Implementing a Multimethod, Multilevel Literacy Program for Students with Mental Retardation

Abstract

The present descriptive study was a year-long investigation into the literacy development of nine elementary students with mild to moderate mental retardation (mean CA = 9.8; IQ scores available for seven students, mean IQ = 57.7; IQ range = 40-76). The teacher instructed the students using a balanced, multimethod, multilevel language arts framework that blended more traditional approaches to teaching reading, such as phonics and basal instruction, with holistic and contextualized approaches that included reading children's literature and process writing. The children made measurable gains in several areas, including the use of word identification and reading comprehension strategies, metalinguistics, written language, and confidence with the written word. The authors suggest practical applications for classroom teachers. earning how to read and write t printed language appears to dominate the early schooling of most children in the United States. In con-

A Model of Phonological Processing, Language, and Reading for Students With Mild Intellectual Disability

“…The results indicated that children who received the phonological reading instruction performed better on tests of “sounding out” (i.e., speaking the individual phonemes in a printed word) and pronouncing a whole word compared to the control group for a set of instructed items and a set of transfer items. A study by Hedrick, Katims, and Carr (1999) obtained similar results. They implemented a multifaceted reading intervention with nine children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.…”

“…For example, Hedrick and colleagues (1999) demonstrated that a multimethod approach to literacy instruction that emphasized decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing resulted in significant reading gains for individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disability . Likewise, Conners and colleagues (2006) demonstrated that a phonological skills instruction program helps children with intellectual disability learn skills related to phonological awareness.…”

‘They’re a lot cleverer than I thought’: challenging perceptions of disability support staff as they tutor in an adult literacy program

“…All activities undertaken in the training sessions focused on the use of literacy teaching models and strategies based around the theme of developing life stories with adults with intellectual disabilities (Hedrick et al 1999, Guthrie and Davis 2003, Salinger 2003, Sigafoos and Arthur 2005. The first authors developed video clips of young adults with intellectual disabilities working with tutors.…”

Literacy skills of adults with intellectual disabilities in two community‐based day programs

“…However, adolescent and adult learning, especially literacy learning, is not often considered an option for individuals with moderate and higher support needs due to their intellectual disability (van Kraayenoord, Moni, Jobling, & Ziebarth, 2002). In secondary school and as part of their post-school options programs, the focus is often on social, vocational, and daily living skills to the exclusion of meaningful literacy (Hedrick, Katims, & Carr, 1999).…”