Systematic Instruction in Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondence for Students With Reading Disabilities

Letter-sound knowledge is a strong predictor of a student’s ability to decode words. Approximately 50% of English words can be decoded by following a sound-symbol correspondence rule alone and an additional 36% are spelled with only one error. Many students with reading disabilities or who struggle to learn to read have difficulty with phonology, an understanding of how sounds are organized within language. This can result in difficulty grasping the alphabetic principle, the knowledge of the relation between speech sounds and the letters/letter patterns that represent them. Research has demonstrated the benefits of intensive, explicit instruction for developing struggling readers’ capacity to identify phonemes and apply knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondence for decoding. In this article, common misconceptions and basic tenets of effective letter-sound instruction are provided to help special educators and reading interventionists plan for effective phoneme-grapheme correspondence instruction for students with reading disabilities or who are at risk for reading failure.

Download Full-text

Common Misconceptions about the Phonological Deficit Theory of Dyslexia

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11111510 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1510

Author(s):

David L. Share

Keyword(s):

Struggling Readers ◽

Phonemic Awareness ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Reading Ability ◽

Discussion Paper ◽

Phonological Deficit ◽

Core Deficit ◽

The Common ◽

Deficit Theory ◽

Common Misconceptions

In this discussion paper, I review a number of common misconceptions about the phonological deficit theory (PDH) of dyslexia. These include the common but mistaken idea that the PDH is simply about phonemic awareness (PA), and, consequently, is a circular “pseudo”-explanation or epiphenomenon of reading difficulties. I argue that PA is only the “tip of the phonological iceberg” and that “deeper” spoken-language phonological impairments among dyslexics appear well before the onset of reading and even at birth. Furthermore, not even reading-specific expressions of phonological deficits—PA or pseudoword naming, can be considered circular if we clearly distinguish between reading proper—real meaning-bearing words, or real text, and the mechanisms (subskills) of reading development (such as phonological recoding). I also explain why an understanding of what constitutes an efficient writing system explains why phonology is necessarily a major source of variability in reading ability and hence a core deficit (or at least one core deficit) among struggling readers whether dyslexic or non-dyslexic. I also address the misguided notion that the PDH has now fallen out of favor because most dyslexia researchers have (largely) ceased studying phonological processing. I emphasize that acceptance of the PDH does not imply repudiation of other non-phonological hypotheses because the PDH does not claim to account for all the variance in reading ability/disability. Finally, I ask where neurobiology enters the picture and suggest that researchers need to exercise more caution in drawing their conclusions.

Download Full-text

Practitioner Reading Survey

10.31234/osf.io/c9d2h ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Noor Z. Al Dahaan ◽

Laura Mesite ◽

Melissa J. Feller ◽

Joanna Christodoulou

Keyword(s):

Struggling Readers ◽

Reading Disabilities ◽

Educational Experiences ◽

School Age Children ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

School Age ◽

Diagnostic Labels ◽

Practitioner Training ◽

Wide Range ◽

Current Practices

Accurate and timely identification of reading disabilities (RDs) is essential for providing appropriate and effective remediation for struggling readers. However, practices for identifying RDs lack sufficient documentation within and across educational and clinical settings. The wide range of possible practices intended to identify struggling readers can render the field vulnerable to inconsistencies in how the needs of struggling readers are recognized and supported. To better understand the range of current practices used to identify RDs in school-age children, we created and disseminated a survey nationally, and analyzed data from 965 practitioners. The findings indicate lengthy timelines to identify RDs; substantial variability in the composition of assessment teams, identification criteria, and diagnostic labels; and notable opportunities for enhancing practitioner training experiences. This study aims to promote cross-contextual dialogue about the identification of RDs and their implications for students’ educational experiences.

Download Full-text

Enhancing the Vocabulary Knowledge of First-Grade Children With Supplemental Booster Instruction

Remedial and Special Education ◽

10.1177/0741932510362495 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 471-481 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Eve M. Puhalla

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

First Graders ◽

Explicit Instruction ◽

Early Reading ◽

First Grade ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Read Aloud ◽

Reading Failure ◽

Repeated Measures Design

This study examined the effects of instructional intensity on the acquisition of storybook vocabulary in first graders who were at risk of early reading failure. It also measured whether the intervention was effective for closing the vocabulary knowledge gap between students who were at risk and their average-achieving peers. A total of 66 students participated in the study, 44 identified as at risk and 22 as average-achieving peers. Students identified as at risk were randomly assigned to either a booster group, where they received explicit instruction of selected storybook vocabulary, or a no booster group, where they received vocabulary instruction in the context of read alouds through an experimental Read Aloud curriculum. A repeated measures design was employed to compare the effects of the intervention. Results indicate that students in the booster group significantly outperformed the students in the no booster and average-achieving peers groups on storybook vocabulary measures.

Download Full-text

1980s: A Change in Focus of Reading Comprehension Research: A Review of Reading/Learning Disabilities Research Based on an Interactive Model of Reading

Learning Disability Quarterly ◽

10.2307/1510993 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 149-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Renee Weisberg

Keyword(s):

Learning Disabilities ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Reading Disabilities ◽

Explicit Instruction ◽

Metacognitive Strategies ◽

Text Structure ◽

Task Demands ◽

Disabled Students ◽

Interactive Model ◽

And Task

This article contains a review of reading comprehension research since 1980, based on an interactive model of reading, with a focus on reading disabilities / learning disabilities. The interactive model conceptualizes influences on reading comprehension as multifaceted, that is, reader-based, text-based, and situationally based, for example, variables in a given task. The review includes studies which have investigated the influence of readers' prior knowledge of a topic, the influences of text structure and task demands, and metacognitive strategies. Conclusions explain reasons for reading disabled students' need for explicit instruction in understanding what the task is, how to use appropriate procedures, and why the use of metacognitive strategies can help them become more able readers.

Download Full-text

Explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemically based decoding skills as an intervention strategy for struggling readers in whole language classrooms

Reading and Writing ◽

10.1007/s11145-007-9080-z ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 349-369 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Janice F. Ryder ◽

William E. Tunmer ◽

Keith T. Greaney

Keyword(s):

Struggling Readers ◽

Phonemic Awareness ◽

Whole Language ◽

Explicit Instruction ◽

Intervention Strategy ◽

Decoding Skills ◽

Language Classrooms

Download Full-text

Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.73.6.824 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 73 (6) ◽

pp. 824-829 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Richard L. Metzger ◽

David B. Werner

Keyword(s):

Effective Treatment ◽

Reading Disabilities ◽

Reading Failure ◽

Visual Training ◽

Psychological Literature ◽

Perceptual Ability

Visual training continues to be used as a remediation technique for reading disabilities despite consistent evidence that it does not provide effective treatment. A review of the ophthalmologic, optometric, and psychological literature relating to the assumption that a relationship exists between reading failure and perceptual ability has found no evidence to support this assumption.

Download Full-text

Effect of Amharic Letter Acquisition and Fluency Instruction on the Reading Achievement of Ethiopian Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties

Journal of International Special Needs Education ◽

10.9782/2159-4341-19.2.59 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 59-68

Author(s):

Yirgashewa Bekele Abdi ◽

William J. Therrien

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Word Reading ◽

Explicit Instruction ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Reading Difficulties ◽

First Grade ◽

Students At Risk ◽

Grade One ◽

Letter Sound ◽

The Impact

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.

Download Full-text

A Literacy Tutoring Experience for Prospective Special Educators and Struggling Second Graders

Journal of Learning Disabilities ◽

10.1177/0022219409338738 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 42 (5) ◽

pp. 431-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Louise Spear-Swerling

Keyword(s):

Language Arts ◽

Struggling Readers ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Field Component ◽

Special Educators ◽

Second Graders ◽

Special Educator ◽

Literacy Tutoring ◽

Educator Preparation Program ◽

Reading And Spelling

This study examined the learning of teacher candidates taking a language arts course in a special-educator preparation program and that of the second graders they tutored in a supervised field component of the course. Teacher candidates’ knowledge of literacy instruction was assessed using five knowledge tasks; children were assessed on several measures of basic reading and spelling skills as well as on their knowledge of phonics concepts such as syllable types. Teacher candidates generally had inaccurate perceptions of their knowledge at pretest, but their knowledge improved significantly on all tasks after course instruction. Tutored children improved significantly from pre- to posttest on all assessments. The study suggests that carefully designed literacy coursework with field experiences can benefit both prospective special educators and struggling readers.

Download Full-text