Ask-A-Linguist Message Details
| Subject: | Learning to read |
|---|---|
| Question: |
Hello, Can an individual, child or adult, learn to read before he/she can speak? Thank you. |
| Reply: |
Another unusual circumstance where reading is possible without speaking is where a child is unable to speak because of a serious physical defect in the oral tract. One common reason for this is that when young children have to have tracheostomies they cannot speak. Such children are learning oral language without speech, and if they reach the age of 5 or so, they will be able to learn to read and write despite not being able to speak. By then they could be quite frustrated at being unable to communicate, however, so it is better to teach them a sign language for self-expression. They learn oral language quickly once the tracheostomy is removed, or when they are old enough to learn to speak with a tracheostomy. Anthea |
| Reply From: | Anthea Fraser Gupta click here to access email |
| Date: | 27-Oct-2012 |
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