Parent perceptions regarding literacy instruction for students with intellectual disability.
Parents say behavior blocks reading in elementary, while high schools just do not schedule enough literacy—so write IEPs that protect time and add motivation tools.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Beck et al. (2021) asked parents of students with intellectual disability what gets in the way of reading lessons. They used a survey. Parents answered for both elementary and high-school kids.
The team wanted to know if the roadblocks change as kids move up grades.
What they found
Parents of younger kids said behavior and motivation are the big problems. Parents of teens said the school simply does not give enough time for reading.
All parents still wanted strong literacy goals on the IEP.
How this fits with other research
Park et al. (2018) found that more in-school services predict later jobs for students with ID. Y et al. extend that idea: if high schools cut literacy minutes, they may also cut future employment.
Collin et al. (2013) showed that high-quality IEPs drive goal success for autistic students. Y et al. add parent voice: IEPs must also guard enough literacy time, especially in high school.
Two Anonymous (2019) papers found parent concerns land in final IEP goals only about two-thirds of the time. That gap matches Y et al.’s finding: parents want literacy, but schools may not schedule it.
Why it matters
Check the IEP draft right now. If the student is in high school, add a line that guarantees daily literacy minutes. If the student is younger, build in behavior supports that keep the child at the table. Parents already told us these are the choke points; use their data to tighten the plan before the meeting ends.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Open the current IEP, scan the schedule grid, and add a guaranteed number of weekly literacy minutes.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Parents offer a unique perspective as they may view literacy instruction through the lens of its direct impact on their child's daily life. Further, they are likely to provide insight into the interactions between the perceived effectiveness of instruction and their expectations for their child's success. The purposes of the current investigation were to explore perceptions of parents of children with intellectual disability (ID) related to their child's literacy instruction in schools and understand parental expectations for their child's literacy performance. METHODS: In the current investigation, we surveyed 211 parents of children with ID in one state within the USA to identify their perceptions related to their child's literacy outcomes and instruction. The survey instrument contained 25 items including 9 multiple-choice, 12 multiple-selection, 2 open-response and 2 rank order items. RESULTS: Data indicated significant differences across grade bands related to the type of skills students engage in learning, the importance of specific literacy skills and the challenges or barriers for students to engage in literacy instruction. The overwhelming majority of parents reported their child learning to read as very important and believe there is a difference in life outcomes between children who can read written words and those who cannot. Parents of elementary school children report barriers of disruptive behaviour, the inability of children to remain seated and distractibility more so than parents of secondary students. Parents of high school students reported a lack of instructional time more often than parents of middle and elementary school. CONCLUSIONS: While parents across grade bands reported the importance of literacy skills for students with ID and instruction in reading comprehension, listening comprehension and vocabulary, some differences were noted. Only half the parents reported an increased focus on literacy instruction, including on essential skills (e.g. decoding), in the earlier grades. Problem behaviour and motivation served as barriers to literacy for elementary students, and a lack of instructional time served as a barrier to writing for high school students.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2021 · doi:10.1111/jir.12795