Abstract
Little is known about the content and quality of reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability. This study aimed to describe the reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability who were not yet readers in self-contained elementary classrooms. The teachers of 24 classrooms participated in the study. Systematic observations of reading lessons, follow-up interviews with the teachers, review of teaching material, and content analysis of students’ individualized education plans were conducted. Findings indicate that phonics and phonological awareness were taught in most of the classrooms. However, phonics was taught systematically, as recommended in the research, in only less than half of the classes. Sight-word instruction and vocabulary instruction were observed in more than half of the classes. Comprehension instruction of texts read aloud by the teacher was observed in only about a third of the classrooms. Recommendations to support teachers in enhancing the quality of reading instruction are provided.
Highlights
Little is known about the content and quality of reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability
It is urgent to know more about the content and quality of the reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability in other national contexts, as such information has important implications for planning efficient in-service training for professionals working with students with intellectual disability and for the creation of reading intervention programs
The study presented in this manuscript intends to contribute to a better understanding of the reading instruction provided to elementary school students with intellectual disability in special education classrooms in the French-speaking parts of Switzerland and to assess to what extent the approaches and strategies implemented with these students are research-based
Summary
Little is known about the content and quality of reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability. It is urgent to know more about the content and quality of the reading instruction provided to students with intellectual disability in other national contexts, as such information has important implications for planning efficient in-service training for professionals working with students with intellectual disability and for the creation of reading intervention programs This is especially important, since a significant number of persons with intellectual disability show very poor reading skills (Lemons et al, 2013; Ratz and Lenhard, 2013; Saunders and de Fulio, 2007; Towles-Reeves et al, 2008). Students must develop phonemic awareness skills, memorize a large number of letter–sound correspondences, and learn how to use them to decode words (phonics) They must develop their fluency while reading texts, possess a sufficient vocabulary, and use efficient comprehension strategies to understand what they read (Castles et al, 2018; NICHHD, 2000). The research knowledge accumulated on the instruction of these components is briefly summarized hereafter
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