Read together, talk together: The acceptability of teaching parents to use dialogic reading strategies via videotaped instruction

Dialogic reading (DR) is a set of book-sharing strategies that caregivers can use with preliterate children. The strategies involve actively engaging young children and encouraging them to verbalize during shared book reading. There is a substantial research base that describes the benefits of using DR strategies with toddlers and preschool-age children to develop language skills. Recently, a videotaped program, called "Read Together, Talk Together" (RTTT; Pearson Early Learning, 2002) was published. This instructional video teaches adults to use DR strategies with young children. Our research team has begun to examine the acceptability and potential benefits of showing this videotape to caregivers during routine visits to community health centers. The purposes of this brief article are to (a) describe DR strategies and review the DR literature, (b) inform school psychologists about the RTTT video, (c) describe initial pilot data supporting the acceptability of the video to parents and health care staff, and (d) discuss ways school psychologists can incorporate knowledge of DR into their practice. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.