Considerations When Planning Literacy Instruction for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Students with intellectual disabilities should receive:

• Comprehensive evidence-based instruction in all five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

• More intensive, explicit, and systematic instruction.

• Intervention that is individualized and occurs over an extended period.

• Lots of consistent practice in skills until learned to mastery.

• Cognitive processing and behavior modification strategies, as needed.

10 Research Based Tips

1. Plan
   Keep big-picture goals in mind as you plan.

2. Goal
   Ensure you have a clear picture of the student’s current skills and set meaningful, measurable goals.

3. Instruction
   Use an evidence-based core reading program and align supplemental materials to this program as needed.

4. Intensity
   Provide intervention with sufficient intensity to accomplish goals.

5. Professional Development
   Seek out professional development opportunities to deepen understanding of the complex process of learning to read.

6. Language
   Remember that language abilities are the underlying foundation for reading skills.

7. Scaffolding
   Support working memory with images, objects, letters, and words.

8. Target
   Target specific parts of a scope-and-sequence to focus instruction.

9. Data
   Use data to guide instruction and adaptations.

10. Partner
    Partner with service providers and family members to assist in adding more practice of learned skills.