The relative frequency of poor readers in Dutch general elementary education (GEE) and special elementary education (SEE) and the characteristics of their reading performance were investigated using a lexical decision procedure. According to the same norms that identified 9% of students as poor readers in GEE, no less than 73% of the students in SEE were classified as poor readers. On average, the GEE poor readers were better readers than those in SEE, but the findings do not point to substantial differences in reading processes between the two reader groups. Hypotheses about the nature of the referral process that may cause this surprisingly strong relation between poor reading ability and SEE placement are advanced.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aarnoutse, C., van Leeuwe, J., Voeten, M., & Oud, J. (2001). Development of decoding, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling during the elementary school years. Reading and Writing, 14, 61— 89.
2.
Adams, J.W., Snowling, M.J., Hennessy, S.M., & Kind, P. (1999). Problems of behaviour, reading and arithmetic: Assessments of comorbidity using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. TheBritish Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 571— 585.
3.
Baayen, R.H., Piepenbrock, R., & van Run, H. (1993). The Celex lexical database [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Linguistic Data Consortium.
4.
Booij, G. (1995). The phonology of Dutch. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
5.
Bouwers, H., & van Goor, H. (1996). Diagnostiek en behandeling van leesproblemen [Diagnosing and treating reading problems]. Baar, the Netherlands: Intro.
6.
Bradley, R., Danielson, L. , & Hallahan, D. P. (Eds.). (2002). Identification of learning disabilities: Research to practice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum .
7.
Brus, B.T., & Voeten, M.J.M. (1972). Eenminuut test [One-minute test]. Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Berkhout.
8.
Butler, S.R., Marsh, H.W., Sheppard, M.J., & Sheppard, L.J. (1985). Seven-year longitudinal study of the early prediction of reading achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 349—361.
9.
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek [Central Statistics Office of the Netherlands]. (2002). Aantal leerlingen in het primair onderwijs vanaf 1991/92 [Number of students in elementary education since 1991/92]. Voorburg/Heerlen , the Netherlands: Author.
10.
Eurydice Database on Education. (n.d.) Retrieved June 28, 2005, from http://194.78.211.243/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=NL&language=EN .
11.
Francis, D.J., Shaywitz, S.E., Stuebing, K.K., Shaywitz, B.A., & Fletcher, J.M. (1996). Developmental lag versus deficit models of reading disability: A longitudinal, individual growth curves analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 3—17.
12.
Fuchs, L.S., & Fuchs, D. (2002). Mathematical problem-solving profiles of students with mathematics disabilities with and without comorbid reading disabilities . Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35, 563— 573.
13.
Gersons-Wolfensberger, D.C.M., & Ruijssenaars, A.J.J.M. (1997). Definition and treatment of dyslexia: A report by the Committee on dyslexia of the Health Council of the Netherlands. Journal of Learning Disabilities , 30, 209—213.
14.
Health Council of the Netherlands, Committee on Dyslexia. (1995). Dyslexie. Afbakening en behandeling [Dyslexia. Definition and treatment] (Publication No. 1995/15). The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands.
15.
Inspectie van het Onderwijs [Inspectorate for Education]. (2002). De kwaliteit van het speciaal basisonderwijs [The quality of special elementary education]. The Hague: Department of Education.
16.
Kohnstamm, G.A., Schaerlaekens, A.M., de Vries, A.K., Akkerhuis, G.W., & Frooninckx, M. (1981). Nieuwe streeflijst woordenschat voor 6-jarigen gebaseerd op onderzoek in Nederland en België [New vocabulary target list for 6-year-olds based on research in the Netherlands and Belgium]. Lisse, the Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.
17.
Lerner, J. (1993). Learning disabilities: Theories, diagnosis, and teaching strategies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
18.
Light, J.G., & DeFries, J.C. (1995). Comorbidity of reading and mathematics disabilities: Genetic and environmental etiologies. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28, 96—106.
19.
Maughan, B., Rowe, R., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2003). Reading problems and depressed mood. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 219—229.
20.
Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen [Department of Education, Culture, and Sciences] (2003). Kerncijfers 1998—2003 [Core statistics 1998— 2003]. The Hague: Author.
21.
Pearn, C.A. (1994). A connection between mathematics and language development in early mathematics . In G. Bell, R. Wright, N. Leeson, & J. Geake (Eds.), Challenges in mathematics education: Constraints on construction (Vol. 2, pp. 463— 470). Lismore, NSW, Australia: Southern Cross University.
22.
Pisecco, S., Baker, D.B., Silva, P.A., & Brooke, M. (2001). Boys with reading disabilities and/or ADHD: Distinctions in early childhood. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 98—106.
23.
Reitsma, P., & Verhoeven, L. (1990). Acquisition of written Dutch: An introduction . In P. Reitsma & L. Verhoeven (Eds.), Acquisition of reading in Dutch. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Foris.
24.
Staphorsius, K., Krom, R.S.H., & de Geus, K. (1988). Frequenties van woordvormen en letterposities in jeugdlectuur [Frequencies of word forms and letter positions in juvenile literature]. Arnhem, the Netherlands: CITO.
25.
Tressoldi, P.E., Stella, G., & Fagella, M. (2001). The development of reading speed in Italians with dyslexia: A longitudinal study. Journal of Learning Disabilities , 34, 67—78.
26.
van Bon, W.H.J., & Libert, J.E.A. (1997). Oral reading and silent reading compared: Evidence for a subtype of poor readers. Polish Psychological Bulletin,28, 59—70.
27.
van Bon, W.H.J., Hoevenaars, L.T.M., & Jongeneelen, J.J. (2004). Using paper-and-pencil lexical-decision tests to assess word decoding skill: Aspects of validity and reliability. Journal of Research in Reading, 27, 58—68.
28.
van Bon, W.H.J., Tooren, P.H., & van Eekelen, M.C.J.D. (2000). Lexical decision and oral reading by poor and normal readers. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 15, 259—270.
29.
Verhoeven, L. (1993). Drie-minuten toets [Three-minutes test]. Arnhem, the Netherlands: CITO.
30.
Willcutt, E.G., & Pennington, B.F. (2000a). Psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with reading disability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 41, 1039—1048.
31.
Willcutt, E.G., & Pennington, B.F. (2000b). Comorbidity of reading disability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Differences by gender and subtype. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 179—191.
