Constructing Reading Material to Match a Child's Oral Language Patterns

Abstract

Individualized instruction is essentially the extreme of adjusting the task to be taught to the child's particular skills and deficiencies. In research terms, individualized instruction is validated by demonstrating that children possessing a certain characteristic are taught more effectively by one procedure than another. In a review of children's modality preference in relation to their reading acquisition (see Tarver & Dawson, January issue), research was unable to demonstrate subject by treatment interactions. This paper, also concerned with reading acquisition, suggests that the relevant distinctive variables may be the child's linguistic skills. The authors describe how information regarding linguistic skills is obtained from a child's language sample and how instructional reading materials can be chosen in the context of the child's linguistic skills and reading capability. While no validation data are included, the approach appears interesting and sensible and the reader's comment is solicited. — G.M.S.