In the thoroughly updated second edition of this unique book, Catherine McBride examines how the languages we know help structure the process of becoming literate. Taking an ecological and distinctively cross-cultural perspective, the book looks at reading and writing development and impairment across a range of languages, scripts, and contexts. The book covers issues including: The importance of phonological sensitivity for learning to read and to write The first units, or building blocks, of literacy learning in different scripts such as Chinese, English, Korean Hangul, Hebrew, Hindi and Arabic The role of visual processing in reading and writing skills How the latest research can inform the teaching of reading An overview of our understanding of dyslexia, including recent neuroscientific research The developmental challenges in becoming biliterate What is special about writing for beginners and later for comprehensive writing Basics of reading comprehension Children's Literacy Development, Second Edition is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of literacy around the world. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, it is the only book available that provides an overview of how children learn to read and write in different languages, and will be essential reading for all students of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy.

The Routledge International Handbook of Visual-motor skills, Handwriting, and Spelling explores the potentially controversial field of early literacy education. It aims to offer scholars and practitioners an analysis of how and why handwriting skills benefit early literacy learning, especially spelling acquisition, and how this can enrich experiences for children and educators. Offering global perspectives from the field, the volume integrates current theories with up-to-date research and practice, revealing how we can best support children’s early literacy learning with handwriting and visual-motor skills interventions. Key topics covered include: The fundamentals of handwriting skills and literacy acquisition; Global literacy and spelling; Dysgraphia, handwriting difficulties, and dyslexia; Spelling and writing in the digital age; Home learning environment and spelling; Instruction and interventions for spelling and writing. This comprehensive survey will be essential reading for scholars and students of developmental psychology, education, and literacy research.

The Routledge International Handbook of Visual-motor skills, Handwriting, and Spelling explores the potentially controversial field of early literacy education. It aims to offer scholars and practitioners an analysis of how and why handwriting skills benefit early literacy learning, especially spelling acquisition, and how this can enrich experiences for children and educators. Offering global perspectives from the field, the volume integrates current theories with up-to-date research and practice, revealing how we can best support children’s early literacy learning with handwriting and visual-motor skills interventions. Key topics covered include: The fundamentals of handwriting skills and literacy acquisition; Global literacy and spelling; Dysgraphia, handwriting difficulties, and dyslexia; Spelling and writing in the digital age; Home learning environment and spelling; Instruction and interventions for spelling and writing. This comprehensive survey will be essential reading for scholars and students of developmental psychology, education, and literacy research.

This volume examines the unique characteristics of akshara orthography and how they may affect literacy development and problems along with the implications for assessment and instruction. Even though akshara orthography is used by more than a billion people, there is an urgent need for a systematic attempt to bring the features, research findings, and future directions of akshara together in a coherent volume. We hope that this volume will bridge that gap. Akshara is used in several Indic languages, each calling it by a slightly different name, for example 'aksharamu', in Telugu, 'akshara' in Kannada, and 'akshar' in Hindi. It is the Bhrami-derived orthography used across much of the Indian subcontinent. There is a growing body of research on the psycholinguistic underpinnings of learning to read akshara, and the emerging perspective is that akshara, even though classified as alphasyllabaries, abugida, and semi-syllabic writing systems, is neither alphabetic nor syllabic. Rather, akshara orthography is unique and deserves to be a separate classification and needs further investigation relating to literacy acquisition in akshara. The chapters in this volume, written by leading authors in the field, will inform the reader of the current research on akshara in a coherent and systematic way.

Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD: A Global Perspective uniquely incorporates dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD into one volume, offering practical advice on how to manage each of these disorders. McBride combines a solid research base with interviews with specialists in learning disabilities, as well as parents, teachers, and students with personal knowledge of each difficulty from six continents. The innovative cross-cultural focus of the book is emphasized in the introduction, which is followed by one chapter each on the basics of each of these learning difficulties and another three chapters on their remediation. The book goes on to cover topics such as comorbidities across learning or other difficulties, learning of multiple languages, facilitating self-esteem, and enhancing reading comprehension and writing composition in the face of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. Appendices with short, practical tips on learning, multi-media resources, and ways to test and train cognitive-linguistic skills are included as an additional resource. Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD: A Global Perspective is intended for practitioners, teachers, parents, and those with any or all of these learning difficulties. University or postgraduate students who wish to understand more about dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or ADHD will also benefit from the clear analysis. With this book, the reader will not only come to understand the fundamental nature of these learning difficulties, but will also get to know the people whose lives are so deeply affected by them.

Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD: A Global Perspective uniquely incorporates dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD into one volume, offering practical advice on how to manage each of these disorders. McBride combines a solid research base with interviews with specialists in learning disabilities, as well as parents, teachers, and students with personal knowledge of each difficulty from six continents. The innovative cross-cultural focus of the book is emphasized in the introduction, which is followed by one chapter each on the basics of each of these learning difficulties and another three chapters on their remediation. The book goes on to cover topics such as comorbidities across learning or other difficulties, learning of multiple languages, facilitating self-esteem, and enhancing reading comprehension and writing composition in the face of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. Appendices with short, practical tips on learning, multi-media resources, and ways to test and train cognitive-linguistic skills are included as an additional resource. Coping with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and ADHD: A Global Perspective is intended for practitioners, teachers, parents, and those with any or all of these learning difficulties. University or postgraduate students who wish to understand more about dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or ADHD will also benefit from the clear analysis. With this book, the reader will not only come to understand the fundamental nature of these learning difficulties, but will also get to know the people whose lives are so deeply affected by them.

In the thoroughly updated second edition of this unique book, Catherine McBride examines how the languages we know help structure the process of becoming literate. Taking an ecological and distinctively cross-cultural perspective, the book looks at reading and writing development and impairment across a range of languages, scripts, and contexts. The book covers issues including: The importance of phonological sensitivity for learning to read and to write The first units, or building blocks, of literacy learning in different scripts such as Chinese, English, Korean Hangul, Hebrew, Hindi and Arabic The role of visual processing in reading and writing skills How the latest research can inform the teaching of reading An overview of our understanding of dyslexia, including recent neuroscientific research The developmental challenges in becoming biliterate What is special about writing for beginners and later for comprehensive writing Basics of reading comprehension Children's Literacy Development, Second Edition is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of literacy around the world. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, it is the only book available that provides an overview of how children learn to read and write in different languages, and will be essential reading for all students of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy.

The Routledge International Handbook of Early Literacy Education offers a pioneering overview of early literacy provision in different parts of the world and brings together interdisciplinary research evidence on effective literacy teaching to inform current and future practice and policy of early literacy. From the problem of identification of literacy difficulties in a particular learning context to supporting the provision of early literacy through digital media, the handbook deals with the major concerns and newest areas of interest in literacy research. With an international and future vision, it provides an accessible guide to the main debates and future trends in the global field of early literacy, and informs academics, policy-makers, practitioners, educators and students about innovative early literacy research methods and instruction. The three sections and 30 ground-breaking chapters reflect a conceptual framework of questions asked by scholars and educators interested in looking beyond traditional definitions of literacy. Part I provides contemporary insights collected by internationally renowned scholars on what literacy is, and what it can offer to young children in the twenty-first century. Part II is a collection of detailed portraits of 14 countries, regions or language communities, and focuses on early literacy provision, practice and policy from across the world. Part III outlines key interventions and research-endorsed practices designed to support home-school connections and children's reading and writing skills, as well as vocabulary, phonological awareness and narrative abilities, with examples drawn from various home, school and community environments. All chapters promote discussion, critical analysis and questions for reflection and are written in jargon-free language in an easy-to use themed format. This handbook is an indispensable reference guide for practising teachers and student teachers, especially those undertaking postgraduate qualifications, as well as early literacy researchers, policy-makers and school-based literacy leaders.