Background: There is a need for more well-controlled research on the relationship between
vision and hearing limitations and emergent literacy to inform early literacy intervention.
Two highly prevalent difficulties of early childhood, poor distance visual acuity and otitis
media with effusion (OME), have been shown to be associated with literacy achievement.
There is little research, however, on the relationship between these conditions and emergent
literacy.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationships between (1) distance
visual acuity and emergent letter name knowledge, and (2) OME status and emergent letter
name knowledge in children at school entry.
Method: A prospective cohort of children (N=298) was recruited at school entry. Participants
were aged 5, did not require special education for high needs and spoke a nationally
recognized language of New Zealand. Distance vision and tympanometry testing was
performed and a parent report of OME was obtained. The Wechsler Individual Test of Letter
Name Knowledge and the Vocabulary and Block Design sub-tests of the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children were administered. Covariates of reading achievement were
also measured.
Results: Twenty three percent of children knew fewer than 4 letters at school entry, 31.9%
had marginal distance visual acuity of 6/9 in one or both eyes and 37.2% had a history of ear
infections and/or a B tympanometry test at school entry. Logistic regression tests
demonstrated that both 6/9 vision (OR= 2.069, CI0.95=0.999-4.227) and OME status
10
(OR=1.846, CI0.95=1.034-3.297) were significantly associated with low letter name
knowledge at school entry, controlling for covariates of emergent literacy. Another analysis
showed that children with 6/9 vision and/or OME at school entry were also at greater risk for
low letter knowledge (OR=2.187, CI0.95=1.067 – 4.484) than children with 6/6 vision and no
OME at school entry.
Conclusions: The results of the current study indicate that 6/9 distance vision and OME
are risk factors for low letter name knowledge at school entry. These factors warrant
greater consideration with regard to early literacy intervention, classroom teaching
practices and future research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/9062 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Casey, Maria Paula |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Maria Paula Casey, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
| Relation | NZCU |
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