Beyond the Score: Understanding What NAPLAN Really Says About Your Child’s Literacy
Stay up to date with the latest speech pathology tips and trends
One Third of Students Didn’t Meet Expected Literacy Outcomes This Year, Is Your Child One of Them? Were your child’s NAPLAN results not what you were expecting?
At North Shore Speech Therapy we’re giving students the skills they need to express their ideas and their knowledge and to communicate with confidence.
Are you worried about your child’s recent NAPLAN results?
- Was your child below the national average or below their school average?
- Did they receive a score that is in the Developing or Needs Additional Support bands for Reading, Writing, or Language Conventions? You are not alone and you don’t have to navigate this on your own.
- Support is available and the earlier you act, the better the outcome!
Why Your Child Might Have Had Difficulties with their NAPLAN assessment
Reading and writing depend on development in foundational skills such as:
- Oral language
- Phonological awareness
- Understanding how letters and sounds work together
If these foundational areas are underdeveloped, it can present as:
- Trouble spelling
- Difficulty decoding new words and reading fluently
- Challenges comprehending what they are reading
- Difficulty structuring and organsing their writing so that others can understand it
These areas are often reflected in NAPLAN Reading, Writing and Conventions of Language scores.
What Can You Do as a Parent? Trust your instincts
If you have noticed signs that your child is finding literacy tasks difficult, it’s worth investigating. Early intervention builds confidence, competence, and a love of learning.
The Risks of Delaying Action
Most literacy challenges don’t resolve on their own. Without support, they can impact:
- Classroom performance
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Motivation and enjoyment of learning
And the gap between your child and their peers can continue to get larger.
How Speech Pathologists Can Help
Speech therapists are experienced and trained in working on language skills (including vocabulary and sentence structure – the conventions of language) and the on the sound system of our language (which underpin reading and writing). Speech Pathology support for reading and writing focuses on the root cause of these difficulties, not just tutoring the symptoms. At NSST we have been working with students with literacy and language challenges for over 20 years. Our experienced and passionate therapy team supports children with:
We implement evidence-based, personalised programs that focus specifically on your child’s area of need and work at a pace to make sure that they are able to master their reading, writing and language goals.
Don’t “Wait and See” – NAPLAN results are a signpost
If your child is struggling, let’s act now! Book an assessment with one of our trained Speech Pathologists and partner with us to help your child reach their education potential!
