Reading and Literacy

Strong reading skills form the base for productive learning in all subjects, therefore it is critically important to identify students who struggle with reading and may have a learning disability as early as possible. Effective reading instruction has become a key focus for research and education initiatives in recent years, and NCLD has been at the forefront of these efforts.  On this page, NCLD provides you with a wealth of resources on reading, including important research findings, helpful guidelines for parents, beneficial early literacy interventions, and teacher-training for the successful instruction of learners at all ages.

Introduction and Background Information
Research
Policy and Advocacy
Additional Resources on the Web 

Introduction and Background Information

Fact Sheet: What you need to know about Dyslexia

Get Ready to Read!
Get Ready to Read (GRTR!) is NCLD's national initiative to build the early literacy skills of preschool-age children. This program provides an easy-to-administer, research-based screening tool to early childhood educators, child care providers, and parents in order to help them prepare all children to learn to read and write.

Parent Center - Emergent Literacy: Early Reading and Writing Development 
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

LD Talk: Reading for Meaning: Helping Students Become Successful Readers
Featured expert Nancy Hennessy discusses the importance of building skills such as decoding, the development of fluency, knowledge of word meaning, and the ability to make connections and think strategically when reading in this February 23, 2006 LD Chat.

LD News: Early Reading & Intervention
Learn the keys to early reading success and get practical advice for parents on how to help your child each step of the way in this January 2005 newsletter.  Click here to access the LD News archive.

Preventing Early Reading Failure 
Dr. Joseph Torgesen discusses why it is important to identify students struggling to learn to read as early as possible, and offers advice to parents and teachers on promoting reading success. 

Grades K-8: Reading Resources for Parents and Educators 
This resource suggests ways that parents and teachers can help children learn to read, outlines potential steps at school for struggling readers, and discusses what dyslexia is and what can be done to help.

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Research

Reading Comprehension: Reading for Meaning
NCLD's Director of Professional Services, Dr. Sheldon Horowitz, offers suggestions for helping students overcome reading barriers and provides effective techniques for building vocabulary and comprehension skills in his January 2006 Research Roundup column. 

Read the May 2006 Research Roundup column, Don't Give Up on Me! Teaching Reading to Secondary Students with LD to learn about key strategies to assist students at the secondary school level in acquiring essential literacy skills and becoming successful, independent learners. To browse through the full archive of columns, click here.

The NICHD Research Program in Reading Development, Reading Disorders and Reading Instruction 
A summary from the NCLD national summit, "Keys to Successful Learning."

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Policy and Advocacy

NCLD’s Forum on Early Literacy Screening to Promote School Success
Over 100 participants attended the forum in February 2005, which focused on key questions regarding challenges, opportunities, available resources, and future needs and directions concerning early literacy screening and policy.  Click on the link above to read transcripts from the event, hear speaker presentations, and browse through forum papers.

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Additional Resources on the Web

General Information:

The Literacy Gateway
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

International Dyslexia Association (IDA) 
A non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with dyslexia, their families and the communities that support them.

Reading First
U.S. Department of Education
This program provides states, districts, and schools with funding to implement scientifically based reading instruction for students in grades K-3. 

National Institute for Literacy (NIL)
The NIL provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults.

Focus on Struggling Learners: IRA Programs and Resources
International Reading Association

Reading Research: From Research to Practice
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Adolescent Literacy
Alliance for Excellent Education (NEE) offers news articles, research reports, and other recent information on adolescent literacy.

Briefing Paper: Reading and LD
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.

Resources for Educators:

Boosting Reading Comprehension: Improving Literary Understanding Through Classroom Conversation
Center on English Learning and Achievement

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read
This 58-page teacher's guide from the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement provides a framework for using the findings of the National Reading Panel (NRP) in the classroom.

Teacher Reading Academies
Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts

Collections of Scientifically-based Practices: Early Reading & Literacy
Monarch Center, University of Illinois at Chicago

The Partnership for Reading
The National Institute for Literacy offers information about the effective teaching of reading for children, adolescents, and adults, based on the evidence from quality research.

Reading Strategies and Activities Resource Book for Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties, Including Dyslexia
This University of Texas classroom resource for teachers presents sets of instructional strategies for beginning reading. 

Resources for Parents:

Strategies for Parents to Help Kids Who Struggle with Reading
Reading Rockets

Essential Guide: A Parent’s Guide to Reading Basics
SchwabLearning.org

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