Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Objective: A review of texts in the field of recognition of learning disabilities shows that the traditional model of learning disability diagnosis is confronted with ambiguities and contradictions. It is difficult to determine precisely the incidence of learning disability due to differences in assessment approaches, as there is no explicit agreement on this. The purpose of this study was to develop a reading reinforcement program based on the response pattern of the intervention and its effect on the performance of boys and girls with special reading disabilities in the second-grade elementary schools in Shiraz-Iran.
Methods: The research method was a combination of a qualitative component of the form of compilation and validation of the reading comprehension-training package and a small part of the quasi-experimental type. To develop and validate the educational package, first, a collection of skills needed to strengthen reading was extracted and compiled from authoritative books and sources. Then, five professors from the psychology department reviewed the validity of the study package. The population of the study consisted of all second-grade elementary students of Shiraz, who were studying in the school year 2016-2017. Sixty dyslexic students were identified in a screening of 900 students. The study sample consisted of 30 second -grade elementary students (15 girls and 15 boys) who were selected from among 60 dyslexic students randomly. They participated in three-stages of instruction. The first stage consisted of two groups of 15 participants participating in 9 sessions of 30-minute response to intervention program. The second phase consisted of six groups of five participants participating in 9 sessions of 45-minute instruction. The third phase consisted of 12 sessions of one-hour solitary educational intervention based on the response pattern to the intervention. The participants were trained according to the elaborated curriculum. The measurement tools consisted of the following: a- reading and dyslexic tests of Kormi-Nouri & Moradi, whose validity calculated through Cronbach's alpha was reported to be between 0.76 and 0.87 for each sub-test, b-Raven's intelligence test the validity of which was reported to be between 0.15 and 0.87 for each sub-test, and c- the Bender Gestalt visual-motor development test whose reliability was reported through Pearson correlation to be 0.947. Data were described using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and comparison of paired mean values in two independent groups were used to test the research hypotheses. The significance level was considered p≤0.05.
Results: According to the results, the package had a good reputation for implementation. Data showed that the average subscales of naming images, understanding the text, and understanding the words in the second stage did not have a significant statistical change compared to the first stage. While the mean of other subscales of dyslexia in the second stage increased significantly compared to the first stage of education (p<0.001). In addition, the findings of the covariance analysis showed that the effect of reading read amplification on the rhyme subscales (p=0.039), text perception (p=0.023), the sign of the letters (p=0.010) and the index of the category P=0.001) was different in both sexes.
Conclusion: The results showed that the educational method based on the response to intervention improved reading skills (reading, comprehension and vocabulary), as well as a training package and a designed program for this purpose.