Computer-Assisted Literacy Instruction via Telepractice for a Child With Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: No studies have investigated comprehensive literacy instruction for children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study explored the use of a freely available comprehensive literacy web application (ABRACADABRA), supplemented by parent-led shared book reading (SBR), on the reading skills of one child with CP. Method: This single-case design study involved one 8-year-old girl with spastic quadriplegic CP. Reading outcomes were measured at three time points: baseline (T1), after a 6-week no-intervention control phase (T2), and following 6 weeks of intervention (T3). During the intervention phase, a speech-language pathologist delivered three 60-min sessions weekly via telepractice and parents completed two SBR activities. Results: No changes to reading skills were made over the control phase (between T1 and T2 assessments). At the final assessment (T3), the participant was able to correctly identify more letter-sound correspondences and read some words on standardized reading measures independent of the intervention. Engagement with the parent-led SBR program was high. Conclusions: Children with CP can make gains in their reading skills over a relatively short time when provided with intensive, high-quality, evidence-based comprehensive literacy instruction across multiple settings. Future research needs to explore comprehensive literacy instruction with a larger sample of children with CP with diverse abilities. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31915902