Comparisons of the Reading Speeds of the Students with Learning Difficulties through Texts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare the reading speeds of students with learning difficulties through familiar and unfamiliar stories and tales. The study was carried out with two male students diagnosed with learning difficulties who meet the required level of skill and attending the Gazi University Prof. Dr. Necmettin Akyıldız Hearing, Speech, Voice and Balance Disorders Diagnosis Intervention and Rehabilitation Center (GÜSİDEM) Training and Research Unit for Mentally Retarded Children. The effect of the independent variables were studied through an A-B-A-B model single subject design. It was observed that the reading speeds of the students increase while they are reading familiar stories and tales. It is suggested that stories and tales familiar to the students be included amongst the Turkish texts and that the teachers discuss the relevant text with the students before reading to enable them to acquire fluent reading skills.