Phonics-Based Interventions

Phonological Awareness Instruction

Phonological awareness instruction often is provided in small group contexts with oral, choral responses. A model phonemic awareness intervention that has been used for students with moderate levels of intellectual disabilities is an instructional approach that emphasizes a “model/lead/test” strategy to direct instruction. This instructional approach combines the teacher’s direct instruction with both group and individual response practice. Phonemic awareness skills are practiced using manipulative materials with key instructional components such as clapping syllables in spoken words and using pictures to recognize initial and final word sounds paired with corrective feedback to target teaching skills directly. However, in students with autism, word recognition skills have shown to compare with those with typical development but have no correlation, or association, with development in phonological awareness. Thus, there is an imbalance in the ability to decode and sound out words (a skill in autism that is strong) relative to the ability to manipulate or comprehend those words in text leading to future reading comprehension deficits. Instructional recommendations to most effectively benefit students with ID/DD ideally reflect phonological awareness training that incorporates manipulative materials to connect oral, print, and nonprint materials. A model/lead/test approach combined with practicing word recognition and sound manipulation can enhance small group instructional approaches. Once mastered, students then can transfer this knowledge into print and reading.

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