Stefan Gustafson

Intelligence and dyslexia : Implications for diagnosis and intervention

In this paper we critically examine theoretical issues and practical consequences of including IQ in the definition of dyslexia. According to the discrepancy criterion individuals are classified as dyslexic if their reading skills are below what would be expected from their IQ scores. However, we argue that intelligence is a fuzzy concept and that there is no clear causal relationship between intelligence level and word decoding skills. Also, high and low IQ poor readers show the same reading performance patterns, indicating that both groups might benefit from the same remedial activities. Evidence for the critical role of phonological skills in dyslexia is presented and a more recent definition of dyslexia is discussed in relation to these findings. Finally, two alternative, more outcome-based classifications of poor readers are suggested and some critical consequences for individual interventions are outlined.

Computer-Assisted Interventions Targeting Reading Skills of Children with Reading Disabilities--A Longitudinal Study.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of three computerized interventions on the reading skills of children with reading disabilities in Grade 2. This longitudinal intervention study included five test sessions over 1 year. Two test points occur before the intervention, and three afterwards. The last follow-up was conducted 1 year after the first measurement. One hundred thirty children in Grade 2 participated in the study. Three groups of children with reading difficulties received computerized training programmes: one aimed at improving word decoding skills and phonological abilities, the second focused on word and sentence levels and the third was a combination of these two training programmes. A fourth group received ordinary special instruction. In addition, there was one comparison group with age-matched typical readers. All groups improved their reading skills. The group that received combined training showed greater improvement than the one with ordinary special instruction and the group of typical readers at two follow-ups. The longitudinal results indicate additional positive results for the group that received the combined training, the majority of students from that group being no longer judged to be needing special education 1 year after the intervention.

A longitudinal study of early reading difficulties and subsequent problem behaviors.

It is generally believed that early academic failure in school develops into a downward spiral of negative motivational and behavioral consequences. In this study, children with reading difficulties were compared with typical readers on questionnaires measuring ADHD symptoms and other behavior problems such as withdrawn symptoms, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, social problems, and aggression. The results revealed that reading difficulties and problem behaviors appear more independent of each other rather than problem behaviors being a consequence of reading failure. In addition, gender differences were negligible when examining the relationship between reading difficulties and subsequent problem behavior. Some implications for special education and intervention are suggested.

Effects of Three Interventions on the Reading Skills of Children With Reading Disabilities in Grade 2

In a longitudinal intervention study, the effects of three intervention strategies on the reading skills of children with reading disabilities in Grade 2 were analyzed. The interventions consisted of computerized training programs: One bottom-up intervention aimed at improving word decoding skills and phonological abilities, the second intervention focused on top-down processing on the word and sentence levels, and the third was a combination of these two training programs (n = 25 in each group). In addition, there were two comparison groups, 25 children with reading disabilities who received ordinary special instruction and 30 age-matched typical readers. All reading disabled participants completed 25 training sessions with special education teachers. All groups improved their reading skills. The group who received combined training showed higher improvements than the ordinary special instruction group and the typical readers. Different cognitive variables were related to treatment gains for different groups. Thus, a treatment combining bottom-up and top-down aspects of reading was the most effective in general, but individual differences among children need to be considered.

Why Do Some Resist Phonological Intervention? A Swedish longitudinal study of poor readers in Grade 4

In a longitudinal intervention study, 33 Swedish poor readers in Grade 4 received phonological awareness instruction over 1 year. Three control groups were included in the study: Grade 4 controls, Grade 2 controls (both comparable in reading skill) and normal readers. The results showed that the phonological training group made the most progress in phonological awareness but did not improve their reading skills any more than the controls. However, a re-analysis of the results revealed important individual differences within the phonological training group. Some children improved their reading ability considerably, while others seemed resistant to the intervention. One critical difference between improved and resistant readers was identified. For the improved readers, both orthographic and phonological word decoding predicted text reading performance. For the resistant readers, only orthographic decoding skills predicted text reading before, during and after the intervention, in spite of a steady increase in phonological awareness.

Cognitive Abilities and Print Exposure in Surface and Phonological Types of Reading Disability.

Subgroups of children with reading disabilities were identified by using the regression method introduced by Castles and Coltheart (1993). Children who were poor in phonological, compared to orthographic, word decoding were identified as phonological-type participants, and children who were poor in orthographic, compared to phonological, decoding were identified as surface-type participants. The results replicated previous findings reported that if categorizations are based on comparisons with younger reading-level-matched controls instead of age-matched controls, the number of surface-type children is significantly reduced. Surface-type children performed below the other groups on most cognitive measures and reported that there were fewer books in their homes, and phonological-type children showed a specific deficit in phonological word decoding. The results provided additional support for the hypothesis that the surface type of reading disability can be characterized as a general developmental delay.

Visual and auditory priming in Swedish poor readers: a double dissociation

Schacter et al. (1990) found support for a functional dissociation between visual and auditory priming effects in a letter-by-letter reader. Their conclusions were based on the perceptual represent ...

The Development of Word‐decoding Skills in Young Readers

Most of the research on the acquisition of word-decoding skills has almost exclusively focused on the ability to read words in isolation. The purpose of this article is to extend our knowledge to t ...

Response to Intervention and Dynamic Assessment: Implementing Systematic, Dynamic and Individualised Interventions in Primary School

In recent years, response to intervention (RTI) has been the focus of research, debate and educational implementations, especially regarding early reading instruction. RTI provides an educational framework characterised by different tiers or layers of instruction, providing increasingly more intense and individualised interventions for children in primary school. The purpose is to provide high-quality instruction to meet the needs of all learners by means of a systematic and dynamic approach. RTI can also serve as a source of information for disability determination. Dynamic assessment (DA) is a concept closely related to RTI, although DA focuses on individual learners regardless of the educational system and has a much shorter time frame than RTI. The present article provides a description and comparison of RTI and DA and an analysis of the merits and limitations of these concepts, based on the debates between researchers. It also discusses how DA could be used within a broader RTI system. Finally, we discuss the roles of cognitive or neuropsychological assessments in relation to RTI.

How Simple is the Simple View of Reading

According to the Simple View of Reading, reading ability can be divided into decoding and language comprehension. In the present study, decoding and comprehensions contribution to reading ability was studied both in children with reading difficulties and in children with typical reading ability. Decoding and comprehension was further divided into sub-components, and the contribution from non-verbal ability and general processing speed was also studied. The results demonstrated that decoding made the largest contribution to reading ability for children with reading difficulties, while language comprehension contributed the most for children with typical reading ability. The contribution of non-verbal ability was not significant, and general processing speed only made a significant contribution to decoding for typical children. The two factors in the Simple View of Reading, decoding and comprehension, together explained less of the variance in reading ability for children with reading difficulties than for children with typical reading ability.