Teaching Early Reading Skills to Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Using Computer-Delivered Instruction: A Pilot Study

The READ-IT study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of using a support worker/family carer mediated online reading programme to teach early reading skills to adults with intellectual disabilities

Background

Many individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have not learnt basic reading skills by the time that they reach adulthood, potentially limiting their access to critical information. READ-IT is an online reading programme developed from the Headsprout® Early Reading (HER®) intervention and supplemented by support strategies tailored for adults with ID. HER® has been successfully used to teach adults with ID to read in a forensic setting by trained staff. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of delivering READ-IT to adults with ID by family carers/support workers and will assess whether it would be feasible to conduct a later definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the effectiveness of the programme. The study will aim to contribute to the evidence base on improving outcomes for adults with ID and their caregivers.

Methods

This study is a feasibility RCT, with embedded process evaluation. Forty-eight adults with ID will be recruited and allocated to intervention: control on a 1:1 basis. Intervention families will be offered the READ-IT programme immediately, continuing to receive usual practice and control participants will be offered the opportunity to receive READ-IT at the end of the trial follow-up period and will continue to receive usual practice. Data will be collected at baseline and 6 months post-randomisation.

Discussion

The results of this study will inform a potential future definitive trial, to evaluate the effectiveness of READ-IT to improve reading skills. Such a trial would have significant scientific impact internationally in the intellectual disability field.

Trial registration

ISRCTN11409097

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40814-022-00972-x.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Headsprout on the Reading Outcomes in Children With Autism Using Parents as Facilitators

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are considered an at-risk population for reading delays and challenges. In recent years, there has been emerging support for the computer-assisted instruction (CAI) Headsprout with respect to reading outcomes in children with ASD. CAI, often used within classrooms, is designed using automated and carefully sequenced instruction. A randomized controlled trial was used to explore the implementation of Headsprout by parents, including a treatment package (i.e., behavioral skills training, an online support group, and a consultative model) within the home environment, with their children with ASD. A between-groups design was used to evaluate the effects of Headsprout on the reading outcomes and print motivation of a sample of 26 children with ASD. Thirteen children were in the experimental (Headsprout) group, and thirteen were in the control group receiving treatment as usual. Supplementary online supports were provided to parents based on specific learning problems identified during the intervention. Results demonstrated that participants who received Headsprout showed greater gains in reading rate, word reading, non-word reading, and target sounds and words within Headsprout than the control group. The results of print motivation demonstrated that only Headsprout-specific print material resulted in an increase in assessed preference at posttests.

Effect of computer-based multisensory program on English reading skills of students with Dyslexia and reading difficulties

The study evaluated the effectiveness of a computer-based Multi-Sensory Program (MSP) on English reading skills as a second language of fourth-grade students with reading difficulties and Dyslexia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Pretest-Posttest experimental design was used in this study. The analysis showed that average pretest score in both the experimental and control groups was almost the same and the average post-test score was much higher in the experimental group as compared to the control group. Moreover, results also reveal statistically significant difference in the students' mean scores between the experimental and control groups after the MSP intervention. The study has implications in the UAE and Arab countries and everywhere in the world for students who are learning English as a second language and facing reading difficulties. Besides, the modified MSP used in this study can be adopted and imitated to create a local version in the Arabic language in the Middle East and in other countries that are teaching Arabic as a second language.

Effects of Using an iPad to Teach Early Literacy Skills to Elementary Students With Intellectual Disability

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using an iPad to teach early literacy skills to students with intellectual disability (ID). Three elementary students with mild to moderate levels of ID participated in the study. We used a multiple-probe design across students to examine a functional relationship between using an iPad providing visual supports and the acquisition of phonemic segmentation skills. Results indicated that using visual supports via an iPad was an effective method to teach phonemic segmentation fluency to these three students with ID. We also discussed implications and suggestions for future research.

Teaching early reading skills to children with severe intellectual disabilities using Headsprout Early Reading

BACKGROUND

Beginning reading skills are often taught using phonics. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of phonics with typically developing students, but less research has evaluated this method with students with intellectual disabilities.

METHOD

This paper evaluated the computerized phonics-based intervention Headsprout Early Reading^® with eight students aged 7-19 years with severe intellectual disability. Six children were verbal, two were non-verbal. Four students completed Headsprout as it was designed for typically developing children, and four students accessed two adapted version of the intervention. Additional table-top teaching was used to support the intervention for some participants.

RESULTS

Verbal students improved in initial sound fluency, nonsense word reading, and word recognition, but did not show improvements in phonemic segmentation, regardless of whether or not they accessed the original or adapted intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that Headsprout Early Reading can be used to support the development of reading skills for students with intellectual disability.