SoundMap & WordMap Scans
SoundMap Scan and WordMap Scan are screeners designed to identify the core reasons why a child is struggling to master word mapping and to learn phonics, read, and spell. Book a consultation with Miss Emma or refer to the chapter in the Word Mapping Mastery Book and use the tech! These are included within MAPS Screening
MAPS - Memory, Awareness, Processing, and Speech - SCREENING
Bypassing the Education System to Immunise Children Against Illiteracy
Screening toddlers to identify the 1 in 4 at risk of developing reading and spelling difficulties and being labelled with dyslexia is such a worthy cause. By 2027, we aim to have the technological capacity to screen, store, and analyse data for 1.5 million 3- and 4-year-olds in England each year. We ‘screen and intervene’ before they even realise they were heading towards a school life no child deserves. We ensure they won’t struggle to read and spell, allowing them to focus on their strengths—while increasing the odds of them reading for pleasure early on. With the adoption of MAPS Screening worldwide, we offer a clear path to eradicating illiteracy globally.
Miss Emma is passionate about prevention! She is seeking funding to develop a tech-based dyslexia screener for children under 3—before they even begin learning about letters and sounds.
Interested in getting involved?
SoundMap Scans
Assessing phonemic awareness is critical for ensuring that children develop the foundational skills required for both reading and spelling. Phonemic awareness—the ability to identify, isolate, and manipulate individual speech sounds (phonemes) in words—is the biggest predictor of future reading success. Early assessment allows educators to identify children who may struggle with these skills, including those with dyslexia or other learning differences, and to provide targeted interventions before learning gaps widen. Without assessment, these difficulties often remain hidden until formal reading instruction begins, making remediation more challenging. Phonemic awareness assessments help tailor instruction to individual needs, ensuring that all children build the necessary phonological foundation to progress confidently into encoding (writing) and decoding (reading), leading to word recognition and fluent literacy development.
The DfE advised developers of synthetic phonics programmes, as part of the validation process, to remove Phase 1 activities and begin introducing graphemes from day one. However, this approach may not serve all children effectively. Approximately one in four children—or more—enter school without the necessary phonemic awareness to understand word mapping (the connection between sounds and letters). This can be masked when graphemes are introduced too soon, adding unnecessary cognitive load. For children who already have strong phonemic awareness, starting with graphemes poses no issue, but it is crucial for teachers to identify those lacking these foundational skills as early as possible.
In the Speech Sound Pics (SSP) Approach, graphemes are introduced only at the end of week one, while phonemic awareness is assessed from day one through 'Phase 1' activities such as isolating, blending, and segmenting speech sounds. Phonemes are represented visually and physically using "Phonemies," manipulable characters that children use to build words on their whiteboards while simultaneously learning letter formation in preparation for writing. These strategies—along with the Speech Sound Pics Approach, which is used to teach phonics systematically in a classroom setting—are further explained in the Word Mapping Mastery book, equipping educators with practical tools to address individual learner needs effectively.
SoundMap Scans are included in the book, enabling parents and teachers to conduct screenings at home. These scans help prevent learning difficulties and provide insights into why a child may struggle to learn with phonics at school, offering a proactive approach to supporting every learner.
WordMap Scans
It is crucial to check whether children can map words by identifying the graphemes because this skill is at the core of learning to read and spell effectively. Grapheme recognition allows children to connect written symbols with their corresponding speech sounds (phonemes), enabling them to decode unfamiliar words and build a robust mental lexicon. Without the ability to map words accurately, children will struggle to develop decoding fluency and therefore, comprehension, and overall literacy development. Assessing this skill early helps identify gaps in knowledge, particularly for children who may find it difficult to isolate or blend sounds and who may be at risk of developing dyslexia. By pinpointing these challenges, educators can provide targeted support, ensuring that all children develop the phoneme-grapheme mapping skills necessary for confident, independent reading and spelling, and to defy dyslexia!
WordMap Scans are also included in the Word Mapping Mastery book, enabling parents and teachers to conduct screenings at home to check 'code knowledge'. These are also useful for adults! As outlined in the book, word mapping can be challenging for us—after all, as skilled readers, we never have to think about it! This can result in something called 'orthographic interference.'
The Monster Spelling Piano App: Boost Speech Sound and Word Mapping of Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPCs) tested within the Year One Phonics Screening Check
The Monster Spelling Piano app is designed to strengthen children's ability to connect graphemes with their corresponding phonemes, a foundational skill assessed in the Year One Phonics Screening Check. This interactive, engaging tool helps young learners practice and master the grapheme-to-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) necessary for decoding and word recognition. By combining speech sound awareness with visual and kinaesthetic learning, the app supports children in building the essential word mapping skills required for fluent reading and spelling. Perfect for home and school use, it turns phonics practice into a fun and rewarding experience.
