Teaching Special Education Students to read
New Decoding System for Special Needs
Read Quick-Learn Quick, a student friendly method for learning to read, was developed in the classroom during 30 years searching for the "KEY" to help special needs students have their best opportunity for success in school. 

Teach decoding skills, reading skills and critical thinking skills thoroughly to special needs students to develop their maximum learning for immediate and long term goals.

Special needs students of many disabilities are able to correctly decode multi-syllabic words for advancing their learning to read with modest practice.  Longer words are accurately decoded using the 3-Step System; an important feature for remedial readers, allowing them to have a more rapid path to reading success.

"An 11th grade male student, diagnosed as dyslexic, requested reading instruction from our private reading clinic. The student was in special education classes due to his reading deficiencies. The student, his father and teachers, reported that he was unable to read after many different approaches had failed over the years. He was taught the academic curriculum in his classes using taped textbooks provided by the State Dept. of Education.

After nine clinic hours, using the Read Quick 3-Step system on a one to one basis, student read one-half of the story, "Outcast of Poker Flats," making one pronunciation error and in general, read orally with normal emphasis and grade level comprehension."              Reading Clinic Director

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Read Quick teaches a new reading strategy to students in special education by eliminating the often confusing syllables, difficult for special needs students to remember and apply.  As a consequence, they are unable to decode key words that greatly decrease their comprehension.  When meeting an unknown word, they may 'skip' over it or ask for help from a teacher, aide or parent.  As they mature, asking for help becomes "tiresome" to the students and they accept reading failure as their ultimate fate.  Accepting failure is the fourth step in Dreikur's, "Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom" and "Natural and Logical Consequences".  (Books should be required reading for all teachers, particularly those working with special needs learners.)

The 3-Step System is a direct pathway from print to sounds.  When a word is marked, each sound in the marking process results in the word correctly controlled and each sound is speech perfect.  This teaching method is critical for dyslexics to hear and see sounds for left brain development.  Special needs students receive the precise sounds needed for decoding and saying the word.  This teaches to the special needs, including learning disabled, dyslexic, autistic, Tourette's  Syndrome, learning delayed, auditory-processing deficits, and attention-deficit disorder; and any disabilities relating to language processing.  All this is achieved by the Read Quick method of constantly hearing and repeating the correct sounds. Their challenge now is to memorize letters and letter clusters, which is much like learning the alphabet.  To achieve this, students hear, see, and say the 47 Combinations in as many formats as possible.  This constant repetition of sounds soon results in memory and identification of Combinations, C, G, & Y Borrowers and vowel sounds, which is then applied by learners to words, leading to comprehension.

It is not necessary to separate affixes from the base word to decode the word.  The 3-Step System accurately identifies newly created Combinations when affixes are added to a word.  Prefixes with a long vowel sound, but no long vowel rule to follow, are taught as 12 prefixes having a long vowel sound.  Affixes should be taught in the context of a word, not in isolation.

Students are taught to pay attention to the "reading brain."  When all 3 steps are finished, students are taught how to sound out the word and there is only one sound they need to change.  A short vowel may change to a long vowel sound; a simple application of the 'listening vocabulary.'  Six suffixes are taught that usually cover or eliminate visual identification of the final 'e' which gives a reading strategy for ultimate vowel control.

Special needs students develop a positive attitude and willingness to attack unknown words, where they previously asked for help or skipped the word.  This reversal is very significant for teaching reading comprehension to special education students.  Reading vocabulary will improve for comprehension as unfamiliar words now make sense to the "reading brain".

Learning to read is challenging to special education students, but Read Quick 3-Step System is taught much like learning the alphabet to develop the skills students need for learning to read. Oral reading allows teachers to select challenging reading materials so special needs students are reading for understanding through dialoging.

Strategies for Special Needs Students
  • Read Quick is applicable to a wide range of student needs, based on their learning styles, dictated by their vision, hearing, and brain dominance. 

  • Provides special students consistency and accuracy for initial learning and review for memory and application.

  • 3-Step System may be repeated daily during warm-up in less than 15 minutes.

  • Lessons are age appropriate.  The system is a decoding method, and any reading material may be used. 

  • Offers a simple system, easy to teach and explain to special needs students.

  • Allows user to read and unlock unknown words in context that are typically years above their basic reading skill level.

  • Students are pulled 'upward', not leveled, when using reading text, short story, or novel.

  • Teachers should not place an artificial ceiling on reading material for any special education student.  They need the experience of exposure to a better vocabulary.

  • Should be used in all subject areas requiring a workable decoding system for all ages.

  • Motivates student by allowing them to read mature reading material while practicing decoding, vocabulary and critical reading skills in context.

  • Consistently using reading material 2-4 years above students actual reading level, while reading orally, works exceptionally well with this group of students.

  • Allows instructor to use direct teaching method, as well as, silent reading activities to instruct and monitor progress and student needs.

  • Promotes student interaction when reading orally and discussing quality questions, developing skills in text analysis while providing a much needed student-to-student social interaction.

  • Teachers working with this group of learners should teach every facet of reading skills as identified by curriculum for their grade level. 

  • Stop oral reading every time there is an opportunity to ask questions and clarify vocabulary and content.

  • It is not how many words or pages students read orally, it's how thoroughly they are read, based on teacher's questions.

  • Reading and speech skills are taught simultaneously, further enhancing the overall language skills because Combinations are speech and spelling perfect.

  • Used by speech teachers to supplement their formal speech program.

  • Memory for Combination sounds and spellings are improved because Combinations do not change.  The same sounds associated to letters are consistent and repeated throughout the process; a method required for most special needs and ESL learners to internalize. 

Laminated 3"x 8" Student Bookmarker should stay with the learner as long as needed.  The 47 Combinations, Borrowers C, G, & Y, with rules, and the 3-Step System are on the front side, all 2 sound Combinations are repeated on the back in sample words. Blends are listed across the bottom.  Bookmarker should be used as a constant student reference.

Decoding System for Special Learners

 
 
 
Reading strategies for special needs


teaching comprehension to special needs



special education reading program