The Importance of Early Reading Intervention

Early reading intervention is crucial for identifying students who may have disabilities or developmental delays. Effective interventions enable teachers to address students' needs when they are learning to read (grades K-1), rather than in upper grades where struggling students may already be failing academically and frustrated about learning in general.

Significance

Early reading interventions can help children become proficient readers when teachers use them with intensive methods to reinforce individual skills. Interventions are effective because students get help in the specific area of reading that is difficult for them.

Types

Early reading interventions focus on specific skills. Teachers use interventions to improve alphabet recognition, initial sound fluency and phoneme segmentation abilities. After students master these skills, teachers emphasize reading fluency and comprehension.

Features

Most early interventions feature an activity, accompanied with materials, to work on a specific goal. For example, if a student has trouble identifying letters, the teacher will use manipulatives like alphabet flash cards or plastic ABC tiles and use these to review letter names. Interventions are usually conducted in a small group setting of no more than three students.

Benefits

Early reading interventions help children become proficient at skills that are necessary to become successful readers. Research proves that if children are not good readers by the end of first grade, they will continue to struggle as they progress through elementary school and beyond. The American Federation of Teachers has published a report stating that early reading intervention can improve reading ability in an estimated ninety percent of children.

Considerations

Reading interventions should be conducted by the classroom teacher or a trained paraprofessional for a month or six weeks. The student needs to be assessed frequently to gauge progress. If little or no improvement is shown, the intervention is adapted to meet the child's needs. Interventions are designed to be fast-paced and fun, which helps students remain interested in the activity.

References

• AFT: The AFT's Education Agenda To Reach All Children, page 4.
• Eduplace: Successful Reading Interventions

Resources

• Reading Rockets: Literacy Assessment And Intervention Research
• FCRR: Reading First Intervention Outcomes