A series of studies using control groups have shown consistent positive outcomes using Phonic Faces and other materials that visualize language for children:
Doyle (2003) found that 4 year old children made greater gains in articulation (speech) and emergent literacy skills using Phonic Faces books than children receiving traditional articulation therapy. This finding was replicated by Nettleton and Hoffman (ASHA 2006) who compared Phonic Faces books to another storybook designed to target phonemes for articulation. Hoffman and Norris (in progress) found that children between the ages of 5 and 9 years learned more words from the Dolch high frequency reading word list when the words were depicted for initial sound and meaning (e.g., MorphoPhonic faces) than when they were presented in print alone (e.g., flashcards). Kaufman (to be submitted to ASHA 2007) used MorphoPhonic Face pictures and Phonic Faces books to stimulate speech productions in 2 nonverbal children (age 2 and 4) who were both producing familiar words spontaneously and others in imitation with 60-90% accuracy for a range of initial sounds following 20 sessions. Brazier-Carter (ASHA 2004) showed that Head Start teachers referred to letters and sounds more frequently when reading Phonic Faces books than traditional storybooks, and that children responded with more comments and questions about letters and sounds. Preliminary analysis of a study in progress (Brazier-Carter, in progress) indicates that children made greater gains in phonological awareness and print awareness following 6 weeks of book reading in the Head Start classroom using the Phonic Faces books compared to traditional emergent reader storybooks. Norris and Hoffman found similar results with parents reading Phonic Faces books compared to traditional storybooks (ASHA 2003, 2004). Brinkley (ASHA 2004) found that preschool-age children made greater gains in phonological awareness compared to a control group following 6 weeks of reading Phonic Faces storybooks in the classroom. Brinkley (in progress) further found that older children (4th to 8th grade) made greater gains in decoding skill using Phonic Faces than print alone. Dinkins (ASHA 2006 and in press) found that classrooms of at-risk students performed better in language arts when parts of speech were pictured using Visual Grammar than traditional workbook instruction. Terrell (ASHA 2006) found that infants as young as 12 months recognized that the shapes in the mouths of Phonic Faces characters were letters and began to associate them with sounds, although not the correct sounds. By 24 months children began to recognize specific letters and sounds. Banajee (in progress) found that nonverbal/nonliterate 5-8 year old children using AAC devices learned the letter-sound relationship better using Phonic Faces storybooks compared to alphabet books and that once the principle was understood using Phonic Faces the learning generalized to other letters, even without the faces.
Other studies are in progress but do not yet have data to report. Watch this site for updates.
Brinkley, S. (in progress) Comparison of improved decoding skills among low reading ability in upper elementary and adolescent students with and without Phonic Faces.
Brinkley, S., Norris, J.A. & Hoffman, P.A. Phonemic Awareness as Language: Instructional Options. Poster Session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Philadelphia, PA, November 18, 2004.
Brazier-Carter, P., Norris, J.A., and Hoffman, P.R . Print and Meaning Referencing in Head Start Reading of Alphabet-Storybooks. Poster Session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Philadelphia, PA, Nov 19, 2004.
Brazier-Carter, P., Norris, J.A., and Hoffman, P.R. Use of Alphabet Storybooks to Increase Print Referencing in Head Start Reading presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Chicago, IL, Nov 14, 2003.
Dinkins, E., Norris, J.A., Hoffman, P.R. Learning Language Arts in Context. Poster session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Miami, FL, November 18, 2006.
Doyle, A., Norris, J.A., and Hoffman, P.R. Effects of a Phonemic Alphabet on Preschool Articulation and Print Knowledge. Poster session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Atlanta, GA, Nov 22, 2003.
Nettleson, S. & Hoffman, P.R. Comparison of Phonic Faces vs Animated Literacy Alphabets in Preschool Phonological Intervention. Poster session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Miami, FL, November 18, 2006.
Norris, J.A. & Hoffman, P.A. Print and Meaning Referencing in Parent-Child Reading of Alphabet-Storybooks Poster Session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Philadelphia, PA, November 19, 2004.
Norris, J.A., and Hoffman, P.R. Use of Alphabet Storybooks to Increase Print Referencing in Parent-Child Reading, Poster Session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Chicago, IL, Nov 14, 2003.
Terrell, P.A., Norris, J.A. Alphabetic and Phonemic Awareness in Infants. Poster session presented at the American Speech-language-Hearing Association national convention, Miami, FL, November 18, 2006.
Alphabet Learning in Toddlers: Http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11072007-162300/
Sight Word Learning in Toddlers: Http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-06062008-144403/
Word Learning in Autism: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04102008-185157/
Parent Training Phon Aware: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2008/1746_Norris_Janet/
Phonemic Awareness and Language in preK: Http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-06032008-133935/
Phonemic Awareness in Kindergarten and PreK: Report to the LA DOE
Sight Words 1st - 4th: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/1415_Norris_Jan/
Grammar and Syntax Learning: Http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-01052006-114234/
Grammar and Syntax: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/1046_Norris_Jan/
Grammar and ESL Learning: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-05272012-174438/
AAC Storybook Reading: Http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-06112007-175920/
AAC Developmental Disable: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2011/Butler-Norris-Meaux/
Articulation: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2010/SC20-Williams-Lynn/ -
Articulation: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/1600_Norris_Jan/
Articulation: http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/2013-Convention-Seminar-Sessions.pdf
Articulation and Spelling: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/1221_Norris_Jan/
SDS Semantic CCSS Intervention: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-07072013-150752/
Rhyme: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-10152012-212259/
Spuzzle Rhymes: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2010/1755-Randolph-Crystal-2/
