Summer Learning Loss among Elementary School Children with Reading Disabilities

Thi s study investigated whether students with reading disabilities (RD) showed greater regression in reading skills than did non-RD students over the summer vacation. The R D group consisted of 30 students in grades 4 to 6 from a private school for students with learning disabilities and a comparison group of 30 average readers in grades 4 to 6 att ending a public school. All students were tested in May/June and September on measures of reading achievement, phonological processing, and oral receptive vocabulary. Significa nt regression in the RD group’s scores was found on speed of sight word reading, speeded phonological decoding, and untimed sight word reading. The se results suggested that students with RD tend to decline in areas that require automatic reading skills. Implications for students with RD in relation to periods of extended absence from formal literacy instruction are discussed. ISSN 1918-5227 Pages 72- 85