Reading intervention for students with intellectual disabilities without functional speech who require augmentative...

Area of Science:

• Education
• Special Education
• Linguistics

Background:

• Literacy is crucial for information access, but challenging for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) needing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
• Barriers include low expectations, lack of adapted materials, and extensive support needs.
• This trial addresses the need for effective reading instruction for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a reading intervention for 40 students with ID requiring AAC.
• To enhance reading skills through phonological awareness and decoding.
• To contribute evidence on best practices for supporting literacy in students with ID who use AAC.

Main Methods:

• A 18-month reading intervention using a multiple single-case design with four randomized baselines.
• Participants: 40 non-verbal or minimally verbal students (age 6-14) with ID requiring AAC.
• Intervention based on Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL), focusing on phonological awareness and decoding, delivered one-to-one by trained teachers.

Main Results:

• The intervention utilizes the "Lesing for alle" (Reading for all) material, aligned with ALL strategies.
• Combines multiple reading components: sound blending, letter-sound correspondence, phoneme segmentation, shared reading, sight word recognition, and decoding.
• Builds upon the science of reading, particularly effective methods for students with ID using AAC.

Conclusions:

• The study aims to advance beyond sight word instruction by integrating comprehensive reading components.
• Addresses a gap in research regarding the generalizability of findings outside the USA and for educators not specialized in AAC.
• Further research is needed on long-term effects and effectiveness when delivered by general educators.