Students with Reading Difficulties
Diagnostic Testing
The Abu Dhabi Education Council has provided each school with a school psychologist to support students with social, learning, or adjustment difficulties. School psychologists provide targeted psychological services and promote healthy learning environments that focus on students’ individual needs.11 Only professionally qualified psychologists (i.e., holders of a minimum of a master’s degree) promote the use of psychological assessment techniques, except when such use is conducted for training purposes with appropriate supervision.12 IQ, social‑emotional, and personality diagnostic testing is implemented and corrected by highly qualified trained professionals.
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) teacher, learning support team, and classroom teacher provide students displaying low reading performance levels with checklists and simple assessments to determine their needs. Students who require more academic testing are referred to various centers or hospitals for specific diagnostic testing.
Instruction for Children with Reading Difficulties
Various teaching strategies help students who struggle with reading to succeed at their level. Students with reading difficulties should be able to receive some instruction in a small group setting. The student can be pulled out from class to receive small group instruction and/or a learning support person can push into the classroom to provide group and one-on-one support. Strategies that can be used in the classroom and in small groups include:
- Reading with a partner to share responsibility for active reading
- Working in cooperative groups for focused and specific purposes related to inferential comprehension
- Providing opportunities for students to work with peers
- Working with a combination of text and audiotape or videotape
- Using computer programs and other technology resources to support world analysis and comprehension
- Providing opportunities for rereading and choral reading
- Using readers’ theater to create interest and build skills in reading
- Activating prior knowledge and making predictions through prereading
Visually impaired students who have some sight receive large print books and instructional materials. Magnifiers for their laptops and papers also help them to see more clearly and participate in instruction.