The Effect of a Shared Book-Reading Intervention on the Story Retelling and Phonemic Awareness of a Third Grader with Disabilities

Abstract

ABSTRACTChildren with disabilities often demonstrate difficulties in code-focused and meaning-focused domains of literacy. Best practice indicates that skills within these domains should be taught together. The current study used principles of ABAB single-case experimental design to monitor the development of narrative retelling and phonemic awareness in a 3rd-grade child identified by her school as a child with disabilities. This child participated in a shared book-reading program that included discussions of the storybook text, a graphic organizer, and explicit instruction on phonemic awareness skills using words contained within the text. Results indicated significant improvements across both skills corresponding to instruction. Paired-samples t tests corroborated these findings. These findings support the use of interactive shared reading for simultaneously teaching code-focused and meaning-focused skills to children with disabilities. Results also support the use of graphic organizers for improving narrative retelling skills for children with disabilities.