The Correction of Psycho-Pedagogical Reading Difficulties in Spanish

Abstract

Nowadays, most of the reading disabilities are associated with psycho-pedagogical difficulties and not with the neurological abnormalities of dyslexia. Nonetheless, few studies aim at identifying the best methods to enhance reading skills in the face of a psycho-pedagogical difficulty. That is why the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program to improve children’s initial reading skills with psycho-pedagogical difficulties. Participants were 54 children, aged between seven and eight years old, from the first and second grade of a public school of the city of Cali (Colombia): 26 children with psycho-pedagogical difficulties in reading acquisition and 28 with appropriate learning. The intervention developed throughout four months on a four sessions weekly basis. All tasks focused on highlighting the relationship between oral and written language. The results showed that children with psycho-pedagogical difficulties improved their phonological awareness and reading accuracy immediately after the intervention, and four months later; however, they maintained a lower reading performance when compared with their peers. The evaluation allowed to conclude that the program improved the awareness and codification of the word as a unit of analysis, requiring complementary interventions to improve reading comprehension and speed.

Keywords: Reading, intervention, initial literacy, learning disabilities.