Examining the Cognitive Correlates and Predictors of Growth in Reading Fluency and Comprehension for Struggling Readers Receiving NILD Educational Therapy

• Main Author: Kuschel, Shannon G
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Educational psychology; Special education
• ISBN: 9798841732525

The growth of reading and cognitive skills is crucial for children’s development. This study examined the utility of incorporating a cognitive framework for reading in intervention design among struggling readers receiving National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) Educational Therapy® over a 3- to 5-year period. Evidence from this quantitative, quasi-experimental study is reviewed in relation to the efficacy of the NILD Educational Therapy® intervention for a group of 60 heterogeneous struggling readers, ages 8–16 years, regarding outcomes for reading fluency, reading comprehension, and a variety of cognitive skills. The findings suggest that the structure literacy plus cognitive intervention made statistically significant positive gains in reading fluency, reading comprehension, and specific cognitive skills such as full-scale IQ (FSIQ) and verbal comprehension. Additional analyses were conducted for specific subgroups of struggling readers, such as by area of reading challenge, FSIQ classification, and diagnostic history, with a variety of positive findings in reading and cognition skills. Multiple regression analyses determined the associative and predictive relationships between changes in specific cognitive skills and changes in reading fluency and comprehension among the stated sample. While changes in the cognitive skills assessed did not predict changes in reading fluency, changes in processing speed did significantly predict change in reading comprehension, over and above reading fluency. These findings are in line with the direct and indirect effects model of reading (DIER), suggesting that foundational cognitive skills, such as processing speed in this study, may affect the development of reading comprehension skills.