2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/16/2026 | 10:35 AM - 11:05 AM | Supporting Emergent Literacy in Preschool | City Terrace 10
Supporting Emergent Literacy in Preschool
This presentation explores the implementation of emergent literacy support for preschool students who are deaf or hard of hearing and utilize a listening and spoken language approach. Over the past two years a research-based, explicit curriculum designed to teach students in preschool foundational literacy skills, specifically focusing on phonemic awareness, was implemented in all preschool classrooms. This curriculum provides short, daily lessons that integrate into existing curricula, using oral and auditory activities to teach skills like rhyming, blending, segmenting, and deleting sounds, thereby building a strong foundation for reading and writing success. To evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention, early literacy skills were assessed biannually using the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL), a standardized measure. The objective was to determine whether systematic, early literacy instruction improved literacy outcomes in this population. Preliminary findings suggest that all children benefited from structured and consistent lessons in emergent literacy with most children performing at or above average in all areas assessed, including phonological awareness.
- A participant will review research on emergent literacy development for deaf/hard of hearing children developing listening and spoken language to define components of emerging literacy and identify which areas have been identified as challenging for these children.
- A participant will analyze assessment results and list areas of growth and need based on the results.
- A participant will generate modifications and strategies to emergent literacy instruction to meet the unique linguistic and auditory needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Presenters/Authors
Meredith Berger
(Primary Presenter), Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech and Teachers College, Columbia University, mberger@clarkeschools.org;
Meredith Berger, MS became the director of Clarke Schools for Hearing & Speech/New York, an Early Intervention and Preschool listening spoken language program, in 2008. Prior to that, she was the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Educational Specialist at New York Eye and Ear’s Ear Institute/Cochlear Implant Center. She received a B.S. in Education from SUNY at Buffalo State College and master’s degrees in Deaf Education and in Educational Leadership from Canisius College. In addition to presenting on the educational needs of children with hearing loss, she has also co-authored pieces on the Clinic-School relationship. In 2017, Meredith began her doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University to find answers to her own questions on the needs/outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, particularly those with microtia/atresia, and their families.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
Nature: Employee of Clarke Schools.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.