Blending and spelling training were compared to determine which intervention would improve the decoding skills of two first-grade boys with learning disabilities. Although neither intervention proved superior, the children met the learning criterion with both interventions and demonstrated both maintenance and generalization of their skills. (DB)

The study compared the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time delay and the system of least prompts in teaching sight words to three developmentally delayed preschoolers. Results indicated that the constant time delay procedure resulted in fewer total trials, errors, percent of errors, and minutes of direct instructional time. (Author/DB)

Twenty prelingually deaf students, aged six-eight, were able to identify words better when presented in a print-plus-graphic-sign condition compared to a print-only condition. The initial use of the graphic representation of signs with the printed words also facilitated the children's immediate retention when reading the printed word only.…

Describes Nigerian childrens' typical preschool experiences, home environment, classroom organization, reading instruction, and textbook selection methods. Describes the problems associated with reading instruction in a multilingual society which has little existing instructional material in any of the 400 Nigerian languages. Suggests ways to…

High- and low-achieving readers in kindergarten and first-grade were evaluated for differences in the use of decontextualized language. The cohesion present in stories retold by the 150 subjects was evaluated for unity and coherence. Results indicated that low achievers in reading exhibited less cohesion in their use of decontextualized language.…

Five-year-olds learned to associate three- or four-letter abbreviations, or cues, with spoken words, in which one of the letters in the cue corresponded to a phoneme that was articulated similarly or dissimilarly. Children found the phonetic cues easier to learn than control cues, suggesting that children are sensitive to the phonological and…

Highlights the importance of the father in children's early reading and writing experiences, explaining the need for both planned events (i.e., nightly stories or weekly library visits) and unplanned events (i.e., spontaneous trips or playing games) and emphasizing the need for nurturing children's natural curiosity about print. (SM)

Discusses concerns about the current state of elementary school reading programs. Suggests specific ways these programs may be improved for the benefit of children and society. Discusses priority of reading in the schools, beginning reading programs, remedial reading programs, staff development programs, and the incidence and quality of…

This article proposes that meaning and form (the sound-letter correspondences) are both important in beginning reading, but that initially they should be taught separately. Support for this position is provided, and a two-stage model of preliteracy development is offered, with the first stage emphasizing meaning and the second stage emphasizing…

Describes a literacy program for three- and four-year-old children established in a university setting to provide teacher education students an opportunity to read with the children while emphasizing concepts about print. Finds a slight increase in the children's concepts about print and in their familiarity with books. (SR)

Examined the phenomenon of natural learning of literacy among 50 preschoolers. Talking with mothers about their perceptions of their preschoolers' literacy development revealed how sensitive they are and how perceptive in their observation of what their children are doing. Suggests that child's literacy development is deeply affected by attitudes…

Research on emergent literacy is applied to children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI). Factors shown to have the greatest influence on emerging literacy skills are identified, as are diverging experiences of young children with SSPI. Intervention strategies suggested for these children include increasing access to books and…

Finds that, at the end of the first year of a six-year longitudinal study, the literacy development of 26 children prenatally exposed to crack or cocaine appeared to be within the parameters of normal literacy development. (SR)

Describes the development and use of the Middle Infant Screening Test. Isolates factors which directly relate to children's progress in early reading and writing development. (RS)

This article examines characteristics of low-performing readers, especially their poor word recognition skills; compares approaches to teaching word recognition to slow-learning children; identifies characteristics of successful methods of teaching word recognition; and concludes that phonics-based, thoroughly systematic, direct instruction is…