This article outlines the Schoolwide Reading Improvement Model (SRIM), a model characterized by the strategic integration of research-based practices in assessment, instructional design, and beginning reading instruction. A description of each major stage of the SRIM is provided, along with an example of its application in an Oregon school…

A study investigated predictors of individual differences in responsiveness to word reading instruction in 55 typical first-graders and 41 identified as at-risk. A combination of rapid naming speed, letter sound knowledge, and phonemic awareness skill predicted word and nonword reading growth in the at-risk group. Growth modeling increased reading…

Language and reading outcomes at age 13 were examined in 22 children who were late talkers as toddlers. Compared to 14 controls, children who were late talkers had significantly poorer vocabulary, grammar, reading/spelling, and verbal memory skills, although they performed in the average range on most language and academic tasks. (Contains…

Two groups of adolescents with language impairment (n=87) were compared with 20 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 aged-matched controls, and 18 younger typical children. Adolescents with dyslexia only performed as well as those with persistent oral language impairments and younger controls in reading and spelling, however, their reading comprehension…

This participant observer report reviews research on how dyslexia complicates learning a second language, a description of how dyslexia has affected educational experiences, personal experiences learning a foreign language, and recommendations to individuals with dyslexia who are faced with fulfilling a foreign language requirement and their…

A study involving a high-school student with hyperlexia and a student with above average word recognition skills, found they scored higher on Spanish proficiency tasks that required the exclusive use of phonological and phonological/orthographic skills than on Spanish proficiency tasks requiring listening comprehension and speaking and writing…

A study compared the perceptions of 118 American teachers and 292 Japanese teachers children with learning disabilities. American teachers identified 4 percent of their children as meeting the criteria and Japanese teachers identified 1.5 percent. Americans rated high percentages of children as "weaker" in listening, speaking, reading/writing, and…

A lexical decision study with two groups of tertiary students (n=43) differing in their Chinese language ability found that even for adult readers differing in their Chinese language ability, lexicality, frequency of characters, and the consistency of semantic radicals affect accurate and rapid character identification. Teaching suggestions are…

Two-cohorts of Grade 1 English as a Second Language (ESL) (n=200) and English as a First Language (EL1) (n=70) children were followed for two years. By considering differences in phonological awareness and rapid naming, it was possible to predict variance on word recognition performance six months and one year later. (Contains references.)…

Originally given as a speech, this paper describes the double-deficit hypothesis of reading disabilities, which proposes that developmental dyslexia is due to deficits in the phonological system and in processes underlying naming speed. The paper also reports on an innovative reading fluency intervention program based on the double-deficit…

This review of the importance of rapid automatized naming (RAN) as a predictor of reading competence reports on its centrality in the double deficit hypothesis and recent research suggesting that RAN taps both visual-verbal (language domain) and processing speed (executive domain) contributions to reading. (Contains extensive references.)…

This longitudinal study of 1,075 school children from pre-kindergarten through grades 7 or 8 identified children with persistent disabilities in either reading (6.6 percent), arithmetic (2.3 percent), or both reading and arithmetic disabilities (3.4 percent). Comparison of groups found the specific arithmetic group was superior on preschool verbal…

A study of 114 12-year-olds in the Netherlands found that dyslexia was associated with deficits in: (1) phonological recoding, word recognition in both Dutch and English, and spelling skills; and (2) naming speed for letters and digits. Dyslexia was not associated with other cognitive and motor skills evaluated. (Contains extensive references.)…

This study examined differences between two subgroups of third grade dyslexics (n=72), either phonological dyslexics (lower phoneme awareness and expressive language) or delayed dyslexics (slower at processing printed words and letters but not at rapid automatic naming). Re-testing in fourth grade revealed that this classification produced…

Characteristics of spelling development and spelling error patterns were examined in 100 schoolchildren (ages 7 to 15) previously identified as dyslexic with specific phonological weaknesses. Comparison of subgroups indicated that better spellers are also better readers and that measures of phonemic segmenting and manipulation make independent…