Media Reviews: Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children

Abstract

The alarming incidence of reading failure is one of the most prevalent concerns for our nation. Growing numbers of students are reaching upper elementary, middle school, or high school unable to read at grade level. To complicate matters, divergent views in research, etiology, characteristics, prevention, intervention, and instruction have led to marked controversy in the field of reading over the past 25 years-a controversy termed the Wars to denote its intensity. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children focuses on the increasing numbers of children with reading difficulties in America's schools as well as addressing the conflicts in the field of reading. The book is an essential resource for all professionals, including those interested in developing prevention and intervention reading programs for students with behavioral disorders (BD), a large number of whom have reading difficulties. The authors, chosen for their special competencies by the National Research Council, were charged with synthesizing the extensive body of reading research as well as developing a consensus on the prevention of and interventions for reading difficulties in young children. The focus included children from birth through grade 3 in special and general education settings. The goals were to (a) comprehend a rich but diverse research base; (b) translate the research findings into advice and guidance for parents, educators, publishers, and others involved in the care and instruction of the young; and (c) convey this advice to the targeted audiences through a variety of publications, conferences, and other outreach activities. The authors reviewed research from experimental investigations, qualitative studies, correlational studies, and various quasi-experimental design studies in its efforts to address project goals. In so doing, they agreed upon a definition of reading as a process of getting meaning from print, using knowledge about the written alphabet and about the sound structure of oral language for purposes of achieving understanding. This book is divided into four sections. Part I introduces the challenges of reading literacy and provides an overview of the reading process. Chapter 1 includes information about the rising demand for literacy, societal and technological challenges, and the complexities of the English language. The sources of reading difficulties are reviewed, and the demographics of correlates to reading difficulties are introduced, including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture, urban/suburban schools, and students from families with limited English proficiency and/or nonstandard English dialects. Chapter 2 describes the process of learning to read, taking into consideration the biological, cognitive, and instructional factors that are important as predictors for reading success and/or failure. The authors provide an overview of how children develop language and literacy skills before they are introduced to formal instruction. Research specific to children's language development, phonological awareness, and literacy development is presented, as well as the characteristics of skilled readers specific to comprehension and word identification. The chapter describes the processes of emerging literacy and transition to school for the beginning reader; learning to identify words in print; and gaining fluency, automaticity, and understanding. Tables detail the reading accomplishments of children from kindergarten through grade 3. Part 11 describes the population of children who have reading difficulties and the factors that may predict either success or failure in reading. The authors point to predictors that are (a) intrinsic to the individual and identifiable in assessment procedures, (b) identified in the family environment, and (c) associated with the larger environment of the child (e.g., neighborhood, school, community). Chapter 3 examines issues in identification and measurement, including (a) a categorical model versus a dimensional model for estimating reading difficulties; (b) specific groups of students who are not viewed as having legitimate reading problems but who should be included in estimates; and (c) the use of criterion-referenced assessment as opposed to norm-referenced assessment to identify reading difficulties. …