Reading Disabilities Theory and Interventions

Catalog description

The focus of this course will be on the theoretical models of reading development and disorders and how these theories have impacted the definition of the causes, diagnosis and treatment of reading disorders. Normal development of pre-reading and reading skills will be contrasted with atypical development. Research regarding how reading achievement relates to decoding and phonological awareness; word recognition; vocabulary; comprehension; fluency; self- monitoring; and instruction/service provision (individual, small group, and whole-class programs) will be studied, with practice of intervention techniques. For the middle and high school years, techniques effective for various domain areas will be stressed, as well as how accommodations in relation to reading can be integrated into the student's curriculum. In addition, the course will include further training on the standardized tests and software technology interventions specific to reading, as well as the performance of informal measures such as running records and informal reading inventories, with a focus on error analysis, interpretation, and communication of results to students, families and colleagues. Finally, an overview of direct instruction models will be provided, using the Wilson system as an example of this type of intervention. Includes additional laboratory time of a minimum of 20 hours of work with students in addition to semester hours.