About the Book
This latest volume in the Extraordinary Brain series represents a joint effort between researchers and practitioners to shape the future of early reading intervention by taking stock of the present and making recommendations for the future.
Effective early reading intervention depends on research and practice that leads to positive changes in classroom practice and better student reading outcomes. This important volume promotes the valuable “research to practice to research” loop, bringing top experts and practitioners together to examine what we know—and what we need to know—about effective reading and writing intervention.
The newest addition to the respected Extraordinary Brain series, this book compiles and expands on critical findings presented at The Dyslexia Foundation’s biannual symposium. More than 35 researchers and practitioners explore the latest on topics relevant to effective reading and writing education, from neurobiology and genetics to specific strategies for translating research into intervention—and learning from the results of these interventions to inform new research. The concluding chapters map out key priorities for future research and innovation.
An essential text for teachers, reading specialists, reading researchers, administrators, and students in graduate courses, this volume marks a significant step toward resolving the literacy challenges of young learners. It will also help move the field toward a firmly established “research to practice to research” collaboration among researchers and practitioners.
Key topics covered:
neurobiological bases of word recognition and comprehension
how behavioral genetics can inform education
translating and applying research to the classroom
designing and interpreting the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
the correlation between rapid automatized naming (RAN) speed and reading development
the impact of eye movement research on our understanding of skilled reading
reading development and difficulties among English Language Learners
dialect variation in African American children
the writing challenges of children with dyslexia and Language Learning Difficulty (LLD)
developing research ideas from classroom and school experiences
specific considerations for the field as it progresses and develops
and more
About the Author :
Dr Gaab is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and in the Department of Medicine at Childrena s Hospital Boston. Carol McDonald Connor, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Early Learning Research Initiative Center, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 872111, Tempe, AZ 85287-2111. Dr. Connora s research focuses on childrena s language and literacy development and the multiple sources of influence that affect this development, including the classroom learning environment. Her research also focuses on children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities and on the efficacy of interventions designed to improve their literacy and language skills. She is also a distinguished research associate at the Florida Center for Reading Research. Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, "Eunice Kennedy Shriver" National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. McCardle has been a classroom teacher and has served as faculty at various universities and as a speech-language pathologist in hospitals and medical centers.In addition to her duties as Branch Chief, she directs the Language, Bilingualism and Biliteracy Program and developed various branch programs in literacy. She is a co-editor of several volumes and has served as guest editor of thematic journal issues on reading, bilingualism, and English language learner research. She is committed to the importance of ongoing research on child health, development, and learning and to ensuring that important research results are shared with the practice community so that they can improve the lives of children. Donald L. Compton, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Special Education, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College Box 228, 110 Magnolia Circle, 418C MRL, Nashville, TN 37203. Dr. Comptona s research involves modeling individual differences in the development of childrena s reading skills and the identification of children with reading disabilities. Dr. Miller is Program Director of the Reading, Writing, and Related Learning Disabilities Program at the "Eunice Kennedy Shriver" National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Miller previously held the position of Associate Research Scientist at the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, where he oversaw programs in adult literacy and math and science learning. Kenneth R. Pugh, Ph.D., President and Director of Research, Haskins Laboratories, Yale University and University of Connecticut, 300 George Street, Suite 900, New Haven, CT 06511. Dr. Pugh holds academic appointments as professor of psychology, University of Connecticut; associate professor of linguistics, Yale University; and associate professor of diagnostic radiology, Yale University School of Medicine. He is also director of the Yale Reading Center. His research program falls primarily in two broad domains: cognitive neuroscience and psycholinguistics. A fundamental interest continues to be research into the neurobiology of typical and atypical language and reading development in children. Associate Professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1333 Moursund, Suite H114, Houston, TX 77030. Dr. Simos, a cognitive neuroscientist, uses functional brain imagining techniques, such as magnetoencephalography, to study the neurological bases of language and memory functions, including reading. Laura M. Steacy, M.Ed., Department of Special Education and Child Services, Vanderbilt University, 110 Magnolia Circle, Nashville, TN 37203. Ms. Steacy is a doctoral student in high-incidence disabilities in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Her research interests include early predictors of reading achievement and early interventions for students at-risk for reading disabilities. Prior to her doctoral studies, Ms. Steacy was a classroom teacher with experience teaching kindergarten through sixth grade. Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, Sanchez Building, Austin, TX 78712. Dr. Vaughn is H.E. Hartfelder/Southland Corporation Regents Chair in Human Development and Executive Director at The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit at the University of Texas at Austin. She was the editor-in-chief of the "Journal of Learning Disabilities "and is the recipient of the CEC Research Award, the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, the International Reading Association Albert J. Harris Award, and the University of Texas Distinguished Faculty Award. The author of numerous books and research articles that address dyslexia, she is also currently the principal investigator for numerous research grants investigating effective interventions for students with dyslexia. Julie A. Washington, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University (GSU), Program in Communication Disorders; Atlanta, Georgia; jwashington@gsu.edu. Dr. Washington is also an affiliate faculty of GSUa s Language and Literacy Initiative, a unique research initiative focused on the challenges of acquiring language and literacy. Her work focuses on understanding cultural dialect use in African American children, emphasizing language assessment, literacy attainment, and academic performance. Her work with preschoolers has focused on understanding and improving the emergent literacy skills necessary to support later reading proficiency in high-risk groups, with a focus on the needs of children growing up in poverty."
Review :
“The authors are outstanding researchers who are closely attuned to the realities of the home, school, and community. I hope the book is read by everyone committed to addressing the hardest cases, children for whom reading and writing are especially difficult.” - Review by: Mark Seidenberg, Vilas Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
“An excellent book … The chapters are comprehensive, well written, and contain the most up-to- date references. It is essential reading for all investigators in the areas of reading and reading disabilities.” - Review by: Linda Siegel, Professor Emerita, University of British Columbia, Canada.
“Presents current frontiers of research on typical and atypical reading and outlines both directions and destinations for future research.” - Review by: Elena Grigorenko, Yale University
“Fielding a stellar set of dyslexia researchers and educators, Connor and McCardle have produced an important volume that sheds new light on how to best move effective reading interventions from the laboratory to the classroom.” - Review by: April Benasich, Rutgers University – Newark, USA.
