Word Reading Interventions for Students with Reading Difficulties and Disabilities

Abstract

Many students with learning disabilities struggle to develop adequate word recognition and decoding skills. This chapter reviews findings from 21 summary documents related to word reading instruction and the effects of word reading interventions for students with reading difficulties and disabilities, with a focus on word reading interventions. These include meta-analyses, systematic syntheses of research, narrative reviews of literature, and government-sponsored guides for practitioners. Based on findings from these documents, the chapter provides an overview of current research related to the critical components of evidence-based word reading interventions. The chapter addresses both the prevention of word reading difficulties in young children and interventions for older students with word reading difficulties and disabilities.