Literacy & Phonological Awareness

Literacy skills—including reading, writing, speaking, and listening—are essential for a child’s ability to learn, communicate, and engage with the world around them. At Big Little Voices Speech Pathology, we understand that literacy development is complex and unique for every child. We support children at every stage of their journey, from early sound awareness to advanced reading and writing skills.

• Difficulty sounding out (decoding) words
• Trouble recognising or producing rhyming words
• Frequent spelling errors
• Poor reading fluency or comprehension
• Avoidance of reading and writing tasks
• Difficulty expressing ideas clearly in writing
• Trouble remembering letters, sounds, or sight words

At Big Little Voices, we provide tailored, evidence-based therapy that supports each child’s learning style and literacy stage. We also collaborate closely with families and educators to reinforce skills at home and in the classroom.

This is the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken words. It’s a crucial pre-reading skill that helps children learn how words are built from sounds.

Children with phonological awareness difficulties may:

• Struggle to recognise rhymes
• Have trouble clapping out syllables
• Find it difficult to hear or isolate beginning or ending sounds in words
• Mix up similar-sounding words
• Struggle to sound out or blend words when reading

We use fun, play-based activities such as rhyming games, sound matching, and syllable clapping to build these skills and prepare children for reading success.

 Oral Language Development

A rich vocabulary and the ability to construct clear sentences support both reading comprehension and written expression. We help children grow their language skills so they can better understand and express ideas.

Sound Letter Knowledge

Understanding how sounds connect to letters is essential for decoding (reading) and spelling. We guide children through this connection in a structured and engaging way to build reading fluency and confidence.

Written Expression

Writing is more than putting words on paper—it involves organising thoughts, using proper grammar, and sequencing ideas. We help children develop their written language by strengthening these key skills.

Speech pathologists play a vital role in developing the foundational language and cognitive skills that underpin successful literacy. Whether your child is beginning to learn letters and sounds or facing ongoing challenges with reading and writing, we provide personalised therapy to help them thrive.