Early years education begins with the rejection of the notion that children are deficient adults. But it has culminated in a deep and abiding concern for learning difficulties, particularly in the field of reading. The purpose of this paper is to reconcile the seeming contradiction between the former view, which appears to eschew the concept of…

The middle and high school years represent a unique challenge for students who have not yet attained proficiency with word reading. By this time, it is generally expected that students will be able to independently read a variety of texts to gain content knowledge and to read for understanding. Students with or at-risk for learning disabilities…

Many students with learning disabilities find it difficult to acquire basic reading skills. This is even more of a challenge for students who are non-vocal. The purpose of the present study was to pilot the use of Headsprout Early Reading© (HER©), an online reading programme, with four non-vocal students with a severe learning disability (SLD),…

The term "Science of Reading" (SOR) has become a popular phrase in practitioner circles. To best serve students, it is important that teachers and interventionists are knowledgeable about the SOR. This article provides a special educator's guide to the SOR by reviewing critical elements that have emerged in public discourse about the…

Having the ability to read is an essential skill for an individual. However, comprehension, the aim of reading, is a complex cognitive process that involves constructing meaning through deliberate thinking. Unfortunately, students with learning disabilities (LD) often struggle with reading, which impairs their comprehension abilities. Repeated…

The purpose of this registered report study was to determine the effects of explicit text structure instruction on the expository text comprehension of students with language and learning disabilities (LLD) using a multiple baseline design across conditions (e.g., compare-contrast and cause-effect) and participants. Participants included four…

Laws, practices, and research about reading difficulties have been gradually and rapidly changing since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1974. It is difficult for schools to keep up, especially when it takes approximately 16 years for research to reach widespread public knowledge. In this article, I frame the…

This study used data from the U.S. state of Michigan schools participating in the "Reading First" program to examine the stability of students' disability status in Grades 1 to 3. Reading First aimed to improve at-risk students' reading comprehension through research-based instruction. We analyzed how changes in students' disability…

Historically, in educational research, student learning is frequently represented as quantitative data that demonstrates academic achievement. However, examining student learning by quantitative measures alone means that we do not fully understand the dynamic relationship between the instructional practices of teachers and how students learn. In…

Reading interventions focusing on self-determination can effectively improve the academic performance of students with learning disabilities (LD). This study investigated the effects of a multicomponent reading comprehension strategy intervention, which is based on the Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), on the use of…

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Repeated Reading and Visual Comprehension Program (TOGAP) developed to support the reading comprehension skills of primary school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. The research was conducted with four primary school students with SLD. The changing…

Students with learning disabilities in word-level reading typically require explicit, systematic, and intensive phonics intervention. Teachers' capacity to provide effective intervention depends largely on their depth of understanding of language and their proficiency with evidence-based instructional methods. This article outlines the key…

Data-based instruction (DBI) is a process of collecting and using student progress data to guide decision-making related to intervention intensity and individualization for students with learning disabilities (LD). However, effective DBI requires that teachers have a range of knowledge and skills across multiple domains. Past research has shown…

More and more students with learning disabilities and other diverse learners are placed for instruction in general education classrooms, which often leaves teachers grappling to design successful peer interactions and literacy activities to meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. As the shift is made to align literacy instruction to…

In Botswana, Special Needs Education has been implemented for 25 years with some success but there is still a need for evidence-based methods like Frequency Building, behavioural fluency, and Precision Teaching to be used to measure and improve school performance and learning. We explored the impact of these behavioural technologies on reading…