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A student with a disability in Reading might find challenges with reading comprehension, reading fluency, or both.
A reading disability can fall under the category of "Specific Learning Disability" as defined in IDEA Section 1401 (30).
Reading comprehension is understanding the meaning behind what is read. If a student struggles with reading comprehension they may have difficulty:
Some students who struggle with reading comprehension may have related challenges. For example, they could have a language disorder. This might impact how they process language, and hence what they are reading. Or, they may have trouble with working memory, which can make it hard to remember what’s been read.
Also keep in mind that a child who reads aloud accurately and fluently, may not always be understanding what they are reading.
Reading fluency is reading with relative speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression.
Students who have trouble with fluency take longer than their peers to read words accurately and understand their meaning. Due to this, they may struggle to demonstrate their understanding of sentence structure and punctuation in their inflection; They might read aloud, but without expression.
A disability in reading may impact a student’s learning. They may struggle to understand basic concepts in all classes that require reading. There are several supports a school may put in place to support a struggling student.
A student with a reading disability might receive direct, specialized instruction from a special education teacher in order to improve their reading skills. They will also most likely require accommodations or modifications within their regular education settings to be successful.
Some accommodations that may help a student understand the content of a class include:
If any of this sounds familiar to you, and you want help or advice in advocating for your child at school, please get in touch with me.
Leah Sansone, M.Ed. – 919-510-3180 – or schedule a free initial consultation.
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