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Early identification and remediation of phonological-processing deficits in first-grade children at risk for reading
D P Hurford1, M Johnston, P Nepote
1Department of Psychology, Pittsburg State University, KS 66762.
Insights
Early identification and phonological-processing intervention significantly improve reading abilities in at-risk children, including those with reading disabilities (RD) and garden-variety poor readers (GV). This study confirms effective early intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Early identification of reading difficulties is crucial for timely intervention.
- Phonological processing skills are foundational to reading acquisition.
- Previous research has established links between phonological deficits and reading impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of a phonological-processing intervention for first-grade children at risk for reading difficulties.
- To identify children at risk for reading disabilities (RD) and garden-variety poor readers (GV).
- To evaluate the impact of the intervention on both phonological-processing skills and reading ability.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 486 first graders on reading, phonological processing, and intelligence.
- Identified 99 at-risk children (53 RD, 46 GV) using established classification criteria.
- Administered a phonological-processing intervention to half of the RD and GV groups.
Main Results:
- The phonological-processing intervention significantly improved phonological-processing skills in trained participants.
- Trained children demonstrated significant gains in reading ability.
- Both RD and GV trained groups benefited from the intervention.
- The screening device accuracy was 85% in this study, compared to ~98% in previous studies.
Conclusions:
- It is possible to identify children at risk for reading difficulties.
- Phonological-processing interventions can significantly enhance both phonological-processing and reading abilities in at-risk children.
- Early intervention is effective for diverse groups of struggling readers.
Abstract:
The present study assessed 486 first-quarter first graders on their reading and phonological-processing skills and intelligence. Based on this assessment, and using the classification data from Hurford et al.'s (1993) study, 99 children were identified as being at risk for reading difficulties: 53 children at risk for reading disabilities (RD) and 46 children at risk for becoming "garden-variety" poor readers (GV). Half of the RD and GV groups received the phonological-processing intervention. Posttraining assessment indicated that the training procedure not only was effective in increasing the phonological-processing skills of the trained participants, but also increased their reading ability. Both of the RD and GV trained groups benefited from the training. Analyses also indicated that the initial screening device was somewhat less accurate in the present study in identifying at-risk children than in our previous studies (85% vs. approximately 98%, respectively). The results of the present study indicate that it is possible to identify children at risk for reading difficulties and to significantly improve their phonological-processing and reading abilities.