions of their own skills, professional development may need to be approached differently for SLTs and teachers. Future research will examine specific areas of knowledge strength and weakness for SLTs and teachers.