Parent Strategies
Reading Help

Tips on Reading
By Dr. Margie Gillis
Director, Early Reading Success Program, Haskins Laboratories

In addition to accommodations and modifications in the regular classroom, a reading disability requires direct intervention — a specific curriculum tailored to fit a child’s strengths and weaknesses, delivered by someone who is professionally trained.

Although there is no single perfect program, numerous research studies show that reading-disabled students respond well to a multisensory structured language (MSL) curriculum. MSL programs use a systematic and sequential approach to learning the structure of language with an emphasis on decoding fluently and accurately. Listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught together, using all the senses to enhance students’ memory and learning.

MSL programs teach:

• the sound system of the English language

• syllable instruction

• meaningful word parts (root words, prefixes, suffixes)

• grammar and syntax

• vocabulary and word meaning

MSL programs vary according to whether they are designed for individuals or whole groups, and whether the students are in the elementary, middle or high school grades.

Find more tips on addressing reading issues — and on the tests, generally not performed in school assessments, that are valid predictors of difficulty learning to read — in the Smart Kids with LD New Member Information Kit, free when you Join Smart Kids!