What Is Literacy-Based Intervention and How Is It Used?

Defining Literacy-Based Intervention

Literacy-based intervention is an evidence-based approach to speech and language therapy that uses books, storytelling, and literacy activities as the foundation for addressing communication goals. Instead of practicing speech sounds or language structures in isolation, children engage with therapy through meaningful contexts — stories.

Books provide natural opportunities for rich vocabulary, repetitive language structures, narrative sequencing, and social-emotional themes. This approach not only builds oral language but also supports the early foundations of literacy (Justice & Kaderavek, 2004).

Why It Matters

Research shows strong links between oral language development and later reading achievement (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Children who practice vocabulary, grammar, and narrative skills through shared reading are better prepared for academic success.

Literacy-based intervention allows therapists to target:

• Speech sound production (e.g., practicing /s/ or /r/ in story vocabulary).

• Language growth (sentence structure, grammar, question answering).

• Narrative development (retelling, sequencing, predicting).

• Social-pragmatic skills (turn-taking, perspective-taking, labeling emotions).

This integration helps bridge oral language skills with early reading, creating a natural link between therapy and classroom learning (Gillam & Ukrainetz, 2006).

How It Is Implemented in Therapy

A literacy-based intervention session typically follows four structured stages (Justice & Kaderavek, 2004):

1. Before Reading

   
   

   • Activate background knowledge.

   • Preview target vocabulary.

   • Encourage predictions about the story.

   
   

2. During Reading

   
   

   • Ask open-ended wh- questions.

   • Emphasize rhymes, repetitions, or target sounds.

   • Highlight story grammar (characters, setting, problem, solution).

   
   

3. After Reading

   
   

   • Retell and sequence story events.

   • Engage in role play or dramatization.

   • Extend concepts through drawing, writing, or play.

   
   

4. Beyond the Book

   
   

   • Apply story themes to real-life situations.

   • Provide opportunities for carryover in home and classroom routines.

Example in Practice

In Bam the Tiny Brave Elephant, several areas can be addressed within one literacy-based session:

• Speech Sounds: /b/ words such as Bam, brave, buzzing bees.

• Vocabulary: Words like brave, tiny, jungle, buzzing.

• Narrative Skills: Sequencing events — Bam feels small, encounters challenges, and shows bravery.

• Social-Emotional Learning: Discussing what it means to be brave and connecting that theme to a child’s own life.

This illustrates how a single book can serve as the springboard for addressing multiple therapeutic targets simultaneously.

Literacy-based intervention is more than “reading a book” in therapy. It is a structured, intentional framework that uses literacy experiences to target speech and language goals. By embedding therapy in stories, children not only strengthen communication skills but also develop confidence as readers, storytellers, and learners.