VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 3
of language which includes vocabulary and reading comprehension. Fluency
connects it all together.
Reading is not an innate skill. It must be explicitly taught. With appropriate
instruction, the brain develops the neural pathways for reading. As a student
becomes more experienced, the brain becomes more sophisticated in its reading
abilities. It is important to remember, beginning readers' brains process
information very differently than a skilled reader. As such, teaching foundational
reading skills requires the learner to develop complex skills, such as phonological
processing, background knowledge, working memory, processing speed,
orthographic processing, retrieval of information, etc., for literacy acquisition.
Students who have intact language comprehension, but decode text poorly, may be
at-risk for or may have dyslexia.
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. Of the students identified
with a learning disability, approximately 80% demonstrate significant reading
disabilities (Shaywitx, 2020, p. 29). According to the American Institutes for
Research (AIR), 1 in 10 school children have dyslexia (2019 ix). The AIR study
also cites the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHHD) who estimated the rate at approximately 10%. Of the students
identified with a visual impairment, it is estimated 14-45% have an undiagnosed
learning disability most frequently that of reading difficulties. These difficulties are
