Comparison of Faster and Slower Responders to Early Intervention in Reading: Differentiating Features of their Language Profiles

Abstract

In the longitudinal research reported in this article we examine issues related to the nature and duration of early intervention of relatively low intensity. Specifically, we consider (a) how children who respond faster and slower differ at the end of a 24-lesson intervention spaced over four months in first grade, (b) whether the faster responders maintained their gains during second grade, (c) whether the slower responders could make relative gains with additional intervention, and (d) how the faster and slower responders during the first-grade intervention differed in second grade. In comparing these children who varied in rate of response to early intervention, we focus on differences in their language profiles for potential instructional cues for enhancing the reading of slower responders.