The Effects of a Computer-Based Phrase Reading Intervention on Isolated Word Reading in Post-secondary Students with Disabilities

The effects of a computer-based reading intervention on whole word reading in three post-secondary students with intellectual and/or developmental disability were evaluated using a multiple baseline across tasks (i.e., word sets) design. Words were selected from each student's elective undergraduate social science course materials. During this stimulus-response-stimulus-response intervention, the computer presented target words embedded within short phrases and the student had 3 s to read the phrase before a recording of the phrase was played. The student then repeated the phrase, and the computer screen provided a new word phrase and the next trial began. During assessment, students read target words in isolation. These words had to be read correctly within 3 s across two consecutive assessments to be considered acquired. Visual analysis of the repeated measures graphs suggests nine demonstrations of a treatment effect and provides evidence of experimental control across all three students. The current results showed that learning to read content-specific words when they were embedded in phrases resulted in generalization (i.e., allowed students to read the words in isolation). Discussion focuses on implications, limitations, and future research.