Teaching Word Recognition: Effective Strategies for Students with Learning Difficulties (What Works for Special-Needs Learners)

‘As a practicing school psychologist and state reading trainer who works extensively on preventing reading problems at the district and state level, I find this book to be an excellent synthesis of best practices for teaching word recognition to all children. O’Connor provides a sequenced framework for developing individualized lessons for both younger and older struggling readers. A quick-reference table provides a summary and roadmap of all the teaching methods and activities described. This book is an invaluable day-to-day resource for special and general educators. It is also a great preservice or inservice text for teachers, school psychologists, and reading consultants.’ – Jim Weaver, MA, SPsyS, state reading trainer, Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative, USA

‘This unique volume provides a thorough and comprehensive discussion of reading instruction at the word level, including practical ideas that reading specialists and special educators can immediately apply when working with students. O’Connor’s in-depth knowledge of theory and research related to reading difficulties/m-/and her ability to translate that knowledge into explicit, step-by-step strategies for the practitioner/m-/make this a special and important book. It will be a useful text for any course within a reading or special education program that addresses instruction for struggling readers, and an important resource for practicing reading specialists and special educators.’ – Rita M. Bean, PhD, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, USA

‘An extremely valuable, well-written, and well-organized resource for general and special education teachers, tutors, and others who want to help their students with learning disabilities become fluent readers. The book effectively bridges the gap between research and practice, clearly explaining how reading instruction should progress and what to do when things do not go as planned. It provides hope for helping all students, regardless of their age or disability status. I used this book repeatedly during my student teaching experience in a special education classroom, and loved the results!’ – Anna Waters, MA, elementary school teacher-in-training and reading tutor, University of California, Riverside, USA

‘As a practicing school psychologist and state reading trainer who works extensively on preventing reading problems at the district and state level, I find this book to be an excellent synthesis of best practices for teaching word recognition to all children. O’Connor provides a sequenced framework for developing individualized lessons for both younger and older struggling readers. A quick-reference table provides a summary and roadmap of all the teaching methods and activities described. This book is an invaluable day-to-day resource for special and general educators. It is also a great preservice or inservice text for teachers, school psychologists, and reading consultants.’ – Jim Weaver, MA, SPsyS, state reading trainer, Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative, USA

‘This unique volume provides a thorough and comprehensive discussion of reading instruction at the word level, including practical ideas that reading specialists and special educators can immediately apply when working with students. O’Connor’s in-depth knowledge of theory and research related to reading difficulties/m-/and her ability to translate that knowledge into explicit, step-by-step strategies for the practitioner/m-/make this a special and important book. It will be a useful text for any course within a reading or special education program that addresses instruction for struggling readers, and an important resource for practicing reading specialists and special educators.’ – Rita M. Bean, PhD, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, USA

‘An extremely valuable, well-written, and well-organized resource for general and special education teachers, tutors, and others who want to help their students with learning disabilities become fluent readers. The book effectively bridges the gap between research and practice, clearly explaining how reading instruction should progress and what to do when things do not go as planned. It provides hope for helping all students, regardless of their age or disability status. I used this book repeatedly during my student teaching experience in a special education classroom, and loved the results!’ – Anna Waters, MA, elementary school teacher-in-training and reading tutor, University of California, Riverside, USA

Rollanda E. O’Connor, PhD, Graduate School of Education, University of California at Riverside, USA