Specific Learning Disabilities In Reading Research Articles

Assistive technology and specific learning disability: a case report

ABSTRACT Specific Learning Disability is an educational category within special education that identifies an impairment area such as reading, writing, or math despite a student’s intelligence. Individualized Education Plan teams address learning disabilities with educational interventions and accommodations. One accommodation for students with a specific learning disability is assistive technology. Occupational therapists need evidence to inform decision-making regarding assistive technology tools to meet the individualized needs of students with learning disabilities. This case report describes how a school-based occupational therapist evaluated one student’s assistive technology needs to accommodate her specific learning disability in reading and writing. This evaluation resulted in student-specific and evidence-based recommendations pertinent to age, need, and preferences. Reported outcomes include increased independence with accessing educational materials, increased access to age-appropriate reading material, and increased pleasure reading participation.

Derivation of the Psychometric Properties of "Rapid Automatized Naming and Rapid Alternating Stimulus (RAN/RAS) Tests" in Arabic

This study examined the psychometric proprieties of the Arabic version of the "Rapid Automatized Naming and Rapid Alternating Stimulus (RAN/RAS) Tests" for Jordanian students. A sample of 286 students (five to seventeen years old) was recruited from four public and four private schools in Jordan. Results indicated that the RAN/RAS Tests had high reliability and validity indicators. For example, RAN/RAS Tests had strong correlations with Letter Word Identification Test from the Arabic Woodcock Johnson Battery. In addition, there were significant relationships in all tests and the development of performance with the age or grade of the examinees. Furthermore, positive relationships among all RAN/RAS Tests confirm their consistency, strength, and reliability in measuring the required tasks. In general, results suggest that RAN/RAS Tests may be applicable to evaluating naming speed abilities and for distinguishing between students with and without reading disabilities in Arabic. Keywords: Rapid Automatized Naming, Special Education, Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading, Screening Tests, Arabic Language.

A special call from inclusive classroom teachers of Turkish students with specific learning disabilities (SLD): “I don’t want them to dissappear!”

Students with specific learning disabilities continue their education in an inclusive environment in Türkiye. Teachers play an important role in effectively teaching students in inclusive settings. Teachers' classroom practices in reading, the most difficult academic area for students with specific learning disabilities, are critical for achieving successful results. There is a limited number of studies on this subject. This study aims to analyse the requirements, problems, and opinions of inclusive primary school teachers who teach students with specific learning disabilities. A qualitative research method was used in this study. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 11 inclusive classroom teachers in a study group and analysed through the content analysis method. The results show that the resources required for teaching students with specific learning disabilities in reading are insufficient and that the students need reading improvement programs. In addition, the teachers stated that the additional resources to support the students’ reading skills should consist of short, fun, and interesting texts.

Effect of Colour Usage and Dialogue Reading Practices in Solving the Visual and Auditory Perception Problems of Students with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. It is the most prevalent learning disability. This study aims to reveal the effect of the use of colours, peer assessment and reading dialogues on the education of students with dyslexia. The study uses a technical collaborative action research method. Two male students diagnosed with dyslexia and studying in the second year of primary school were participants in the study. The study lasted for 12 weeks following the research plan. The students were required to read the chosen tales in Aesop’s Tales aloud. After reading the stories, the students also read selected dialogues in the elementary school course books determined by the Ministry of National Education. Two letters by which the students got confused were marked in two different colours in the first text. The colouring gradually reduced in the new text. There was no colouring in the last text. Results show that the use of colours was effective in reducing the confusion of letters. The students corrected their mistakes mutually through the peer assessment method. The students liked the reading activity and made fewer reading errors compared to other texts.

Preteaching Words to Facilitate an Instructional Level in Reading with a Student with a Specific Learning Disability in Reading

An appropriate level of challenge for reading, called the instructional level, consists of 93% to 97% known words within the text. The current study examined if an instructional level could be facilitated by preteaching words to a male second grade student identified with a learning disability in reading. Key and high-frequency words were pretaught before reading passages, which made up the experimental condition in a single-subject reversal design. A baseline condition was also used in which the child read from similar passages without preteaching words. Results suggested that preteaching the words led to a percentage of known words that fell within the instructional level, and increased fluent reading of the experimental passages. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are included.

Characterizing the knowledge of educators across the tiers of instructional support.

Translating the research base on effective reading instruction to the classroom has been a challenge. The delivery of these instructional methods requires practical skills coupled with an understanding of the aspects of language being taught. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of literacy knowledge of the English language held by educators who provide instruction to students in the primary grades. Data from 1369 classroom teachers, 74 reading interventionists, and 131 special educators comprising the analytic sample were collected as part of a training initiative in a US state. Participating educators completed a 50-item test of phonological sensitivity, phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, and morphology. Multiple regression analyses confirmed differences in the levels of knowledge observed between the groups of educators. Reading interventionists demonstrated greater knowledge than classroom teachers and special educators in the total proportion of correct responses and across each domain. Classroom teachers demonstrated greater knowledge than special educators in phonological sensitivity and decoding but did not differ from each other in phonemic awareness, encoding, or morphology knowledge. Special educators provide intervention to students with the most severe forms of reading disabilities, yet they had the lowest level of knowledge. In contrast, reading interventionists, who provide intervention within general education, had the highest levels of knowledge. These findings suggest a need to elevate the knowledge of special educators and consider reading interventionists' role in supporting students identified with a specific learning disability in reading.

Adding Mindfulness to an Evidence-Based Reading Intervention for a Student with SLD: a Pilot Study

Students with specific learning disability (SLD) are at a greater risk for reading difficulties, academic stress, and deficits in self-efficacy. There are several research-supported interventions used in schools that are effective in increasing reading skills (e.g., reading fluency) but do not explicitly address academic stress or deficient self-efficacy. A possible solution may be the addition of mindfulness techniques, as they have been shown to support a wide range of related student outcomes. Incorporating mindfulness through an app-based delivery approach may be beneficial in this scenario as they are low cost, easily accessible, and a simple tool to help meet the unique social-emotional and academic needs of students with SLD. The current study examined the extent to which adding a brief, app-based mindfulness intervention to an already established evidence-based reading fluency intervention (paired reading) would improve reading fluency, academic stress, and self-efficacy for a student with an SLD in reading.

An Evaluation of Strategic Incremental Rehearsal on Sight Word Acquisition Among Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading

The Strategic Incremental Rehearsal (SIR) intervention, a modified version of Incremental Rehearsal, is an efficient flashcard procedure that has demonstrated effectiveness on sight word acquisition for children who exhibit reading difficulties. However, to date, the procedure has not been evaluated with children identified with a reading disability who have a history of receiving special education services. This study uses a multiple baseline design across participants to examine the effects of SIR with a modified criterion for removal on sight word reading with three third-grade participants receiving special education services for a specific learning disability in reading. Results indicated sight word reading increased for all 3 participants at the onset of intervention compared to baseline. The total intervention time for each participant ranged from 16 to 48 min. All 3 participants correctly read a minimum of 21 out of 25 targeted words at a 5-week maintenance check. The results indicated that SIR with a modified criterion of removal is a potentially effective and efficient intervention for sight word reading for participants with specific learning disabilities in reading.

Developmental Trajectories of Phonological Information Processing in Upper Elementary Students With Reading or Spelling Disabilities

AbstractDeficits in phonological information processing in upper elementary students with specific learning disabilities in reading or spelling may increase, decrease, or remain stable over time. The authors examined the development of phonological processing longitudinally in 209 students (109 with learning disabilities and 100 typically achieving; n = 127 boys) in Germany, from grade 3 to grade 5 (ages 8–11; mean age at recruitment = 8 years 6.78 months, SD = 5.39 months). Latent change score models revealed that the development of rapid automatized naming was best described as a decreasing deficit, whereas a persistent deficit in phonological awareness was observed. Differences between students with and without learning disabilities regarding the phonological loop increased over time. Further, there were no developmental differences as a function of reading versus spelling deficits. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Efficacy of a visuomotor‐based intervention for children with reading and spelling disabilities: a pilot study

We predicted that Arabic‐speaking children with specific learning disabilities in reading (dyslexia) and spelling (in writing) benefit from a visuomotor‐based intervention programme for the development of letter knowledge and the improvement of word and pseudo‐word decoding as well as spelling (dictation). It was predicted that the mediation of visuomotor training should be effective since the characteristics of Arabic script require such high‐level functioning for the development of literacy skills. Participants (n = 20) were randomly divided in two groups, an experimental group (n = 10; mean age =125.50 months ± 3.24) and a control group (n = 10; mean age = 124.10 months ± 3.31). Results revealed that the post‐intervention measures were better achieved in the experimental group than pre‐intervention ones, which confirms the efficacy of this visuomotor intervention programme.

Understanding Comorbidity Between Specific Learning Disabilities.

Current definitions of specific learning disability (SLD) identify a heterogeneous population that includes individuals with weaknesses in reading, math, or writing, and these academic difficulties often co-occur in many of the same individuals. The Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (CLDRC) is an interdisciplinary, multisite research program that uses converging levels of analysis to understand the genetic and environmental etiology, neuropsychology, and developmental outcomes of SLDs in reading (RD), math (MD), and writing (WD), along with the comorbidity between these SLDs and other developmental disorders. The latest results from the CLDRC twin study suggest that shared genetic influences contribute to the significant covariance between all aspects of reading (word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension) and math (calculations, math fluency, and word problems), and distinct genetic or environmental influences also contribute to weaknesses in each specific academic domain. RD and MD are associated with a range of negative outcomes on both concurrent measures and measures of functional outcomes completed 5 years after the twins were first assessed. Over the next several years the CLDRC will continue to expand on this work by administering a comprehensive test battery that includes measures of all dimensions of academic achievement that are described in current definitions of SLD and incorporating these measures in new neuroimaging and molecular genetic studies.

Collateral Damage in the Middle of Transformation: School Board Politics in Lieu of a Student’s Academic Needs

This case focuses on a novice principal who advocates for a student who was assigned to the first grade for 3 consecutive years. As the instructional leader of the school, the novice principal is troubled by ethics and social justice issues involved to make the decision to assign the student to his age-appropriate grade. The student was placed in the exceptional students’ program to receive services for a specific learning disability in reading and writing during his first year returning to public school. The student will enter the second grade at the age of 9 years. The superintendent does not support the novice principal. The novice principal now has to decide next steps as a transformative leader in the district.

The Influence of Oral Versus Silent Reading on Reading Comprehension in Students With Reading Disabilities

This study examined the effects of reading modality (oral vs. silent) on comprehension in elementary school students with a specific learning disability in reading ( N = 77). A 2 (development-level) × 2 (reading modality) × 2 (time) mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the influence of these variables on comprehension. Significant main effects were found for reading modality and time on comprehension, but the main effect for developmental level was not significant. Students understood more of what was read orally than silently and showed improved comprehension across the year. The development-level by modality interaction was significant. Early elementary students benefited from oral reading in terms of comprehension, whereas equivalent comprehension was observed for late elementary students across modalities. No other two- or three-way interactions were significant. Results from this study suggest that reading modality is an important variable to consider for researchers and educators who are interested in the construct of reading comprehension.

Achievement Error Differences of Students With Reading Versus Math Disorders

The purpose of this study was to understand and compare the types of errors students with a specific learning disability in reading and/or writing (SLD-R/W) and those with a specific learning disability in math (SLD-M) made in the areas of reading, writing, language, and mathematics. Clinical samples were selected from the norming population of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement–Third Edition (KTEA-3) as well as matched controls. Although the authors expected to find overall differences between the groups in their area of difficulties, the study revealed that the two clinical samples were more similar than different. In particular, the SLD-M clinical group performed lower on some errors that were not related to their area of disability compared with the SLD-R/W group. Implications of the study show the importance of error analysis especially when creating goals for individual education plans. Although a student may have an SLD-R/W, he or she may still need support in certain mathematic areas, and vice versa.

Comorbilidad de los trastornos de lectura y escritura en niños diagnosticados con TDAH

The aim of this research was to describe the presence of Specific Learning Disabilities in reading and writing in a group of children from Manizales (Colombia), diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. The approach considers variables such as precision, comprehension, composition and speed. For this matter, it was used the ENI (Evaluacion Neuropsicologica Infantil). These domains were assessed in a sample of 60 children (boys and girls) aged between 7 y 11 years, from third to fifth elemental school, diagnosed with ADHD. When comparing the performance between cases and controls, significant differences were found in the reading domain. In the writing domain, a significant difference only was found in narrative composition task. However, where no difference was observed, the control group showed high levels of learning disabilities. In conclusion, the results of this study reveal a high association between ADHD and Learning Disabilities.

Learning Disabilities in Guatemala and Spain: A Cross–National Study of the Prevalence and Cognitive Processes Associated with Reading and Spelling Disabilities

The main purposes of this research were twofold. We examined the samenesses about learning disabilities (LD) in Guatemala and Spain, two countries with the same language but cultural, political, and educational differences, first analyzing data about the prevalence of reading and spelling disabilities in Guatemala City and the Spanish region of the Canary Islands. The focus of the second study was to determine whether there are cross–national patterns of significant differences in cognitive processes associated with reading and spelling disabilities from a developmental approach in these two cultural contexts. We found some differences in the prevalence of specific LD in reading between both countries but we did not find significant differences between Guatemalan and Spanish reading–disabled children in cognitive processes that are involved in reading and spelling acquisition in spite of the cultural and educational differences between the two countries.

Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us?

Dyslexia is a disorder of the language‐processing systems in the brain. It is a specific learning disability in reading that often affects spelling as well. This article describes Common characteristics experienced by people with dyslexia or reading disabilities Common misconceptions about dyslexia What brain research tell us about reading disabilities What this information means for teachers and parents The identification of a child with dyslexia is difficult for parents and teachers. Having information about the likely explanation for and potential cause of students' difficulties often relieves many fears and uncertainties about how to think about providing instruction that is relevant and effective.

Measuring and increasing silent reading comprehension rates: Empirically validating a repeated readings intervention

The current study was designed to demonstrate how researchers could use a direct measure of functional reading skills (e.g., rates of silent reading comprehension) to empirically validate the effectiveness of a repeated readings intervention. A multi-element design was used to compare the effects of the treatment with a control condition across three secondary students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in reading. Results showed that repeated readings increased factual comprehension levels and factual reading comprehension rates. No differences were found across conditions on inferential comprehension levels or rates. Discussion focuses on empirically validating reading interventions using rates of silent reading comprehension and theoretical implications related to enhancing inferential and literal comprehension and fluency. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Effects of response and trial repetition on sight-word training for students with learning disabilities.

Alternating treatments designs were used to compare the effects of trial repetition (one response within five trials per word) versus response repetition (five response repetitions within one trial per word) on sight-word acquisition for 3 elementary students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in reading. Although both interventions occasioned the same number of accurate responses per word during training, the trial-repetition condition, which involved complete antecedent-response-feedback sequences, resulted in more words mastered for all 3 students.

Empirically derived subgroups of learning disabled readers: diagnostic characteristics.

A cluster analysis procedure was used to identify subgroups of children who manifested specific learning disabilities in reading (SLD/R) in terms of performance on a battery of eight language and perceptual tests. Subjects included a group of 100 SLD/R children and 50 normal readers (NR). Six SLD/R subgroups were identified. All subgroups were both significantly different from one another as well as significantly different from the NR group's performance on the diagnostic battery. In addition, some significant differences were found among the six subgroups on measures of oral reading and reading comprehension skills. These results were compared with those of previous studies, none of which employed samples of the SLD/R youngsters identified in public schools. Results also were examined for their implications for a more precise match between the SLD/R learner characteristics and type of teaching method or material.