Essential Experiences to Undergird the Early Development of Literacy

Abstract

This study identified a repertoire of essential early life experiences to which young children with visual impairments need to be exposed to undergird their development of literacy. The authors analyzed 254 stories from three published basal literacy series to identify the experiences necessary to bring meaning to each story. Through analysis and categorization of the data, they then identified 22 global areas of experience as essential. Guidelines for providing these experiences are suggested, including ways to link experiences to early literacy events.