Article #6 Research on Reading/Learning Disability Interventions

0Abstract of Allington, R.L. (2002).Research on Reading/Learning Disability Interventions.In A.E. Farstrup, & S. Samuels (Eds.), What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (pp. 261-290). Newark, DE: International Reading Association

The author points out that definitions of “reading disability” and “learning disability” are remarkably inconsistent and, in the United States, have shifted significantly over the years, largely due to political considerations. Despite the ambiguities in definitions, however, there is research on interventions that may prove effective with children who, for a variety of reasons, struggle to learn to read. The chapter summarizes research on preventive designs, acceleration designs, and more systemic, longer term approaches, concluding that a reconceptualizing of reading/learning disability is needed to achieve the desired goal of improved reading achievement for all children.

The Problem is that often there are not clear definitions between what can be considered a reading or learning disability. The research came from the records of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the shift to how research standards are set to distinguish achievement based on prior performance. The researchers found not all children learn to read and write the same way and at the same achievement level. Teachers should not segregate and label students who are experiencing difficulty and are struggling to become literate. The school system as a whole needs to resturcture the instructional program and produce more accurate intervention designs as well as developing more accurate litereacy instruction. A strenghth of the research states that when a program has sufficient results in literacy development the instructional method and curriculum are usually the predinating factors. A weaknesses of the research states that althought the methods and materails are one answer they are not the only answer, acheiving these standards set by policy makers will require additional funding and unfortunately funding is unlikely due to low budgets. The implications for this research says that all achildren should be reading by grade 4, there are criteria for grade-level reading achievement for promotion tot he next grade. There needs to be political and professional attention based on literacy funding to design a program that answers the problem.