Scaffolding Inference-Making for Adolescents With Disabilities That Impact Reading

Abstract

Middle grade students with disabilities that impact reading, including learning disabilities (LD) in reading, high functioning autism (ASD), emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and students at-risk for reading failure due to the effects of poverty, often struggle to make knowledge-based inferences while reading informational texts. As a result, these populations of students are not able to read for understanding or learn from grade-level texts. Unfortunately, many special educators have had little preparation in how to develop their knowledge of inference-making or methods for explicitly teaching inference-making. Despite their lack of knowledge, special educators are often solely responsible for teaching skills that support reading comprehension, such as knowledge-based inference-making. This article provides special educators with information and resources to enhance their understanding of knowledge-based inferencing and methods for teaching knowledge-based inference-making to middle grade students with disabilities and those who are at risk for reading failure.