Chapter 10 - Remediation of More Severe Deficits in Reading Ability

Summary

Introduction

Clinical remedial programs to treat severe dyslexia require spelling mastery of the word. Most remedial approaches require writing with words learned. This is the strength of Language Experience Approach (LEA), which becomes important in teaching these students. Remedial reading may be described as the spelling route to reading. Exercises that engage the student in these activities ensure that students know the meaning and spelling of the word, and it is documented in assessments.

Well-researched techniques for the remediation of reading deficits are recommended. It is important to match techniques to a student's strengths. One remediation plan is not optimal for every dyslexic student because of the four global patterns of processing difficulties and individual variances. These variations include different characteristics not mentioned in the four global patterns due to documented research over the last 30 years.

As remedial plans are formulated for each student, a framework is developed to document how well the remedial plan illustrates positive results in the different literary tasks. This framework affords the student the opportunity to practice all literary tasks necessary for growth. The framework is authentic based on an LEA format. This becomes evident upon examination of exemplary remediation procedures for dyslexia. These procedures are termed clinical remediation because they are often individualized or very small group instruction. LEA or an adaptation of LEA becomes the standard for this documentation.

When something stated in a respected journal but not well-researched yields desired results, and the instructor notices something that might help a student, they should try it. Techniques originate this way, not in a vacuum. Being knowledgeable about perceptual processing abilities for reading and the techniques in place is a solid foundation for capitalizing on new techniques.

Remedial Programs for Specific Perceptual Processing Deficits

Two main areas comprise decoding deficits: lack of success in decoding and lack of lexical knowledge. These deficits reflect a lack of both phonological processing and morphological knowledge about word structure. Deficits in decoding may be from several different perceptual processing deficits. They occur with problems in auditory or visual processing or both, and possibly sensory integration. Lack of morphological knowledge results in students needing overt, explicit, and direct teaching.