Effectiveness of the early literacy skills support education package (ELSSEP) developed for preschool students at risk of specific learning disabilities

This study examined the impact of the Early Literacy Skills Support Education Package (ELSSEP) on students at risk of specific learning disabilities during the school period. A pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The Learning Disability Early Symptoms Screening Scale (LDESSS), Anadolu Sak Intelligence Scale (ASIS), and Test of Early Literacy (TEL) were used in the participant selection process. The study included 23 preschool students, 11 in the experimental and 12 in the control group. The study's independent variable was the Early Literacy Skills Support Education Package (ELSSEP) developed by the researcher. ELS-SEP is a multi-component intervention package that covers all dimensions of early literacy skills and incorporates different teaching methods in the intervention process. When the findings of the study are examined, it is observed that the mean scores obtained from the final tests in the scale total and receptive language vocabulary, expressive language vocabulary, general naming, functional knowledge, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and listening comprehension subtests show a significant difference in favor of the experimental group. Keywords: Specific learning disability, Reading disability, Early literacy, Phonological awareness