Improving Reading Comprehension and Fluency in an Intellectually Disabled Student: A Case Study

Introduction: We can quickly access information in the modern world. Therefore, it is critical to concurrently improve reading fluency and comprehension skills. Techniques used to improve reading fluency can be categorized into two groups: skill-and performance-based. Interventional techniques used before, during, and after reading reportedly improve reading comprehension skills. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a series of interventions that combine skill and performance-based reading fluency techniques with reading comprehension techniques used during and after reading in improving reading fluency and comprehension skills of an intellectually disabled student. The uniqueness of this study is that it focuses on a child with intellectual disability, and it combines fluent reading and reading comprehension techniques. Method: This was a case study featuring a 13 year old male student enrolled in the sixth grade of a middle school who received interventions in a special education class for mild intellectual disability in Turkey. The intervention series was applied in ten sessions Findings: As a result of the interventions, there was a decrease in the number of misread words and increase in the number of correctly read words and reading comprehension level compared to the baseline values. The student maintained the acquisitions he gained during the intervention and in the following weeks. Discussion: In conclusion, the intervention package developed for an intellectual disability student was effective in improving and maintaining the student's reading fluency and reading comprehension skills. Further studies with larger samples are needed to test the generalizability of the results.