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Research Summary for ABC and Beyond™

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ABC and Beyond™: Bringing the Science of Reading to the Youngest Learners

The “science of reading” is a multidisciplinary field that explores how literacy develops, the cognitive processes involved, and the most effective teaching methods (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2022). This body of research, built over decades, provides crucial insights into the best practices for teaching children to read.

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) introduced two key skill categories essential for reading: language comprehension (meaning-related) and word recognition (code-related) skills (Gough and Tunmer, 1986).

Meaning-related skills

Meaning-related skills support children’s understanding of what they read. These skills include comprehension of different sentence types, a rich vocabulary, and the ability to use background knowledge to make inferences – understanding what is implied, but not directly stated in the text or pictures. 

Code-related skills 

Code-related skills include phonological awareness, which is the ability to break words down into smaller components, like rhyme, syllables and sounds. Letter-sound correspondence – knowing which letters make which sounds – is another important component of the code-related skill category. Together, these abilities help children to sound out words when they are learning to read.

Researchers emphasize that meaning-related and code-related skills are not entirely separate categories, but rather, interact in complex ways to support each others’ development (Cervetti et al., 2020; Duke & Cartwright, 2021; Nation, 2019; Scarborough, 2001). Children need a strong foundation in both their meaning-related and code-related skills to become proficient and successful readers, and the differences in these two broad sets of skills explain much of the variance in children’s later reading abilities (Hjetland et al., 2020).


The Journey to Literacy

A child’s literacy development journey starts early. At six months of age, children are already learning to tune into the subtle sound differences important in their native languages (Uhler et al., 2022). Some studies have found a relationship between early language milestones, like combining words together, and later reading skills (Price et al., 2022). By preschool, the association between language skills and later reading achievement is clear. Preschool children who experience difficulties in either meaning-related or code-related skills face an increased risk of reading challenges later (Hjetland et al., 2017; Hjetland et al., 2020; Hulme et al., 2015; Snowling et al., 2019).

Unlike spoken language, the brain is not “hard-wired” for the development of reading and writing. Children need planned and explicit learning opportunities to acquire the skills necessary for literacy development (Adlof et al., 2019; Moats, 2020). For preschoolers, these teaching moments can be included in playful interactions, with mindful integration of evidence-based strategies that support meaning- and code-related skills (Rand et al., 2021; Terrell & Watson, 2018).


Enhancing Educator Practice in Emergent Literacy with ABC and Beyond™

Without professional development, studies show that preschool educators often do not provide sufficient support for important pre-literacy skills, especially phonological awareness, vocabulary and oral language development (Mihai et al., 2016). 

ABC and Beyond – The Hanen Program® for Building Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings addresses educators’ need for specific literacy-related training and aligns with the science of reading by addressing both meaning- and code-related skills. The program equips educators with evidence-based strategies that promote early literacy through meaningful, child-led, and playful interactions with supportive caregivers – an approach known to be effective for young learners (Rand et al., 2021).

A complete ABC and Beyond Program involves 18 hours of group training and three individual video feedback sessions. Group session content can be divided into 3.5 days of training over seven weeks, or seven shorter workshops over 10 weeks, with video feedback sessions in between group sessions. Trainers can also choose to give shorter versions of the program that meet the learning needs of their educator group. The program provides content on facilitating both meaning-related and code-related skills:

Program Content: Meaning-Related Skills

  • Vocabulary
  • Decontextualized language
  • Story comprehension

Program Content: Code-Related Skills
  • Print concepts
  • Phonological awareness
  • Letter-sound correspondence



An Efficacy Study on The Hanen Centre’s ABC and Beyond™ Program

In 2012, a research study was published that described the efficacy of the ABC and Beyond Program:

Study #1

Facilitating Emergent Literacy: Efficacy of a Model That Partners Speech-Language Pathologists and Educators
(Girolametto et al., 2012)

Read more

References

  1. Adlof, S. M., & Hogan, T. P. (2019). If we don’t look, we won’t see: Measuring language development to inform literacy instruction. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(2), 210-217.
  2. Cervetti, G. N., Pearson, P. D., Palincsar, A. S., Afflerbach, P., Kendeou, P., Biancarosa, G., & Berman, A. I. (2020). How the reading for understanding initiative’s research complicates the simple view of reading invoked in the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 55, S161-S172.
  3. Duke, N. K., & Cartwright, K. B. (2021). The science of reading progresses: Communicating advances beyond the simple view of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 56, S25-S44.
  4. Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., & Greenberg, J. (2012). Facilitating Emergent Literacy: Efficacy of a Model That Partners Speech-Language Pathologists and Educators. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21, 47-63.

  5. Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, Reading, and Reading Disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193258600700104

  6. Hjetland, H. N., Brinchmann, E. I., Scherer, R., & Melby‐Lervåg, M. (2017). Preschool predictors of later reading comprehension ability: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 13(1), 1-155.

  7. Hjetland, H. N., Brinchmann, E. I., Scherer, R., Hulme, C., & Melby-Lervåg, M. (2020). Preschool pathways to reading comprehension: A systematic meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 30, 100323.

  8. Hulme, C., Nash, H. M., Gooch, D., Lervåg, A., & Snowling, M. J. (2015). The foundations of literacy development in children at familial risk of dyslexia. Psychological Science, 26(12), 1877-1886.

  9. Mihai, A., Butera, G., & Friesen, A. (2017). Examining the use of curriculum to support early literacy instruction: A multiple case study of head start teachers. Early Education and Development, 28(3), 323-342.

  10. Milburn, T. F., Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., & Greenberg, J. (2014). Enhancing preschool educators’ ability to facilitate conversations during shared book reading. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 14(1), 105-140.

  11. Milburn, T. F., Hipfner-Boucher, K., Weitzman, E., Greenberg, J., Pelletier, J., & Girolametto, L. (2015). Effects of coaching on educators' and preschoolers' use of references to print and phonological awareness during a small-group craft/writing activity. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 46(2), 94-111.

  12. Moats, L. C. (2020). Teaching Reading" Is" Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. American Educator, 44(2), 4.

  13. Nation, K. (2019). Children’s reading difficulties, language, and reflections on the simple view of reading. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 24(1), 47-73.

  14. Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2022). RIGHT TO READ: Public inquiry into human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities [Review of RIGHT TO READ: Public inquiry into human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities]. In Ontario Human Rights Commission. https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report

  15. Price, K. M., Wigg, K. G., Misener, V. L., Clarke, A., Yeung, N., Blokland, K., ... & Barr, C. L. (2022). Language Difficulties in School-Age Children with Developmental Dyslexia. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 55(3), 200-212.

  16. Rand, M. K., & Morrow, L. M. (2021). The contribution of play experiences in early literacy: Expanding the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 56, S239-S248.

  17. Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis) abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, 1, 97–110.

  18. Snowling, M. J., Nash, H. M., Gooch, D. C., Hayiou‐Thomas, M. E., Hulme, C., & Wellcome Language and Reading Project Team. (2019). Developmental outcomes for children at high risk of dyslexia and children with developmental language disorder. Child development, 90(5), e548-e564.

  19. Terrell, P., & Watson, M. (2018). Laying a firm foundation: Embedding evidence-based emergent literacy practices into early intervention and preschool environments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49(2), 148-164.

  20. Uhler, K. M., Anderson, S. R., Yoshinaga-Itano, C., Walker, K. A., & Hunter, S. (2022). Speech discrimination in infancy predicts language outcomes at 30 months for both children with normal hearing and those with hearing differences. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(19), 5821.

  21. Wasik, B. A., & Hindman, A. H. (2020). Increasing preschoolers’ vocabulary development through a streamlined teacher professional development intervention. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 50, 101-113.

  22. Yang, W., Huang, R., Su, Y., Zhu, J., Hsieh, W. Y., & Li, H. (2022). Coaching early childhood teachers: A systematic review of its effects on teacher instruction and child development. Review of Education, 10(1), e3343.

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