This study investigated the effectiveness of text-to-speech (TTS) on the outcomes of reading comprehension and oral reading fluency (ORF) for four secondary students with learning disabilities. The researchers used a single-case A-B-A-B withdrawal design to evaluate the effectiveness of TTS on reading outcomes. All participants scored higher on…

Many educators in public schools in the United States experience challenges in meeting the unique needs of the growing population of English learners who must simultaneously attain academic skills while acquiring English language proficiency. Such unique needs intensify for English learners with reading disabilities. Morphological awareness is key…

Reading comprehension is a critical skill for school success. Struggling readers can benefit from computer-assisted instruction that utilizes components of effective instruction (e.g., frequent practice, immediate feedback). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Headsprout Comprehension, a computer-assisted reading program, on…

Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for academic success of all students. Very often, students with learning disabilities struggle with reading skills and since students learn new information in school by reading; these difficulties often increase the academic struggles students with learning disabilities face. The current study examined…

"Voyager Passport"[TM] is a supplemental reading intervention system for students in grades K-5. "Voyager Passport Reading Journeys"[TM] is a reading intervention program designed for adolescents who struggle with reading. The "Voyager Universal Literacy System"[R] is a K-3 reading program that includes a core reading…

The purpose of this evaluation of Scholastic's "System 44" conducted by RMC Research was to expand the existing research on students with learning disabilities by conducting a randomized study of struggling readers with approximately half of the sample comprised of students with learning disabilities. Specifically, this evaluation…

The introduction, in the United Kingdom, of the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Act (SENDA) published and approved in 2001, has removed the exemptions given to educational institutions by the Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995. This applies to learning web sites and materials that must now undergo "reasonable…

Basic principles of effective software implementation with learning disabled students are discussed. A prototype software package is described that is specifically designed to help develop discriminatory skills in recognizing letter shapes and letter combinations. (JW)

Student Assistant for Learning from Text (SALT) is a software system for developing hypermedia versions of textbooks for students with reading difficulties. Ten students with learning disabilities in grades 9 and 10 read passages from a science textbook in either the basic or computer-enhanced version. Students using the enhanced version received…

This article provides examples of ways computer-assisted instruction can help children with learning disabilities (LD) learn to read more effectively. Computer programs providing training in phonological awareness, specific context-free word identification skills, and reading of connected text are described, and preliminary evidence of their…

Describes how the computer can support the study process of students variously described as "multivariate, nonlinear thinkers,""dyslexic,""learning disabled," and "purple people." Describes features of a Macintosh program called "Inspiration" that enables easy test entry and manipulation in a graphic mode, placing emphasis on the considerable…

In this study of concept mapping and expository writing, 12 eighth-grade students with reading difficulties composed descriptive essays under three conditions: no-map support, hand-map support, and computer-map support. Both hand-maps and computer-maps resulted in increases in number of words, number of T-units, and holistic writing scores.…

This article compared two speech recognition systems, discrete speech and continuous speech, for remedial reading and spelling with 52 students (ages 9-18) with learning disabilities. Both discrete and continuous speech groups showed significant improvement in word recognition and reading comprehension over the control group and the discrete…

Recent cognitive analyses of the reading process indicate that learning disabled children with word decoding problems will be limited in the development of higher level reading comprehension skills. Microcomputer technology affords the repetitive word recognition practice necessary for successful decoding. (JC)

Although approximately half of the six million students receiving specialized services for an identified disability are learning disabled, research shows that assistive technologies are far more commonly used with students who manifest physical or sensory disabilities than they are with those with learning disabilities. Assistive technology can…