Students with Reading Difficulties
Diagnostic Testing
To identify students in need of special instruction, a speech therapist uses diagnostic techniques; most are qualitative and are not supported by statistical evidence.
Instruction for Children with Reading Difficulties
There are no reading specialists in schools to assist students who have difficulty with reading. Regular classroom teachers use different materials with students at different reading levels, especially with children with reading disabilities. Some primary education sets of instructional materials include supplementary materials for use with students with reading disabilities within the regular classroom.
The school speech therapist may provide additional special lessons two to three times per week for children with reading disabilities. The speech therapist organizes lessons according to two groups: one for children with dysgraphia and dyslexia, and the second for children with general speech deficiencies. Unfortunately, over the past few years the number of schools that have speech therapists has dramatically fallen.
Special classes for students with low level readiness for education existed through the 1990s, but the creation of such classes has been abandoned and students now attend heterogeneous classes. Nevertheless, other special classes and schools exist for children with mental deficiencies, mental retardation, and severe dyslexia. Referral of students to these classes and schools is carried out only after the deliberation and decision of a medical-psychological-pedagogical commission, and with parents’ consent.