Read-Aloud Accommodations, Expository Text, and Adolescents With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Adolescents with learning disabilities in reading have difficulties with reading and understanding difficult gradelevel curricular material. One frequently used method of support is using read-aloud accommodations, which can be live read-alouds or text-to-speech (TTS) read-alouds. A single case alternating treatment design was used to examine the effectiveness of live and TTS read-aloud accommodations on reading comprehension and task completion time for four secondary students with learning disabilities in reading. Compared to reading independently during baseline, neither live nor TTS read-aloud accommodations increased comprehension to sufficient levels of proficiency, suggesting read-alouds alone are not sufficient to support adolescents with learning disabilities. The lack of effect of one read-aloud intervention over the other also suggested teachers need to determine whether read-alouds are appropriate for students with learning disabilities on an individual basis, based on personal preferences, needs, and strengths. Subscribe to LDMJ