Reading and Dyslexia
The National Reading Panel was established in 1997 to review research and recommend best practices for teaching children to read. Their report was submitted in 2000 and recommended explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics.
“Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, and Vision”
American Academy of Pediatrics article contains many facts about dyslexia with research citations, including that dyslexia accounts for 80% of all learning disabilities and affects 5-20% of the population. It also addresses that can’t be remediated with colored overlays.
NICHD Research Program in Reading Development
A paper by G. Reid Lyon, former Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, summarizes the results of 20+ years of NICHD research on reading. The NICHD Research Program in Reading Development presentation slides also show this information.
Important findings: Phonemic awareness is extremely important, children at risk for reading failure can be identified in kindergarten, children who are poor readers in 3rd grade are highly likely to remain so in 9th grade, and special education does not close the reading gap. Recommendation: No child should be placed in special education without first receiving scientifically based instruction.
Summary of Audio Book Research
List of studies that have found audiobooks have a positive effect on children’s literacy development.
Literacy expert Louisa Moats explains that despite the National Reading Panel’s recommendation for direct, explicit phonics instruction, whole language remains the dominant practice in schools. She explains the problems with Reading Recovery and guided reading programs which claim to be “balanced literacy.”
“Evidence-Based Research On Reading Recovery"
Statement from 30+ international literacy researchers stating concerns about Reading Recovery’s effectiveness and misleading research practices.
“I was a dyslexic child and am a dyslexic adult. That doesn't really mean that you're not intelligent. It just means that your brain functions differently.”
— Octavia Spencer, actress and producer