Reading skills among students with intellectual disabilities.
Almost one-third of students with ID still cannot read, but small trials show structured phonics and segment-unit methods can change that.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ratz et al. (2013) asked Bavarian teachers about the reading and writing skills of students with intellectual disability. They collected one-time survey data from schools across the region. The sample covered kids and young adults aged 5–25 who were enrolled in special-education programs.
What they found
Three in ten students with ID could not read a single word. Another third had only basic letter-sound knowledge. Writing scores were even lower than reading scores across the group.
How this fits with other research
Eisenhower et al. (2006) ran an earlier RCT and found that direct phonics lessons raised decoding scores for children with ID. Their trial contradicts the gloomy survey numbers, but the difference is design: they taught skills, while Christoph simply counted them.
Omori et al. (2018) extended the story by showing two non-readers with ID who learned to understand short sentences after segment-unit reading training. The single-case data prove that the low rates in the survey can move with the right instruction.
Kleinert et al. (2007) used the same survey method and showed that many students with ID already join school clubs. Together the two surveys map where inclusion stands: extracurricular access is growing, yet literacy remains stuck.
Why it matters
If you write IEP goals for students with ID, assume zero reading ability until data say otherwise. Start with phonological awareness and segment-by-segment reading like the programs that worked in earlier studies. Do not wait for writing to catch up naturally—plan separate, explicit writing goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) display an extremely wide variety of skills in the field of literacy, and the ability to read and write are central learning aims in the education of students with ID. It is vital to gain detailed knowledge on the literacy skills of students with ID in order to plan instruction, create learning environments, implement educational policies or funding models and specify future fields of research. However, there has been little research into the prevalence and variation of their reading skills. The present study assessed the reading stages of 1629 school-aged students with ID regardless of aetiology (age 6-21) in Bavaria, one of the largest regions in Germany within a randomly chosen and representative sample. Teachers described the reading and writing stages of their students in a questionnaire following the developmental model of Frith. Results indicate that 29.3% do not read at all, 6.8% read at a logographic stage, 31.9% at an alphabetic and 32% at an orthographic level. Writing achievements are lower on average. We analyze and discuss the determinants of literacy in this sample with regard to the sociocultural background of students with ID and draw conclusions for teaching and school policies.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.01.021