Case Study – Effects of Oral Language

Introduction

Oral language skills are critical in the development of children’s decoding,
comprehension, and written expression skills. Typically, oral language teaches kids, especially
during preschool, cultural nuances, equipping them with specific background knowledge
necessary in developing reading/text comprehension, decoding, and written expression aptitudes.
Therefore, it is paramount that teachers handling children, especially between pre-K and grade
three (4-8 years), possess the skills to assist children with oral language difficulties develop these
skills. Teachers must be able to diagnose these difficulties and design effective strategies to
address them, usually in collaboration with parents. Six-year-old Raymond is an example of a
child with poorly developed oral language skills; he is unable to master basic reading skills,
especially rhyming lower case letter letters. He mixes up /b/ and /d/, /g/ and /j/, /m/ and /n/, and
/p/ and /q/ (Sayeski, Paulsen, & the IRIS Center, 2003). Raymond’s comprehension skills are
also a major cause of concern; he is unable to identify what occurred at the start and end of the
story, and cannot sequence the middle story. This essay’s purpose is two-fold: (1) to describe the
impact of oral language on written expression, reading comprehension, and decoding and (2) to
explore communicative strategies that teachers can leverage to improve Raymond’s written
expression skills and reading.
How Oral Language Affects Decoding, Reading Comprehension, and Written Expression
Oral language is the force that powers literacy development in children, including their
written expression, reading comprehension, and decoding skills. Typically, children that lack
oral language skills tend to struggle in developing and executing these three functions. The
following are ways in which oral language affects decoding, reading comprehension, and written

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expression. Decoding refers to the ability to interpret and translate written words into spoken
language. In most instances, oral language skills, like phonics and phonological awareness, are
paramount for decoding. Phonological awareness is the reader’s cognizance and ability to work
with sounds in spoken language. Phonological awareness usually lays the foundation for
blending, decoding, and, ultimately, word reading. Youngsters that struggle with oral language
might find it challenging to recognize, blend, and manipulate words. For instance, a child that
struggles separating sounds “pat” and “bat” will be unable to effectively decode words
containing these sounds.
On the other hand, reading comprehension entails recognizing and understanding
meaning in text. Reading comprehension is related to semantics. Oral language skills, such as
basic grammar and vocabulary, are fundamental for comprehension because they allow children
to understand words and their interconnections across and in individual sentences (Roskos,
Morrow, & Gambrell, 2015). Kids limited in grammar and vocabulary may have a hard time
understanding content in sentences. Finally, written expression is the ability to communicate
thoughts and ideas written text. Oral language skills like syntax and grammar are rudimentary for
written expression. Kids lacking syntax and grammar skills might struggle with sentence
organization, structure, and expressing their ideas in written formats.
Communicative Strategies that Help in Developing Raymond’s Readings Skills and How

They Improve Decoding and Comprehension

Communicative Strategies that can Help in Developing Raymond’s Written Expression

Skills and How They can Improve the Quality of Writing Samples

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Examples of Assistive Technology that can Help in Supporting the Development of

Raymond’s Reading and Writing Skills

Conclusion

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References

Milankov, V., et al. (2021). Phonological awareness as the foundation of reading acquisition in
students reading in transparent orthography. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, 18(10). doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105440
Roskos, K. A., Morrow, L. M., & Gambrell, L. B. (2015). Oral language and comprehension in
preschool: Teaching the essentials. Guilford Publications.
Sayeski, K., Paulsen, K., & the IRIS Center. (2003). Early reading.
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_earrd.pdf