Reading Interventions for Students with Reading and Behavioral Difficulties: a Meta-analysis and Evaluation of Co-occurring Difficulties

Abstract

This meta-analysis systematically identified reading intervention research for students with reading difficulties and problem behaviors in grades K–12 to determine the (a) impact of these reading interventions on reading outcomes and (b) extent to which reading outcomes varied based on student characteristics (e.g., grade, disability), intervention characteristics (e.g., group size, additional behavioral supports), and quality indicator characteristics. Follow-up analyses investigated three of the four hypothesized mechanisms underlying the high co-occurrence rate between reading difficulties and problem behaviors: (a) reading difficulties lead to future problem behaviors, (b) problem behaviors lead to future reading difficulties, and (c) a bi-directional association exists between reading difficulties and problem behaviors. Eleven studies were identified. There was a statistically significant main effect of reading interventions on reading outcomes (g = 0.86, p < .01). We did not find evidence to support either of the three stated hypotheses. The primary limitation of this study was a lack of reading intervention research for students with reading difficulties and problem behaviors. Due to the limited sample of intervention research to investigate the first three hypotheses, future intervention research is needed to better understand the relationship between reading and behavior difficulties. Furthermore, future reading intervention research is needed to better understand how to best develop a program of instruction for this population of students.