A Guest Column by
Patrick McCabe, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Doctoral Program in Literacy
St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY
There is a strong correlation between the size of a child’s vocabulary and his reading ability.
In fact, one of the best predictors of success in reading is the quantity of words children know. While there is a correlation between words known and reading ability, and good reading comprehension requires a good vocabulary, a good vocabulary does not insure good reading comprehension. In other words, just teaching your child vocabulary words does not mean that she will automatically comprehend what she reads. Reading comprehension requires more. It requires the ability to relate ideas presented, not just knowledge of what individual words mean. Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, reading comprehension, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, vocabulary, vocabulary development
The RAVE-O Program
Guest Post
by
Melissa Orkin, M.A.
Clinical Fellow
Center for Reading and Language Research, Tufts University
As a Clinical Fellow at the Center for Reading and Language Research (CRLR) at Tufts University, I regularly speak with parents who are frustrated with the development of their child’s reading skills. Many of the families have children who have been diagnosed with reading disabilities yet others have found that although their children can adequately sound out words, they are struggling with fluency and comprehension. Read more...
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Parents and teachers who want to study a well-organized, well-written, well-researched book on reading disabilities should take a serious look at Thomas G. Gunning’s Assessing and Correcting Reading and Writing Difficulties. Every chapter of Dr. Gunning’s book deals with an important topic that can drastically affect the success—and the failure—of children with reading disabilities. Although the book is written primarily for graduate students in reading or reading disabilities programs and for teachers, it offers great value to parents who need to advocate for their child with reading disabilities. By understanding its contents (as well as that in our book, Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds), parents can more fully understand what a reading evaluation should look like, what good instruction involves, what their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) should include. Read more...
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Shortly after meeting me, parents often ask, “What program and services does my child need to overcome his reading disabilities?” They’re surprised when I say, “I don’t know enough about your child and his problems. Tell me more. Exactly what problems does he have? With what components of reading does he struggle? What can’t he do?” My response often surprises and disappoints them. Here’s my explanation.
A Reading Evaluation Needs to Pinpoint the Problem: The Five Areas of Reading
To be effective, programs that aim to improve the reading of children with reading disabilities need to focus on the child’s specific difficulties. Identifying those difficulties requires an evaluation from a reading specialist. Read more...
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