Preschool Teachers’ Knowledge, Understanding, and Beliefs Regarding Children with Speech Sound Disorders and Inclusion in the General Education Setting

Abstract

The importance of early literacy skills is well established in previous studies; reading abilities and academic success in later grades depend on the foundational early literacy skills developed in preschools. However, little is known about preschool teachers’ understanding of the impact of speech sound disorder (SSD) on early literacy skills. Preschool teachers are in a unique position, as they may be the first to notice speech sound errors in young children and to collaborate with Speech Language Pathologists (SLPS) to ensure these young children develop a strong literacy foundation. The purpose of this study was to determine preschool teachers’ (N = 75) beliefs and attitudes towards the inclusion of children with SSD, their understanding of the effect of SSD on pre-literacy skills, their beliefs about their roles and responsibilities in educating preschoolers with SSD, and how these three areas are influenced by their years of teaching experience. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that years of teaching experience did not predict preschool teachers’ attitudes or beliefs regarding the inclusion of children with SSD, their understanding of SSD and pre-literacy skills, or their understanding of their roles and responsibilities. However, higher education levels positively correlated with positive beliefs about the inclusion of children with SSD in the general education classroom. The responses from the survey indicated that preschool teachers have a general understanding of how SSD affects the development of pre-literacy skills. Preschool teachers suggested that they would like more opportunities for collaboration and carryover to support children with SSD.