Level of phonological awareness in students with borderline intellectual functioning

Abstract

Current literature shows phonological awareness is one of the best reading learning predictors and, consequent-ly, one of the core skills to develop reading. Although there is a large body of research in this area, there are few studies that show how these phonological skills develop in students with atypical intellectual or cognitive characteristics. The objective of this study is to characterize the level of phonological awareness skill in students with borderline intellectual functioning attend-ing School Integration Programs. To assess the level of phonological awareness, the Phonological Awareness Test was used. The participants were 37 students in the first to third years of primary education with a diagnosis of borderline intellectual functioning. The results showed an important heterogeneous decrease in the development of the phonological skills assessed, which indicates a high degree of risk in the acquisition of reading, as well as in the projection and academic progress of these stu-dents. The implications for practice, policies, and future research in this area are discussed.