Reading Longer Words: Insights Into Multisyllabic Word Reading

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Heggie ◽  
Lesly Wade-Woolley

Students with persistent reading difficulties are often especially challenged by multisyllabic words; they tend to have neither a systematic approach for reading these words nor the confidence to persevere (Archer, Gleason, & Vachon, 2003; Carlisle & Katz, 2006; Moats, 1998). This challenge is magnified by the fact that the vast majority of English words are multisyllabic and constitute an increasingly large proportion of the words in elementary school texts beginning as early as grade 3 (Hiebert, Martin, & Menon, 2005; Kerns et al., 2016). Multisyllabic words are more difficult to read simply because they are long, posing challenges for working memory capacity. In addition, syllable boundaries, word stress, vowel pronunciation ambiguities, less predictable grapheme-phoneme correspondences, and morphological complexity all contribute to long words' difficulty. Research suggests that explicit instruction in both syllabification and morphological knowledge improve poor readers' multisyllabic word reading accuracy; several examples of instructional programs involving one or both of these elements are provided.

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-68
Author(s):  
Yirgashewa Bekele Abdi ◽  
William J. Therrien

Abstract This study took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and examined the impact of explicit instruction and fluency practice of letter/sound combinations on reading Amharic letters and words. First grade students at risk for reading difficulties were assigned via stratified random assignment to treatment or control condition. Students in the treatment group received explicit instruction and fluency practice on grade one Amharic letters, two times a week for 18 weeks for 36 sessions. Students in the control condition received typical Amharic reading instruction. Results indicate that students in the treatment condition significantly outperformed students in control on letter sound identification and word reading fluency.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Price ◽  
Karen Wigg ◽  
Virginia Misener ◽  
Antoine Clarke ◽  
Natalie Yeung ◽  
...  

Background: Reading disabilities (RD) are the most common learning disabilities, affecting 3-7% of school-aged children in North America. RD is associated with increased risk for comorbid language-based disorders including early language delay (ELD), speech sound disorders, and language impairments. Despite decades of research on the relationship between RD and these disorders, questions remain as to the strength of their associations. This study is the first of this size to assess all four disorders in a sample of children with RD. Method: We examined the association these disorders in a large, well-characterized family-based sample, recruited for reading difficulties in school-aged children. Parents of 492 families (674 children) completed a questionnaire that queried ELD, and current speech and language difficulties in their children. Children were also directly assessed for multiple quantitative measures of language and reading. Children were divided into three groups: Reading Disabled (RD), Intermediate Readers (IR), and Typical Readers (TR). Results: We found that the parents of the RD and IR groups reported significantly more ELD and current speech and expressive/receptive language difficulties in their children, compared with the TR group. When examined further, we found ELD was associated with poorer performance on word reading and decoding tasks, as well as with speech and language difficulties. Conclusion: The results demonstrate multiple significant associations between reading difficulties, ELD, speech and language, especially in children with severe RD. The results add to research supporting comorbidity between these disorders and will help inform teachers and psychologists when assessing and treating children’s language-based disabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 828
Author(s):  
Maja Roch ◽  
Kate Cain ◽  
Christopher Jarrold

Reading for meaning is one of the most important activities in school and everyday life. The simple view of reading (SVR) has been used as a framework for studies of reading comprehension in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). These tend to show difficulties in reading comprehension despite better developed reading accuracy. Reading comprehension difficulties are influenced by poor oral language. These difficulties are common in individuals with DS and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but they have never been compared directly. Moreover, the components of reading for comprehension have rarely been investigated in these populations: a better understanding of the nature of reading comprehension difficulties may inform both theory and practice. The aim of this study was to determine whether reading comprehension in the two populations is accounted for by the same component skills and to what extent the reading profile of the two atypical groups differs from that of typically developing children (TD). Fifteen individuals with DS (mean age = 22 years 4 months, SD = 5 years 2 months), 21 with ASD (mean age = 13 years 2 months, SD = 1 year 6 months), and 42 TD children (mean age = 8 years 1 month, SD = 7 months) participated and were assessed on measures of receptive vocabulary, text reading and listening comprehension, oral language comprehension, and reading accuracy. The results showed similar levels in word reading accuracy and in receptive vocabulary in all three groups. By contrast, individuals with DS and ASD showed poorer non-word reading and reading accuracy in context than TD children. Both atypical groups showed poorer listening and reading text comprehension compared to TD children. Reading for comprehension, investigated through a homograph reading accuracy task, showed a different pattern for individuals with DS with respect to the other two groups: they were less sensitive to meaning while reading. According to the SVR, the current results confirm that the two atypical groups have similar profiles that overlap with that of poor comprehenders in which poor oral language comprehension constrains reading for comprehension.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026565902198940
Author(s):  
Jessica Dean ◽  
Michelle Pascoe ◽  
Jane le Roux

Information and communication technology (ICT)-based reading interventions have potential to help children with reading difficulties, especially those in resource-constrained environments who otherwise might not have access to support. This pilot study aimed to describe the impact of an online, partner-supported reading intervention designed for South African children with reading difficulties. Objectives were to qualitatively describe participants’ experience of the intervention, and quantitatively evaluate changes in reading accuracy, rate, comprehension and receptive vocabulary after intervention. Two studies were conducted: (1) A retrospective analysis using data from intervention in mainstream Cape Town schools with peers as reading partners; (2) A prospective study in a Cape Town school with special needs educational provision where speech-language therapists served as reading partners. Both studies used matched participant, pre/post intervention designs. A total of 40 children in grades 3 to 6 participated. In each study the intervention group ( n = 20) received intervention 3 times per week (30 minutes per session) for 10 weeks, while the control group ( n = 20) continued with regular school activities. Participants enjoyed the ICT-based intervention, valued the role of the reading partners, believed they had made literacy gains, and reported positive attitudinal and behavioural changes related to reading. Retrospective analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups. The prospective study found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups’ gains on one measure of reading rate, but no significant difference in reading accuracy, vocabulary or reading comprehension gains. The study provides a preliminary description of one ICT-based reading intervention. Although an intervention effect could not be demonstrated, the changes noted in reading rate together with qualitative findings suggest a need for further research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Solari ◽  
Yaacov Petscher ◽  
Colby Hall

A recent meta-analysis published in Exceptional Children (Stevens et al., 2021) looked at the effects of Orton-Gillingham (OG) reading interventions on reading outcomes for students who have word reading difficulties. The results of the study have led to questions and lively conversation among practitioners and reading researchers. One of the things that is important about science is that it is constantly evolving: this is true in education science as much as it is in the health sciences. Because this journal is committed to translating empirical findings from reading research in order to make education science accessible to practitioners, the intent of this commentary is to provide a clear description of the findings reported in this recent meta-analysis, addressing the degree to which they align with those reported in similar reviews of OG interventions. We discuss the degree to which the findings represent an evolution of reading science and their implications for instructional practice, policy, and future research.


2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
ASHUM GUPTA ◽  
GULGOONA JAMAL

This study examined the reading accuracy of dyslexic readers in comparison to chronological age-matched normally progressing readers in Hindi and English using word reading tasks, matched for spoken frequency of usage, age of acquisition, imageability, and word length. Both groups showed significantly greater reading accuracy in Hindi than in English. For normally progressing readers, spoken frequency of usage had no significant effect in Hindi and a significant effect in English, whereas for dyslexic readers it had a significant effect in both languages. In Hindi, normally progressing readers produced only nonword errors; dyslexic readers produced a far greater percentage of nonword than word errors. In English, normally progressing readers produced greater percentage of word than nonword errors, whereas dyslexic readers produced greater percentage of nonword than word errors. Results are discussed in terms of orthographic transparency, sublexical, and lexical reading strategies.


1972 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 320-322
Author(s):  
George O. Hellinger ◽  
Arthur W. Berger

□ 1. Thirty consecutively selected low vision patients were evaluated on their performance in viewing a standard near-point chart and selected materials. This was done unaided and then with their customary low-vision aid, first hand-held and then viewed in the Optiscope Enlarger. 2. All subjects demonstrated an ability to read smaller point chart type and to do so at a greater distance with the Optiscope Enlarger. Varied responses on the selected materials might be attributable to word reading difficulties or the effect of the causative defect. 3. Some subjects did better without their low-vision aids or went to distance prescription lenses while using the Optiscope Enlarger. Use of this type of device indicates the necessity for testing for greater distance than normally associated with low-vision aids. 4. Responses of the subjects were 18 favorable, five questionable, and seven negative. It was found that room illumination had to be varied in certain cases. 5. Use of this device would permit simultaneous viewing by parent and child at home, reading at more normal distances, greater word and phrase span, and the viewing of technical diagrams. 6. The results of this evaluation indicate that the Optiscope Enlarger is of substantial value and warrants further investigation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caralyn Ludwig ◽  
Kan Guo ◽  
George K. Georgiou

Despite concerted efforts to improve the reading skills of English language learners (ELLs), it remains unclear if the interventions they have been receiving produce any positive results. Thus, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine how effective reading interventions are in improving ELLs’ reading skills and what factors may influence their effectiveness. Twenty-six studies with reported outcomes for pretest and posttest were selected, and four moderators (group size, intensity of intervention, students’ risk status, and type of intervention) were coded. The results of random-effects analyses showed that the reading interventions had a large effect on ELLs’ reading accuracy ( d = 1.221) and reading fluency ( d = 0.802) and a moderate effect on reading comprehension ( d = 0.499). In addition, for real-word reading accuracy, intervention groups composed of more than five students were less effective than groups composed of two to five students, and longer intervention sessions were less effective than shorter ones. Overall, our findings suggest that reading interventions have positive effects on ELLs’ reading skills, and they should not be delayed until these students have reached a certain level of oral English proficiency.


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