Two experiments were conducted to investigate possible deficiencies in strategies used for decoding words by 20 children (ages 20-12) with intellectual disabilities. Results indicated that subjects did not make use of information in words (specifically letter position cues) to aid in their identification, whereas beginning and experienced…

Examines the efficacy of three assisted reading techniques designed to address reading fluency deficits: repeated reading, oral previewing, and tape-recorded assistance. Reviews procedures and the research base for each. Discusses classroom implications. (SR)

Suggests that the majority of poor readers are poor at discriminating similar letters/words and at letter recognition. Argues that general sensory perceptive training does not improve subsequent reading development but that specific letter/word training in discrimination and recognition has a favorable effect. (RS)

Examines the effects of onset and rime awareness on children's recognition of spelling patterns in written words. Reports that onset-rime awareness was associated with word ending similarities, whereas word beginning analogies appeared to involve higher-level phonological skills. Suggests longitudinal research regarding the issue. (SG)

This study of the automatic word and sign recognition of 66 hearing and deaf adults found that responding in sign took longer and created more Stroop interference than responding orally, independent of hearing status. Deaf subjects showed greater automaticity in recognizing signs than words, whereas hearing subjects showed greater automaticity in…

Naming speed skills of 45 dyslexic children (mean ages=8, 13, and 17) and slow learning children (mean age=10) were compared with those of normally achieving children. Results indicated that children with dyslexia and slow learners have persistent and severe problems in naming speed for all stimuli, regardless of whether the stimulus requires…

In view of assertions that reading is a form of constrained reasoning, evidence is presented that indicates that lexical access in fluent readers is not at all like reasoning or problem solving. Reading theory is discussed in terms of cognitive science, connectionism, context use in word recognition, modularity, constructivism, and phonological…

Discusses development and implementation of an approach to decoding in which students use words they know to decode those they do not know. Discusses how an analogy approach was implemented in a tutorial setting. Offers guidelines for how the approach can be used in regular classrooms, including whole language classrooms. (RS)

Provides convergent evidence of a developmental sequence in kindergartners' emerging knowledge of word: beginning consonant knowledge facilitates a child's concept of word in text, which in turn facilitates phoneme segmentation, which in turn facilitates word recognition. (SR)

Presents an overview and evaluation of a computer program directed toward the remediation of children's deficits in word recognition and phonological decoding. Finds that students improved their word recognition skills and phonological decoding of nonwords. Notes that the most severely disabled readers showed the largest gains. Discusses…

Examines the roles of orthographic, meaning, and phonological processors in children's word recognition. Finds that graphemic complexity accounted for the highest amount of variance at each level, with other variables shifting across age in a pattern consistent with a stage development model of word recognition. (RS)

A study examined the processing of low-phonetic-substance inflections versus a higher-phonetic-substance inflection by 21 children (age 8) with specific language impairments (SLI), 21 chronological age matched, and 21 receptive syntax matched children in a word-recognition reaction time (RT) task and an off-line task requiring judgments about…

A study examined the influence of emphatic stress on word learning of 20 children (ages 6 to 9) with specific language impairments and 20 typical children. There were no significant stress effects for comprehension or recognition of novel words; however, children in both groups exhibited better word production when presented with emphatic stress.…

Describes the "Failure Free Reading Program," based on effective principles identified in research on successful reading programs. Key steps in teaching word recognition and comprehension skills include previewing, listening, presenting content from the story, reading, and reviewing the story. Significant differences in performance were found.…

Synthesizes major research findings about improving reading skills in typical students and students who have severe to profound hearing impairments. Addresses three major components of instruction: word identification, word meaning, and comprehension. Instructional implications for improving the reading comprehension of students with hearing…