Children with CAS are considered at risk for difficulty with reading. However, there are a number of activities and skills that you can work on with your child to set the stage for reading success.
The most important thing you can do is to read with your child, regardless of their age or stage in development, and provide positive reading experiences. Reading together teaches your child that books and reading are fun and interesting.
In addition to nurturing your child’s interest in books and reading, you can work on skills that are important buildings blocks for literacy. These skills include phonological awareness, sound-letter correspondence, and vocabulary:
First Steps: Activities to Build Reading Readiness
While there are many great activities to work on literacy building blocks with young children, here are a few ideas that specifically focus on skills that can be challenging for children with CAS due to their difficulties with motor planning/programming speech. Reading instruction at all levels should be successful and rewarding for your child. Experiencing failure or frustration is counterproductive – remember, you want reading to be a positive experience! Since children vary greatly in their skills and reading readiness, ask your speech-language pathologist (SLP) if these suggestions are appropriate for your child and if there are additional items recommended for your child. The suggestions below can be tailored to the level where your child can succeed.

Next Steps: Beginning to Read
Once your child has built their phonological awareness skills, learned the sound-letter correspondences for a few consonants and at least one vowel, and have sufficient vocabulary, they are ready to begin “reading”!
