Reading disabilities and instruction
By far the most frequently diagnosed learning disabilities are those that have to do with language, and more specifically with reading. A common learning disability manifested in reading problems is developmental reading disorder, also called dyslexia, or specific reading disability. Its main feature is impairment in recognizing words and in understanding what is read. These difficulties are not related to intellectual disability, physical problems such as deafness, or inadequate schooling. Other reading-related learning disabilities are sometimes evidence in any of the following problems: attention difficulty, perceptual problems, poor motivation or attitude, poor sound-symbol association, memory problems, language deficits, and transfer difficulties.
Resources:
Services and Programs
- Curriculum-Based Measurement for Reading and Math
Weekly Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) tests provide systematic, frequent feedback to students and teachers. CBM is one of several validated classroom-based and school-wide interventions developed to increase educators' capacity to improve students' learning and to accommodate diverse learning needs. - Henderson Training Series for Educators
This annual series of workshops provides training for general and special education teachers, with the goal of improving the quality of education for students with diverse learning needs in inclusive settings. - Research Family Partners
Research Family Partners is a program that helps families connect with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center research studies in which they may be interested in taking part. - Services for Educators
Includes outreach programs for educators. - Tennessee Disability Pathfinder - An internet community and statewide helpline
Phone, web, and print resources in English and Spanish to connect the Tennessee disability community with service providers. Referral services, free of cost, are provided to persons with disabilities, family members, service providers, and advocates. - VKC Reading Clinic
The Reading Clinic provides intensive, individualized, one-to-one tutoring using assessment and instructional methods proven by research to promote reading; serving primarily children through middle school.
Back to Index
Links and Resources
- International Dyslexia Association
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with dyslexia, their families and the communities that support them. - National Center on the Response to Intervention
Rigorous implementation of RTI includes a combination of high quality, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction; assessment; and evidence-based intervention. Comprehensive RTI implementation will contribute to more meaningful identification of learning and behavioral problems, improve instructional quality, provide all students with the best opportunities to succeed in school, and assist with the identification of learning disabilities and other disabilities. - National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators
NCITE's purpose is to advance the quality and effectiveness of technology, media, and materials for individuals with disabilities. NCITE creates a marketplace demand for the selection and appropriate use of research-based technology, media, and materials. - The IRIS Center
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the IRIS Center develops training enhancement materials to be used by faculty and professional development providers for the preparation of current and future school personnel.
Back to Index
StudyFinder - Participate in a study related to Reading disabilities and instruction
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers need subjects to complete the studies listed below.
Back to Index
- New Approaches to Developing Reading and Math Programs for Students with Serious Learning Problems
February 27, 2013
Intervention 2.0 Series
Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., and Donald Compton, Ph.D., Professors of Special Education - Reading Disabilities: Cognitive and Neurobiological Linkages
Video from the Developmental Disabilities Grand Rounds, featuring Laurie Cutting, Ph.D., on September 8, 2010. - Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Reading Clinic - A Parent’s Story - Lunch and Learn Video - May 18, 2010
Dominique Miller presents at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Lunch and Learn on May 18, 2010. - Educational Neuroscience: Insights into Attention, Reading, and Mathematics
Bruce McCandliss, Ph.D., Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member presents at the October, 2009 Developmental Disabilities Grand Rounds. - Reading Clinic Graduation, 2009
Photos from the Reading Clinic's graduation in May, 2009.
Back to Index
In the News
Back to Index
