Reflections on Reading and Special Education

There is quite a big volume of studies made on the complexities of the reading process. Researches were done to find answers to how the mind works in relation to how the eye interprets data from print. The spectrum of reading research covers a wide range - from the developmental stages of the reading process to the psycho-social situation of the learner. Still, many children cannot read, much more with exceptional children who are limited by their disabilities or disorders.

As an educator, I would like to be able to make a contribution in the field of teaching reading to children with exceptionalities in the early developmental stages. This may be in the form of a research or in the development and enhancement of a methodology or a strategy. I believe that children, even among those with exceptionalities - will have a better grasp of the world around them if they can read.

With the rapid developments in technology and the sciences, there is now a demand for a higher level of competence in language and communication. Even entry level jobs require the ability to read simple instructions. The ability to read therefore prepares the exceptional child to overcome difficulties in becoming a productive member of society. Moreover, the ability to read empowers the exceptional child with a sense of confidence in communicating his/her needs and desires with his/her family and peers.

Research reveals that reluctant readers trace their inability to read and comprehend what they read from early childhood experiences (Wothy, 1996). Positive early literacy experiences are impressed into the minds and attitudes of the learners, hence are carried through other stages of their human development. The amount of reading experience children with exceptionalities have in reading therefore presents both a potentially rich resource for learning as well as an impediment to learning. It is a resource when the child’s ability and desire to read renders him opportunities to gather, analyze and synthesize as much information needed to achieve academic and life skills and goals. It is an impediment when the reading experiences are too limited to provide greater opportunities for comprehension, a necessary element for academic success and an important element of personal and interpersonal communication.

Teaching reading to children with exceptionalities is a much more complicated area than with children who fall along the normal stages of development. Consequently, it presents a greater challenge to see how teaching theory and practice reach out to children with disabilities. Still, this is where I would like to work on and be able to contribute an answer to the endless questions we have about reading and the exceptional child.