The identification of poor readers as “learning disabled” can be the first of many steps toward consigning students to a lifetime of reading failure. The very label that is meant to help children often becomes a burden that works against effective learning throughout their schooling.In this book, the authors identify the dangers of labeling children as reading or learning disabled, contending that a “reading disability” is not a unitary phenomenon. In order to diagnose and help children, educators and parents need to understand the multiple sources of reading difficulty before they can choose appropriate means to correct it.Drawing on recent research in cognitive psychology, the authors present a new theoretical model of reading disability that integrates a wide variety of findings across age and grade spans. Laid out in terms that are readily comprehensible to parents and practitioners, the model outlines the phases that are characteristic of the path to proficient reading, then describes five ways in which disabled readers may stray from this path. The key to the authors’ work lies in fact that youngsters who stray from the path of normal reading acquisition often are not distinguishable from other children who are classified as “poor readers” rather than as “learning disabled.” This model is an especially useful one for practitioners because it both provides a broader view of reading disability than have many previous models and shows how reading disability relates to normal reading acquisition. Using illustrative case studies, the authors describe the five types of reading disabilities, explain how to properly assess them, and suggest ways to conquer them.
Author(s): Louise Spear-swerling, Robert J. Sternberg
Year: 1996
Language: English
Pages: 352
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables and Figures......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Kim's Story......Page 18
An Overview of This Chapter......Page 21
Some Problems with the Concept of Reading Disability,......Page 22
How ID Identification May Aggravate the Problems of Poor Readers......Page 26
Perspectives on Reading Disability......Page 30
Why Have Research Findings on Reading Disability Had a Limited Impact on Educational Practice?......Page 40
References......Page 42
2 The History of LD: Variations on a Theme......Page 46
The Intrinsic Perspective in the History of LD......Page 47
The Extrinsic Perspective in the History of LD......Page 60
The Interactive Perspective in the History of LD......Page 62
The Lessons of History......Page 64
References......Page 65
3 What Is Reading Disability?......Page 70
Contemporary Definitions of Reading Disability......Page 71
School Identification of Reading Disability......Page 74
Where Do We Go from Here?......Page 88
References......Page 90
4 The Road to Proficient Reading......Page 94
Why Knowledge About "Normal" Reading Development Is Important......Page 95
An Overview of Reading Acquisition......Page 96
Staying on the Road to Proficient Reading......Page 106
Comparing Our Model to Other Models......Page 123
References......Page 125
Tales of Four Children......Page 130
Straying from the Road to Proficient Reading......Page 139
A General Discussion of the Model......Page 153
Comparing Models of Reading Disability......Page 159
References......Page 165
6 Issues in the Education of Children with Reading Disability......Page 170
Issues in Identification and Assessment......Page 173
Issues in Reading Instruction......Page 179
References......Page 199
7 Educational Practices for Children with Reading Disability......Page 202
Phonological-Processing Skills......Page 204
Word-Recognition Skills......Page 211
Reading in Context......Page 220
Reading Comprehension......Page 226
Sample Instructional Plans......Page 235
References......Page 241
8 Possible Causes of Reading Disability......Page 246
Biological Influences on RD......Page 248
Environmental Influences on RD......Page 257
Exploring Causation from an Interactive Perspective......Page 264
References......Page 269
9 Abilities, Disabilities, and Reading Disability: How Are They Related?......Page 274
Multiple Views of Multiple Abilities......Page 275
The Role of Intellectual Styles......Page 283
How Serious Is Reading Disability, Anyway?......Page 285
References......Page 287
10 Early Intervention and Prevention......Page 290
Jack's Story......Page 291
Examples of Successful Early Intervention Programs in Reading......Page 296
Preventing Reading Disability Through Early Intervention......Page 311
References......Page 315
11 Toward Another Way of Thinking About Reading Difficulties......Page 320
Why We Should Abandon the Concept of RD......Page 321
A Better Way of Thinking About Reading Difficulties......Page 325
Where Should the LD Field Be Going?......Page 331
Some Concluding Thoughts......Page 338
References......Page 339
About the Book and Authors......Page 342
B......Page 343
D......Page 344
F......Page 345
I......Page 346
L......Page 347
M......Page 348
P......Page 349
R......Page 350
S......Page 351
W......Page 352
Z......Page 353
