The Implications of Emergent Literacy Research for Children With Developmental Disabilities

Recent research in emergent literacy has led to a conceptualization of literacy learning as a continuous process that begins at birth. Such a view has critical implications for children with developmental disabilities because it implies that the potential for written language learning is present in everyone. In this article, emergent literacy research in both nondisabled children and children with developmental disabilities is synthesized. Implications of the research for parents, practitioners, and researchers are drawn.