Learning Disabilities and Reading
Learning disabilities (LDs) are brain-based difficulties that reflect impairments in one or more of the psychological processes. The majority of students with identified LDs struggle with some aspect of reading. In fact, it is estimated that 89% [1] of individuals with LDs have an LD in the area of reading.
Even students who have not yet been identified as having LDs may display early warning signs. It is critical that educators be aware of the early signs of difficulty and offer immediate remediation, in order to prevent students from falling further and further behind.
The Processing Areas and Reading
LDs that impact reading are diverse and may take many forms. This section of the module describes how difficulties in the various psychological processes may lead to reading challenges, and is based on information compiled from the York Waterfall Chart.
Students with phonological processing difficulties may struggle with the following reading-related tasks:
- Identifying or making rhyming words
- Clapping the number of words in a sentence
- Breaking a word into chunks
- Separating sounds in words (e.g. /t-o-p/ for “top”)
- Blending sounds to make words
- Remembering sounds in spoken and written words
- Connecting their sound awareness to their sound-symbol knowledge
Reading is also affected by language processing difficulties, which may cause challenges in understanding:
- Vocabulary
- Word order and grammar in sentences
- The key points of stories and conversations
- Factual and abstract information, humour, figurative language, and nuances
Visual-spatial processing difficulties may impair reading ability, because of challenges with:
- Remembering letter formations and letter patterns
- Knowing how to use transitional words appropriately (e.g. first, then)
- Picking out important visual details
- Reading or working with charts, maps, tables, graphs and pictures to extract the needed information
Students with memory challenges may experience difficulties:
- Remembering information long enough to use it and understand it
- Remembering sight word recognition and spelling
Processing speed may affect reading because of difficulties with:
- Recognizing simple visual patterns and scanning visual information quickly
- Reading for comprehension in an efficient manner
Finally, students with attention or executive functioning difficulties may struggle to maintain consistent levels of attention while reading, and may miss details or fail to complete a reading task.
Specific Learning Disabilities in the Area of Reading
According to Lovett et al [2], “Two decades of research have indicated that there were a small set of core deficits in speech and language development and in more global processing abilities that characterized most of our children with reading disabilities.” They describe the two core deficits as follows:
- Phonological awareness and phonological processing: This deficit affects students’ ability to work with the sounds of spoken language.
- Word identification: When students do not automatically segment words into smaller letter groupings, this causes difficulties in decoding and in rapid accurate word identification.
Both of these deficits, and strategies to address them, will be discussed in the Decoding section of this module.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a term that educators may come across in the literature, and is just one example of a specific learning disability in the area of reading. For more information about dyslexia, click here to access the article Dyslexia: When Hidden Talents are Awakened.
Struggling Readers
It is not uncommon for some students to have a harder time picking up reading skills than their peers, which can impact all areas of reading and writing, including spelling, word recognition, vocabulary development, and comprehension. This can happen even when a learning disability is not present.
Whether a student has been identified as a struggling reader or formally diagnosed with a learning disability, everyone learns to read by building the same foundational reading skills.
Click here to view and download the What Does A Struggling Reader Look Like? handout.
Most reading difficulties can be prevented
Struggling readers usually experience difficulty learning to read for one of three reasons - they may have difficulty with word recognition, language comprehension, or word recognition and language comprehension. These skills can be taught through explicit, systematic instruction that is essential for struggling readers and beneficial for all readers. Early screening is important for identifying students who are at risk for reading difficulties so that early intervention (for word recognition and/or language comprehension) can be provided. A prevention model, where students are identified and supported before they fail, requires less time, effort, and cost than a wait-to-fail model [3].
What Do Students with LDs Need to Read?
“All children need instruction, but some children need substantial amounts of truly high-quality teaching to learn to read and write alongside their peers. What all children need, and some need more of, is models, explanations and demonstrations of how reading is accomplished.”[4]
To teach students with learning disabilities (LDs) to read, the strategies and approaches may be no different from those used for the rest of the class. However, students with LDs often require more support, more intensive and overt instruction, and more time to master the skills [5].
Know your Students
It is important to remember that no two students are the same. Take time to get to know your students’ strengths and needs. If they have one, understand their IEP and/
or psychoeducational report, which will give you better insight into the ways in which their LDs affect their reading. Remember to help them leverage their strengths when faced with challenging tasks, such as reading.
For more information on understanding the psychoeducational report, click here to access the webinar recording Why Should I Read that Psychoeducational Assessment?.
References
[1] (Gabel, Gibson, Gruen, LoTurco, 2010; Semrud-Clikeman, Fine, & Harder, 2005) as cited in Fitzer & Hale, 2015
[2] Lovett, Lacerenza, Steinbach, & De Palma, 2014
[3] Torgesen 1998
[4] Allington & Cunningham, 1996, p. 45
[5] Ontario Ministry of Education, 2005