A First-Grade Intervention Program for Children at Risk for Reading Failure

Abstract

All children entering first grade in two suburban elementary schools in Western Australia (N=124 ) were tested with the Satz test battery for early identification of failing readers. Twenty-one children were identified as being at risk after excluding those who were likely to be generally retarded intellectually. All 21 children continued to attend normal first-grade classes throughout the year, with the experimental group being withdrawn for two periods per week for six months for individual sensory-integrative therapy. At the end of the year the experimental group had reached a level of reading that was significantly higher than the control group. One and two years later, with no further intervention, the reading scores of the experimental group were still significantly higher than those of the control group.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Andrews, R.J. , St. Lucia Graded Word Reading Test. Brisbane Australia: Teaching and Testing Resources, 1969 .

Ayres, A.J. , Improving academic scores through sensory integration. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 1972,5,338-343. (a)

Ayres, A.J. , Sensory Integration and Learning Disorders. Los Angeles : Western Psychological Services, 1972. (b)

Beery, K. , Buktenica, N. , Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Chicago : Follett Publishing Co., 1967.

Benton, A.L. , Development of finger localization capacity in young children. Child Development, 1956, 27, 225-230.

Birch, M.G. , Belmont, L. , Auditory-visual integration, intelligence and reading ability in school children Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1965 , 20, 295-305.

Dunn, L.M. , Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Circle Pines, Minn.: American Guidance Service, 1959.

Goldberg, H.K. , Vision, perception and related facts in dyslexia. In A. Keeney , V. Keeney (Eds.), Dyslexia: Diagnosis and Treatment of Reading Disorders. St. Louis: C.V. Mosby Company, 1968 .

Grimwood, L. , Report to the Dyslexia Research Foundation. Unpublished manuscript, 1976.

10.

Keogh, B.K. , Becker, L.D. , Early detection of learning problems, questions, cautions and guidelines Exceptional Child, 1973, 40, 5-11.

11.

Mathews, C.R.T. , Cadman, A.G. , Report of the Select Committee on Specific Learning Difficulties. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1976.

12.

Neale, M.D. , Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd. , 1966.

13.

Piaget, J. , The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York : International University Press, 1952.

14.

Piaget, J. , The Language and Thought of the Child (rev. ed.). London : Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., 1959.

15.

Piaget, J. , Six Psychological Studies. New York: Random House, 1967.

16.

Piaget, J. , Inhelder, B. , The Child's Conception of Space. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., 1956.

17.

Proeger, T.S. , Grapheme Discrimination Training in Children Predicted To Develop Reading Difficulties. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, 1976.

18.

Satz, P. , Friel, J. , Some predictive antecedents of specific learning disability: A preliminary one-year follow-up. In P. Satz , J. Ross (Eds.), The Disabled Learner: Early Detection and Intervention. Rotterdam: University Press, 1973.

19.

Satz, P. , Friel, J. , Rudegair, J. , Some predictive antecedents of specific reading disability: A two-, three- and four-year follow-up. In J. Guthrie (Ed.), Aspects of Reading Acquisition. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.

20.

Satz, P. , Taylor, H.G. , Friel, J. , Fletcher, J.M. , Some developmental and predictive precursors of reading disabilities: A six-year follow-up. In A.L. Benton , D. Pearl (Eds.), Dyslexia: A Critical Appraisal of Current Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.

21.

Small, N. , Levels of Perceptual Functioning in Children: A Developmental Study. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Florida, 1968.

22.

Silberberg, N. , Silberberg, M. , Iversen, I. , The effects of kindergarten instruction in alphabet and numbers on first grade reading. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 1972, 5, 254-261.

23.

Stanley, J.C. (Ed.), Compensatory Education for Children Ages 2-8: Recent Studies of Educational Intervention. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press , 1973.

24.

White, M. , Lefroy, R. , Weston, D. , Treating Reading Disabilities. San Rafael, Calif. : Academic Therapy Publications, 1975.