The report of the National Reading Panel
suggests that an appropriate remediation program should include
several components in its instructional approach:
Explicit, systematic phonics
The alphabetic principle
Phonemic Awareness
Reading comprehension which includes
oral reading, comprehension strategies and vocabulary development
Development of fluency and automaticity
Characteristics of quality programs:
Direct remediation
is necessary to improve reading and writing skills and other
areas of weakness. Remediation will need to be carried out
over time and at the appropriate intensity.
Direct teaching
is the most effective method for individuals for students
with dyslexia. This involves the direct teaching of phonics-based
word attack skills and the alphabetic principle, and reading
comprehension strategies.
Simultaneous Multisensory structured
language instructioninvolves
the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-motor modalities in
the process of learning all skills.
Instruction begins with the smallest
unit of sight, sound, or feel.
Approaches such as Slingerland are highly
structured and systematic in their approach, with constant
review or previously presented concepts.
These include explicit training in the
developing skills related to phonological processing
(rhyming, segmenting, and blending).
Explicit teaching of sound/symbol correspondences
and the rules that govern the structure of the English
language.
At the core of any quality program
is the well-trained teacher who has received the training
necessary to identify the difficulties and develop an educational
program specific to the needs of his or her students.
