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One Fish, Two Fish, Why Am I Blue, Fish?

by Amy Shriver
November/December 2016
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/one-fish-two-fish-why-am-i-blue-fish/5023272/

Discussing the importance of reading in my high-risk urban pediatric clinic is not only the best part of my work day, it is a critical component of well-child care according to a 2014 Policy Statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.1 Few clinic interventions have the distinctive combination of changing life trajectories and making families — and providers — smile. Occasionally, though, I become disheartened by language and health inequities, especially in patients of lower income. Children who come from economically-challenged families hear far fewer words than children in more affluent families. By the time they are four years old, poorer children have heard 30 million fewer words than their more affluent counterparts. Discussing shared reading, talking, and singing are important ways that I can help close the ‘word gap’ in these families. Handing out books to families helps to overcome barriers of access to and interest in books. Sometimes discussion of shared reading reveals a truth that families often hide: adult illiteracy. Although rarely discussed, adult literacy issues can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of children and families.

According to the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL),2 32 million adults in the United States lack basic literacy skills. Struggles ...

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