Strengths and weaknesses in reading skills of youth with intellectual
disabilities
A B S T R A C T
Reading-related skills of youth with intellectual disability (ID) were compared with those
of typically developing (TD) children of similar verbal ability level. The group with ID
scored lower than the TD group on word recognition and phonological decoding, but
similarly on orthographic processing and rapid automatized naming (RAN). Further,
phonological decoding significantly mediated the relation between group membership
and word recognition, whereas neither orthographic processing nor RAN did so. The group
with ID also underperformed the TD group on phonological awareness and phonological
memory, both of which significantly mediated the relation between group membership
and phonological decoding. These data suggest that poor word recognition in youth with
ID may be due largely to poor phonological decoding, which in turn may be due largely to
poor phonological awareness and poor phonological memory. More focus on phonological
skills in the classroom may help students with ID to develop better word recognition skills.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often struggle with learning to read. In a recent large-scale survey, reading
difficulties were named the most common secondary condition of ID, with 67% of the sample reporting reading as a
secondary problem area (Koritsas & Iacono, 2011). Interestingly, researchers commonly define secondary conditions as those
that are preventable (Koritsas & Iacono, 2011; Turk, 2006). This implies that, given sufficient knowledge about reading skills
and implementation of appropriate training programs, reading difficulties should be somewhat preventable for those with
ID. However, until recently, literacy education for students with ID has been largely overlooked by researchers and educators
alike (Katims, 2000). As we now know that many children with ID can learn to read but are still struggling, researchers must
explore how they learn to read. This is a necessary step toward designing effective interventions and reading training
programs for students with ID. This can be accomplished by first identifying patterns of strength and weakness in reading
skill development.
The purpose of the present study is to identify both strengths and weaknesses in reading skills of students with ID. To do
this, we look to the skills that are important in learning to read in the typically developing (TD) population. The well-known
Simple View of Reading proposed by Gough and Tunmer (1986) suggests that there are two main components of reading:
word recognition (identifying words in print) and language comprehension (extracting meaning from the words). Whereas
Strengths and weaknesses in reading skills of youth with intellectual
disabilities
A B S T R A C T
Reading-related skills of youth with intellectual disability (ID) were compared with those
of typically developing (TD) children of similar verbal ability level. The group with ID
scored lower than the TD group on word recognition and phonological decoding, but
similarly on orthographic processing and rapid automatized naming (RAN). Further,
phonological decoding significantly mediated the relation between group membership
and word recognition, whereas neither orthographic processing nor RAN did so. The group
with ID also underperformed the TD group on phonological awareness and phonological
memory, both of which significantly mediated the relation between group membership
and phonological decoding. These data suggest that poor word recognition in youth with
ID may be due largely to poor phonological decoding, which in turn may be due largely to
poor phonological awareness and poor phonological memory. More focus on phonological
skills in the classroom may help students with ID to develop better word recognition skills.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often struggle with learning to read. In a recent large-scale survey, reading
difficulties were named the most common secondary condition of ID, with 67% of the sample reporting reading as a
secondary problem area (Koritsas & Iacono, 2011). Interestingly, researchers commonly define secondary conditions as those
that are preventable (Koritsas & Iacono, 2011; Turk, 2006). This implies that, given sufficient knowledge about reading skills
and implementation of appropriate training programs, reading difficulties should be somewhat preventable for those with
ID. However, until recently, literacy education for students with ID has been largely overlooked by researchers and educators
alike (Katims, 2000). As we now know that many children with ID can learn to read but are still struggling, researchers must
explore how they learn to read. This is a necessary step toward designing effective interventions and reading training
programs for students with ID. This can be accomplished by first identifying patterns of strength and weakness in reading
skill development.
The purpose of the present study is to identify both strengths and weaknesses in reading skills of students with ID. To do
this, we look to the skills that are important in learning to read in the typically developing (TD) population. The well-known
Simple View of Reading proposed by Gough and Tunmer (1986) suggests that there are two main components of reading:
word recognition (identifying words in print) and language comprehension (extracting meaning from the words). Whereas
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