Using Paired Reading Strategy for ESL Students with ADHD

Abstract

Many if not most young people not only enjoy reading, they want to improve their skills so that they can read at higher and more interesting levels, especially with respect to topics that are personally relevant for them. While the process of improving reading skills seems to come naturally to some students while others may experience some specific challenges, the majority of students in American schools succeed in attaining grade-specific requirements through graduation. Some students, however, may have severe learning challenges such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that limit their ability to maintain pace with their classmates. Furthermore, some of these young students are English as second language (ESL) learners, thereby compounding the challenges they face when trying to become proficient readers in American classrooms today. To gain some insights into these challenges and how these can be overcome, this individualized reading intervention provides a review of the literature regarding the effects of ADHD on ESL learners and what evidence-based strategies are available to help Gabby improve her reading abilities to describe the rationale in support of the selected approach. In addition, a description of the proposed intervention is followed by a description of the assessments that will be used to evaluate Gabby’s progress and a summary of the research and suggestions for teachers and parents in the conclusion.

Individualized Reading Intervention Program for 7-Year-Old “Gabby”

Young learners that suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently experience problems with their reading (Clarfeld & Stoner, 2009; Kim & Kaiser, 2000). Moreover, this problem becomes even more challenging when children are English as second language learners (Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002). One such learner is “Gabby,” a bright, gregarious young girl whose native language is Spanish and who suffers from ADHD. Despite these disadvantages, Gabby has managed to nearly maintain pace with her English-speaking classmates although she is lagging further behind at present. The purpose of this individualized reading intervention is to provide a review of the relevant scholarly and peer-reviewed literature concerning students in situations that are similar to Gabby’s in order to identify opportunities and strategies to improve her reading abilities. The rationale for the selected intervention is followed by a description of the envisioned program. Finally, a description of the assessments that will be used to evaluate Gabby’s progress in achieving improved reading abilities is followed by a summary of the research and suggestions for teachers and parents.

Rationale

In an educational setting, it is axiomatic that if students are not learning the way they are being taught, they need to be taught the way they learn and that certainly appears to be the case with Gabby. At present, Gabby is not benefiting from the reading/writing workshops although she continues to improve her vocabulary and writing skills. The teacher’s attempts to help Gabby organize her workspace were directly on point, and it is likely that her teacher was correct In her assumption that Gabby was using the subterfuge of searching for her reading materials as a means of avoiding actual academic work even if she was consciously unaware of it herself. Likewise, Gabby’s talkativeness may reflect her desire to avoid engaging with the reading instructions because they are apparently too difficult for her (Hook, 2018).

Based on the foregoing constraints to learning, an alternative approach to helping Gabby become a more proficient reader is clearly in order. Despite this need, formulating an effective reading intervention for students with ADHD is especially challenging since much remains unknown about the disorder. For example, according to Sherman and Rasmussen (2009), “Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received much attention over the past several years, yet confusion still exists with respect to the origin of the disorder, factors that trigger or aggravate it, the trajectory of symptoms, and treatment options, particularly for young children” (p. 196).

In addition, many ESL learners also experience difficulties with learning to read a second language (Kruger, 2000). In this regard, Li and Ness (2010) emphasize that, “Many ESL students with limited English proficiency struggle with reading fluency and accuracy. For these students to experience school success, educators must find ways to help them master such reading skills” (p. 56). Taken together, it is little wonder than Gabby is experiencing some difficulties in maintaining pace in reading abilities with her native-speaking classmates. Indeed, the fact that she has succeeded in achieving her current reading abilities in spite of these significant challenges underscores Gabby’s natural energy, intellect and academic potential. Therefore, the reading program intervention for Gabby should take into account these learning deficits as well as her strengths as described in the section below.

Program Description

The implementation of this intervention will begin by developing appropriate learning targets that are intended to accelerate Gabby’s reading abilities and comprehension. The first step in the implementation will be to explain why it is necessary to Gabby and her parents. This explanation should stress that the intervention is not a punishment, but rather a way to help Gabby catch up to and maintain pace with her classmates in reading ability in the future. It is vitally important that the “what’s in it for her” aspects of the intervention are stressed from the outset, including most especially the fact that improving her reading abilities will help Gabby help her other family members, such as her grandmother, gain improved fluency in English with a corresponding improvement in their quality of life. This aspect of the reading intervention should serve as a powerful motivator for this young learner.

The next step in the intervention will be to implement a reading intervention for Gabby using a paired reading strategy with a classmate, preferably another ESL student, who is a skilled reader (Lee & Butler, 2007). According to Li and Ness (2010), “Paired reading is an instructional method that involves the pairing of a skilled reader with a less-skilled reader. The skilled reader demonstrates appropriate reading rate, inflection, and pausing for the less-skilled reader” (p. 50). The case study emphasizes that Gabby is an outgoing student who makes friends readily, so this strategy will draw on this inherent strength to help Gabby improve her reading abilities.

In addition, there are some other strategies that are available for use by primary educators which are specifically designed for young learners that suffer from ADHD that should be included in the intervention. For example, according to Sherman and Rasmussen, “Teaching children with ADHD to read may be optimized when modifications address the unique needs of children with the disorder. There are numerous strategies for helping these children read, including paraphrasing, limiting distractions, and scanning for chapter headings and outlines” (p. 200). In fact, limiting distractions Gabby appears to represent a major step in the right direction in helping this young learner improve her reading skills since ESL children suffering from ADHD have been shown to exhibit selective attention (Webb & Myrick, 2013) which means they are easily distracted (Teaching English to ADHD learners, 2020).

Finally, the intervention should integrate Gabby’s improved reading abilities with other common core components of the curriculum, especially those that interest her most, in order to reinforce her progress and cumulative successes in reaching the learning targets (Williams & Williams, 2008). In addition, if Gabby has Internet access and a computer at home, she could also benefit from additional homework that is geared towards ESL learners (Brown, 2009; Williams & Williams, 2008). Further, ongoing oversight by the classroom teacher will help ensure that Gabby remains on track with respect to progress in improving her reading abilities. The effectiveness of this intervention in helping Gabby improve her reading abilities will be assessed as described in the section below.

Assessments

The learning targets for Gabby will be adjusted as her progress continues until she reaches parity with her classmates. Although the case study is silent concerning Gabby’s initial diagnosis of suffering from ADHD, she should be reevaluated for this disorder to ensure that her natural exuberance and extroverted behaviors have not been misinterpreted as a clinical disorder (Baum & Kowatch, 2014; Hamilton & Astramovich, 2016). Indeed, many young learners (up to 20%!) are misdiagnosed with ADHD (Henion & Elder, 2015), resulting in suboptimal approaches to their education (Daly, 1998; McLaughlin, 2007).

Assuming this young learner does in fact suffer from ADHD, Gabby’s progress in meeting her learning targets will be assessed through regular administrations (i.e., weekly or as needed) of the informal reading inventory (Informal reading inventory, 2020). This assessment strategy is congruent with the guidance provided by experts with the instrument that advise:

The informal reading inventory is an on-going assessment, and should be completed several times throughout the child's schooling. . . . It should be done three times, at the beginning of the school year, at mid-year, and at the end of the year [but] If a child is struggling, the inventory should be done more often in order to have an accurate picture of the child's progress. (Informal reading inventory, 2020, para. 3)

As each learning target identified through the informal reading assessment is mastered by Gabby, additional targets will be added until she achieves mastery as determined by subsequent informal reading inventory assessments. Properly administered and interpreted, the informal reading inventory has been shown to help educators accurately assess students’ strengths and needs in the following areas:

· Word recognition;

· Word meaning;

· Reading strategies; and,

· Comprehension (Using the informal reading inventory, 2020).

The materials that are required to use the informal reading inventory for assessing Gabby’s reading include a test manual and a student booklet that features two or three reading selections that correspond to each inventory level as well as word lists. It is important to note, however, that the informal reading inventory is not a one-size-fits-all assessment instrument and Gabby may require additional assessments using ESL-specific instruments to more accurately evaluate her reading abilities.

In addition, it is also important to note that this intervention is an iterative process that may require repetition of certain problem areas that are identified in the informal reading inventory. In sum, the areas and skills that will be assessed are those identified in the initial informal reading inventory. These results will be used to develop subsequent lesson plans that focus on Gabby’s identified reading deficits as required by state and common core curriculum learning standards.

Conclusion

Reading ability has been shown time and again to contribute to academic achievement in virtually all other subject areas, so it is critically important to ensure that all young learners gain this ability early on in their school careers. The research showed that ESL students such as Gabby who suffer from ADHD are at especially higher risk of falling behind in their reading abilities. Some salient suggestions that emerged from the research for parents and teachers that are confronted with this scenario included ensuring the accurate diagnosis of ADHD in the first place, and then identifying appropriate interventional strategies that are geared towards the unique needs of each student.