The Effects of Reading Comprehension Intervention for Dyslexia

A quantitative study was performed to determine if Lindamood-Bell Reading Intervention had an effect on the self-concept, anxiety levels, and depression levels of individuals diagnosed with dyslexia. This quantitative study was also conducted to determine if a person’s age had an effect on the ability to learn coping mechanisms for dyslexia. Thirty-three participants, ranging in age from 7 to17 years-old were selected to participate in the study. All participants had a formal diagnosis of dyslexia and had not obtained the Lindamood-Bell Reading Intervention prior to participating in the study. The participants were divided into three age groups. Each participant completed questions from the Beck Youth Inventory to determine their levels of anxiety, depression, and self-concept. This was completed before intervention began and again after the six weeks of intervention. The Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing Progress Chart was used to determine each participant’s reading comprehension level before and after the intervention. Once the intervention was complete, a Repeated Measures ANOVA was computed to examine whether a person’s age had an effect on learning the reading intervention. The results demonstrated a significant difference between Group 1 (7-10) and Group 3 (15-17). Group 1 responded better to the intervention than Group 3. Additionally, an ANOVA test was performed to determine if coping mechanisms had an effect on the self-concept, anxiety levels, and/or depression levels in individuals with a diagnosis of dyslexia. The findings failed to reject the hypothesis. Overall, this study indicates that individuals diagnosed with dyslexia are able to learn coping mechanisms better when they are younger, suggesting the need for early intervention for individuals with dyslexia.