While most children learn to read fairly well, there remain many young Americans whose futures are imperiled because they do not read well enough to meet the demands of our competitive, technology-driven society. This book explores the problem within the context of social, historical, cultural, and biological factors. Recommendations address the identification of groups of children at risk, effective instruction for the preschool and early grades, effective approaches to dialects and bilingualism, the importance of these findings for the professional development of teachers, and gaps that remain in our understanding of how children learn to read. Implications for parents, teachers, schools, communities, the media, and government at all levels are discussed. The book examines the epidemiology of reading problems and introduces the concepts used by experts in the field. In a clear and readable narrative, word identification, comprehension, and other processes in normal reading development are discussed. Against the background of normal progress, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children examines factors that put children at risk of poor reading. It explores in detail how literacy can be fostered from birth through kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation of philosophies, systems, and materials commonly used to teach reading.

From August 19-23 1996 an international expert meeting on problems and interventions in literacy development took place in Amsterdam. The meeting was organized by Pieter Reitsma (Paedologisch Instituut - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and Ludo Verhoeven (University of Nijmegen), and funded by the Dutch National Science Foundation. Various experts in the field of literacy problems from 12 countries attended the meeting while presenting a paper based on current peESpectives and recent research. A selection of the papers being presented is now integrated into a single academic reference, after being edited and updated. The editors wish to thank all contributors to this volume for redrafting their original papers. The present volume aims to integrate recent research in field of literacy problems and interventions into a single academic reference. The volume will capture the state of the art in the rapidly expanding field of literacy problems and interventions. The target group of readers of this volume includes researchers and graduate students in language and literacy development. Moreover, the book is of interest for practitioners working in the field of literacy problems. Pieter Reitsma and Ludo Verhoeven vii LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Peter Afflerbach - University of Maryland, 2304C Benjamin Building, College Park MD 20742, USA Jesus Alegria - Universite Libre de Bruxelles, LAPSE CP 191, Avenue F. Roosevelt 50, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium Elisabeth Arnbak - Department of General & Applied Linguistics, Njalsgade 80, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark Janwillem Bast - Paedologisch Instituut-VU Amsterdam, Postbus 303, 1115 ZG Duivendrecht, The Netherlands.

This user-friendly guide has been thoroughly revised to reflect significant changes in the way schools deliver reading instruction and intervention, especially for students at risk for reading failure. Step-by-step strategies target key areas of literacy development: phonological awareness, fluency, and comprehension. Particular emphasis is placed on scientifically based practices that do not require major curricular change and can be applied with students of varying ages and ability levels. In a large-size format with lay-flat binding for ease of photocopying, the book includes 17 reproducible assessment and instructional tools. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by T. Chris Riley-Tillman. New to This Edition: *Chapter on multi-tiered intervention delivery, plus additional discussion in other relevant chapters. *Chapter on interventions for English learners (ELs). *Chapter on vocabulary instruction, intervention, and assessment. *Additional graphing and data-analysis tools. *Coverage of new resources available through federal supports.

This comprehensive, user-friendly guide meets a growing need for school psychologists and other practitioners called on to work with struggling readers and their teachers. Presented are a systematic framework and a wealth of step-by-step strategies for targeting key areas of literacy development: phonological awareness, fluency, and comprehension. Particular emphasis is placed on scientifically based assessment and intervention practices that do not require major curricular change and can be applied with students of varying ages and ability levels. Featuring over 35 reproducible assessment and instructional tools--in a large-size format with lay-flat binding for ease of photocopying and use--the book also offers practical pointers for establishing an effective consultation relationship and documenting student progress over time. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series.

In this volume, several topics of relevance to the issue of identification and assessment of learning and behavioural disabilities are discussed by leading scholars, in reviews of recent relevant research, policy analyses, and new investigations with original data.

This user-friendly guide has been thoroughly revised to reflect significant changes in the way schools deliver reading instruction and intervention, especially for students at risk for reading failure. Step-by-step strategies target key areas of literacy development: phonological awareness, fluency, and comprehension. Particular emphasis is placed on scientifically based practices that do not require major curricular change and can be applied with students of varying ages and ability levels. In a convenient large-size format for ease of photocopying, the book includes 17 reproducible assessment and instructional tools. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. New to This Edition: *Chapter on multi-tiered intervention delivery, plus additional discussion in other relevant chapters. *Chapter on interventions for English learners (ELs). *Chapter on vocabulary instruction, intervention, and assessment. *Additional graphing and data-analysis tools. *Coverage of new resources available through federal supports. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by Sandra M. Chafouleas.

This book presents a research-supported framework for early literacy instruction that aligns with multi-tiered response-to-intervention (RTI) models. The book focuses on giving teachers a better understanding of literacy development and how to effectively support children as they begin to read and write. The authors' interactive strategies approach is designed around essential instructional goals related both to learning to identify words and to comprehending text. Detailed guidance is provided on ways to target these goals with K–2 students at risk for reading difficulties. Assessment and instructional strategies for whole-class, small-group, and one-to-one settings are discussed in depth. Numerous reproducible forms for documenting student learning are included.