Author Description

In the past few years, Instructional Consultation has emerged as a major new model of service delivery in the schools. This model of teacher/specialist collaboration has been shown to be particularly effective in helping the increasing numbers of children identified with reading problems. Designed to both help both school psychologists and reading specialists effectively assume the consultation role, this volume provides an overview of reading problems while serving as a guide to effective practice. The book opens with an introduction to the basic principles of consultation. A brief history of reading instruction and reading disability is presented with a focus on bridging the gap between the perspectives of psychologists and teachers. In subsequent chapters, the psychology of the reading process, reading instruction, and the nature of reading disabilities are discussed, and diagnostic procedures are presented. A variety of intervention strategies that are in use for improving word recognition skills, vocabulary, comprehension, and metacognition are described in detail. A section on improving writing and study skills at the college level is also included. Finally, the use of mini-computers as instructional aids is discussed, and a brief survey of software programs designed to assist reading instruction is presented. A special feature of the book are the appendices, which contain informal assessment tools, an evaluation of basal reader series, and reviews of standardized reading tests. Also included are typical questions asked by parents and teachers with suggested answers. With its unique focus on the psychological practice of consultation and remedial reading instruction, and its integration of theory, research, and practice, READING PROBLEMS is an ideal resource for both school psychologists and reading specialists. It also serves as a text for advanced courses on reading disability, reading remediation, and learning disabilities.