The Effects of Using Direct Instruction Curricula in the Home to Teach Reading Comprehension to a 12-Year-Old Student with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Direct Instruction curricula for teaching reading com- prehension skills in the home. The participant was a 12-year-old girl who was enrolled in the seventh grade at a public middle school in the Pacific Northwest. She had been unable to pass her Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in the sixth grade. Two undergraduate students served as instructors. Each session began by asking 12 systemati- cally random comprehension questions from the lessons of Corrective Reading Comprehension Skills Book B1. These comprehension questions served as the major dependent variable. The results indicated an increase number of correct reading comprehensions when Direct Instruction materials and procedures were employed. The use of Direct Instruction was cost effective, required little training to correctly implement, and was time efficient. The participant enjoyed the pro- cedures and was proud of her improvements in reading. Reading comprehension may be considered one of the most vital skills for successful academic performance in our schools and later in society (1). Reading is required in most academic subjects and plays an indispensable role in success in school (2). High levels of achievement in literacy are im- portant for learning across the curriculum, for independence in engaging with print, for personal satisfaction, and reading sets the occasion for success in an increasingly information- based economy (3). Comprehension skills also play a critical role in mastering text. This takes place both inside and out-