Reading skills are important to the academic success and long-term self-determination of individuals with disabilities. Teachers' theoretical orientations toward reading instruction are relevant to their implementation of interventions that may be more or less effective in addressing students' needs. Whereas reading instructional orientation has…

The effects of a computer-based reading intervention on whole word reading in three post-secondary students with intellectual and/or developmental disability were evaluated using a multiple baseline across tasks (i.e., word sets) design. Words were selected from each student's elective undergraduate social science course materials. During this…

Rural elementary special education teachers primarily working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may have less access to training in foundational reading content. We report results of a foundational reading knowledge assessment administered to a national sample of 220 U.S. special education teachers working in…

Millions of children in the United States struggle with reading acquisition, many of whom are identified with developmental dyslexia (DD). Although experimental research indicates that evidence-based reading interventions can bring many of these children to average-range reading skills, such promising outcomes are not commonly achieved within K-12…

This study addresses the need to reinforce the reading learning of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in general education classrooms. A standardized way of assessing support needs in reading (SNr) from the teachers' perspective is proposed. The objectives were (i) to develop an instrument and evaluate its properties…

This study was to determine the effectiveness of augmented reality on phoneme and word reading for three first-grade students with developmental delays and autism in a self-contained elementary school classroom. Effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated with a multiple probe across word sets research design. An augmented reality iPad app was…

Within the framework of the theory of visual attention (TVA), the visual attention span (VAS) deficit among individuals with developmental dyslexia has been ascribed to the problems entailed by bottom-up (BotU) and top-down (TopD) attentional processes. The former involves two VAS subcomponents: the visual short-term memory storage and perceptual…

Purpose: Opportunities to actively engage in literacy instruction should be accessible to all students in the classroom. Shared book reading provides a literacy-based context in which teachers may adapt their communication to allow students with a range of abilities to participate. The current study examines teacher communication during shared…

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…

Although the accurate diagnosis and effective instruction for reading disorders through multi-tiered systems of support is one of the most foundational components of school psychology training and practice, there are significant opportunities for innovation, renewed excitement, and social justice. In this article, we identify reading assessments,…

The purpose of this article is to describe recommendations for providing evidence-based literacy instruction to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including students with comorbid autism spectrum disorder (autism). We identify six evidence-based practices, highlight key research that supports each practice, and then…

The importance of helping all children make meaningful progress in reading development is supported by legislative mandates and court rulings. The purpose of this research was to describe findings from a series of single-case design studies completed over three years to test the effects of a specific comprehensive literacy intervention, Friends on…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review of literature of effective reading intervention for students with -- intellectual disabilities (ID), intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and multiple disabilities (MD). Findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. Background and rationale:…

Reading opens the world to individuals and is one of the most important skills learned in school. Around the world, researchers are focused on improving reading instruction for all students, including students with developmental disabilities. Much energy is spent teaching reading basics such as early literacy skills to primary-aged learners…

The 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) suggests that the general education setting is the most appropriate placement for all students with disabilities based on its mandate for the least restrictive environment. Because many children with disabilities have historically been educated in self-contained…