Reading+Methods+and+Learning+Difficulties


 * //Reading Methods and Learning Difficulties//**

Reading may be a problem for any student with or without learning difficulties or other additional needs. There are two elements to reading which are the mechanics and comprehension (Learning Disabilities Association of America). Children with learning difficulties often have language and comprehension problems. During the process of learning to read, it is important to consider the different developmental sequences that all students will have and students with learning difficulties don’t always acquire skills that are needed. If a student doesn’t develop proper phonemic awareness, they may not be able to successfully decode the text, which influences the development of fluent reading and comprehension skills (Learning Disabilities Association of America).

When assessing and planning instructions, considerations of the students difficulties may develop the students reading comprehension. “No single reading method will be effective for all students with learning disabilities. Most individuals with learning disabilities will benefit from the application of a variety of methods” (Learning Disabilities Association of America).

Some classroom accommodations include:
 * Using taped textbooks.
 * Extending time limitations.
 * Tutoring.
 * Providing a note taker for the student or a scribe during assessment tasks.
 * During assessment tasks, providing a scribe if they have difficulties writing or a reader if they have difficulties reading the questions.
 * Allow tape recording of lessons.
 * Allow testing in a quiet area if the student is easily distracted.

These accommodations can help a student compensate for their learning difficulty (National Information Centre for Children and Youth with Disabilities, 2004).

Selecting the right approach to teaching reading is the key to a student’s success. The Learning Disabilities Association of America suggests some of the more popular approaches to teaching reading:

//__Phonics approach__//- The phonics approach teaches word recognition through learning grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) associations. The student learns vowels, consonants, and blends and learns to sound out words by combining sounds and blending them into words. By associating speech sounds with letters the student learns to recognize new and unfamiliar words.

//__Linguistic method__// - This method uses a "whole word" approach. Words are taught in word families, or similar spelling patterns, and only as whole words. The student is not directly taught the relationship between letters and sounds, but learns them through minimal word differences. As the child progresses, words that have irregular spellings are introduced as sight words.

//__Multisensory approach__// - This method assumes that some children learn best when content is presented in several modalities. Multisensory approaches that employ tracing, hearing, writing, and seeing are often referred to as VAKT (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile) methods. Multisensory techniques can be used with both phonics and linguistic approaches.

//__Neurological Impress Technique__// - An instructor reads a passage at a fairly rapid rate, with the instructor's voice directed into the student's ear. The teacher begins as the dominant reading voice, but gradually the student spends more time leading these sessions. Students who have learned mechanics without adequately learning reading fluency frequently benefit from this, as do students who read slowly or who hesitate over a number of words but are able to identify most of the words in a sentence. A student is directed to read a passage without errors. This method is most effective when it is practiced daily for short periods.

//__Language experience approach__// - The language experience approach uses children's spoken language to develop material for reading. This approach utilizes each student's oral language level and personal experiences. Material is written by the child and teacher for reading using each child's experience. This can be done in small groups and individually. Familiarity with the content and the vocabulary facilitate reading these stories. Each child can develop a book to be read and re-read. This approach helps children know what reading is and that ideas and experiences can be conveyed in print.

//__Reading comprehension support__// - People with learning disabilities who need work on reading comprehension often respond to explicitly taught strategies which aid comprehension such as skimming, scanning and studying techniques. These techniques aid in acquiring the gist, and then focus is turned to the details of the text through use of the cloze procedures. With this method, every fifth to eighth word in a passage is randomly eliminated. The student is then required to fill in the missing words. This technique develops reading skills and an understanding not only of word meaning but also of the structure of the language itself.

Reference:

Learning Disabilities Association of America, Reading Methods and Learning Disabilities, retrieved from http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/teachers/teaching_reading/reading_methods.asp

National Information Centre for Children and Youth with Disabilities, 2004, Reading and Learning Disabilities, retrieved from http://www.nichcy.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/fs17.pdf