Simply put, no reading method or commercial program is best for teaching reading to children with reading disabilities. Every method or program has flaws. As Richard Allington, past President of the International Reading Association, has noted, no program is complete, no program is as important as the teacher:
Yes. His thinking may cause him to quit, or rebel, or ignore what’s taught. This undermines learning and the growth of self-regulation, so important for independent functioning.
Because emotions and actions are often driven by conscious thoughts, we’ll emphasize some of the thought processes involved with self-regulation. But first we’ll define self-regulation, a concept that schools often ignore at the peril of children with reading disabilities. Then we’ll discuss the consequences of two common thinking patterns. Finally we’ll recommend three books to help you help your child.
Self-Regulation
Many children suffer emotionally because they cannot cope with academic demands. But they can develop specific skills to help them cope effectively. By doing so, they increase their motivation for learning and decrease their emotional distress.
These skills form the basis of “self-regulation,” which Lyn Corno and Ellen Mandinach (1983) broadly defined as the effort put forth by students to deepen, monitor, manipulate, and improve their own learning. Clearly, such activities are important for learning, which in the final analysis depends on the learners’ willingness and skill to meet the demands placed on them. Moreover, self-regulated learners understand the important links underlying what they think, what they feel, and what they do or don’t do.
