A shared reading intervention: Changing perceptions of caregivers in a semi-rural township.

BACKGROUND:  Many caregivers from low-middle income (LMI) households consider that preschool children are too young for shared book reading. Thus, many caregivers are unaware of their potentially powerful role in their children's emergent literacy and communication. OBJECTIVES:  To describe (1) caregivers' perceptions of shared reading, (2) caregivers' perceptions of barriers to shared reading and (3) changes in these perceptions following a short intervention. METHOD:  A qualitative methodology was used to understand the perceptions of 40 caregivers from a semi-rural South African township. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after intervention. The intervention was a short training video about shared reading. RESULTS:  Caregivers described the unfamiliar reading culture and viewed reading as an educational activity that they knew little about. Barriers to shared reading included lack of time, few reading materials and low levels of literacy or lack of exposure to this type of activity. Following the intervention, they acknowledged the importance of shared reading, described growing confidence in their shared reading abilities and closer relationships with their children. CONCLUSION:  Speech-language therapists (SLTs) have a pivotal role to play in caregiver training of emergent literacy skills and can make a marked impact in guiding caregivers' shared reading. A short video-based intervention can alter caregiver perceptions and practices, which may be the first step in changing behaviours.Contribution: The study provides an example of a simple and cost-effective intervention that changed caregiver perception and caregivers' reported shared reading practice.

Communication strategies used by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and health professionals during treatment.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder, which affects social communicative capabilities. The research study has shown that ASD studies are focused on young children, excluding adolescents and adults: and it is understudied in the context of South Africa. Objective: This study examined the interactional communication strategies of adolescents with ASD and health professionals during different treatment consultations to identify the interactional styles and communication strategies utilised by adolescents with ASD and their respective healthcare professionals in a variety of scenarios in order to generate management strategies for future healthcare professional communication training. Method: A multi-case study design with a qualitative research approach has been used. Four adolescents with a moderate form of ASD and four health practitioners were interviewed. Participants were chosen by purpose and snowball sampling. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were used for health professionals to collect information on the various interaction types and communication methods used, as well as their interpretations of these methods. Conversely, adapted face-to-face interviews were used to collect similar knowledge from adolescents themselves. The findings were qualitatively analysed on a case-by-case and cross-case basis by thematic analysis techniques. Results: The findings indicated that ASD adolescents have interaction types that influence intervention to various degrees. In comparison to motor therapies such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy, interaction types have a greater impact on psychiatry and psychology, which depend mainly on verbal communication. Intuitively, to promote contact with these teens, all health practitioners changed their own interaction styles. They used techniques of clarification and repair. The therapists shared the intention to learn a range of successful ways to strengthen future experiences with ASD between themselves and adolescents. Conclusion: The findings indicate that practitioners can benefit from altering their interaction styles, and that approaches for promoting successful interactions and in establishing rapport could be shared with other professionals in the future.

Promoting emergent literacy in under-served preschools using environmental print.

BACKGROUND: Children from under-served communities are at risk for delayed spoken language and literacy development. Under-served preschools frequently contend with lack of resources, especially with regard to access to age-appropriate storybooks and/or print resources. Environmental print is a cost-effective material that can be used to stimulate emergent literacy skills. In the context of under-served communities, a collaborative approach and mentorship between preschool teachers and Speech-Language Therapists (SLTs) promote language and literacy development. OBJECTIVES: This article's purpose is two-fold; firstly, to discuss the use of environmental print as a stimulus material to promote emergent literacy in preschoolers in under-served preschools. Secondly, to promote the SLT's involvement in such education initiatives. METHOD: A mixed-method, comparative intervention research design, was reported in this article. A pre- and post-test design was employed, with data collected before and after a teacher-based intervention. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group displayed increased scores on the Concepts About Print (CAP) assessment, participants in the comparison group showed no change in scores using the same assessment over the same time period. CONCLUSION: A short-term, teacher-based intervention using environmental print with SLT mentoring and collaboration promoted preschool children's emergent literacy skills. Implications include the value of using environmental print as a teaching material and the positive impact of collaboration between SLTs and teachers to promote emergent literacy in preschool children.

Emergent Literacy Support for Children from Marginalised Populations.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to describe the content and process of a literacy and language support model that was implemented with young children from marginalised communities, where no access to speech and language pathologist (SLP) services exists. The importance of language for literacy development is emphasised with explicit strategies for classroom application. METHOD: The SLP introduced an intervention programme to Early Childhood Development (ECD) kindergarten teachers, as part of a pre- and post-test literacy study. The strategies included oral reading, one-on-one reading and paired-reading. The participants provided informed consent. The intervention was presented to the experimental (Exp) group during the study process and to the comparison group after the study was completed. RESULTS: Post-intervention findings revealed a significant improvement in the Exp group scores on concepts about print. The ECD teachers reported a difference in the children's awareness of printed materials, confirming that the approaches introduced by the SLP are central in teachers' instruction. This finding supports the contribution that emergent literacy and language support models would have for children, especially those from marginalised communities, where access to resources are limited. Furthermore, the collaboration between SLP and the ECD staff will strengthen these support structures. Thus, explicit early intervention develops skills for school-readiness and academic success; this forms part of the solution in providing early access to language and literacy programmes in developing countries.

Caregivers' reading practices to promote literacy in a South African children's home: Experiences and perceptions.

BACKGROUND:  Exposure to social trauma influences the psychosocial experiences of vulnerable children. This affects their positive development, consequentially resulting in poor scholastic progress. South Africa's history of inequality and injustice has compounded the current social, educational and economic situation, highlighting the need for research on children in care. A paucity of published studies exists on caregiver facilitation of literacy skills among vulnerable populations in South African children's homes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the reading practices that caregivers in one children's home (orphanage) used to promote literacy development. Method: An exploratory, descriptive contextual design was implemented, using inductive and interpretative approaches. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion were conducted. Ten caregivers, who supervised children aged 9-10 years at the home, consented to be participants. Applied content thematic analysis was used to interpret the data obtained. Findings: The caregivers at the children's home were implementing some reading strategies, but they did not engage sufficiently in self-reflection on the reading processes. The caregivers used relevant reading strategies, such as asking questions to develop understanding and memory recall. They encouraged dialogue through characterisation, where the children acted out the roles of the main characters. These reading strategies demonstrate the quality of the mediation. Conclusions: Speech-language therapists have a role in prevention and promotion programmes in children's homes. They should advocate for, collaborate on and support caregivers' facilitation of early literacy skills in these homes, as the link between literacy and language cannot be ignored. Providing guidelines and sharing knowledge on reading instruction for the children are essential in improving the literacy rates in vulnerable populations. Language and literacy interventions are only effective and meaningful if the social and cultural contexts are considered. Such interventions would add value and constitute a step towards redressing past inequalities in South Africa. These results contribute to our understanding of context when developing literacy programmes. The sample size was a limitation. However, the aim was not about generalisation but to gain an insight into caregiver reading practices so that literacy programmes are built on these strengths.

A pilot study: Considering spirituality in an inclusive model of practice in clinical audiology.

BACKGROUND:  A patient-orientated approach in medical clinical practice is emerging where patients and practitioners are considering and including the spiritual, emotional and psychosocial aspects of the individual. This practice is an important change in health care, specifically in the field of audiology as a holistic view of the patient now alters the perspective on the management of individuals with hearing impairments. Objectives: This article explored the experiences of a participant who reported supernatural healing of his sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Hence, this study focuses on the consideration of spirituality in the inclusive model of care. Method: An exploratory, qualitative narrative inquiry was used to obtain data from a single pilot case study of a 27-year-old man who reported healing of his permanent profound hearing loss. Results: Four themes were identified within the narrative obtained: prayer and faith, deaf culture, identity and purpose. The participant stated that he believed that he was partially healed to fulfil his purpose in life. The partial healing allowed him to belong to the deaf community and the hearing world simultaneously. Conclusion: South Africans live in a diverse society where most people accept spirituality as part of their search for meaning in life. Health care for individuals should therefore consider the person as a holistic being more than a medical entity. The exploration of narratives of individuals who report supernatural healing of a SNHL will assist health care practitioners and audiologists in managing individuals in an inclusive manner. This pilot study thus has implications for policy and practice in health care contexts.