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Parents diagnose and correct reading problems
Book reviews
227
Harold D. Love: Parerus diagmse arld correct readlnp problems. Springfield, 111,Charles C. Thomas, publisher, 1970, 112 pages, S6.00. By Frances Cacha, Pace College. Dr- Love states that parents can do an excellent job in diagnosing and correcting their children’s reading problems. According to the author, the role parents can assume in improving reading abilities has great potential. In the P&it, Parents have been encouraged to help their children in aft other curriculum areas; while they were discouraged fron: assisting their &i]dren in due to the emotional involvement. he book provides excellent background information about reading. written in non-technical language. Parents will find tnany usefuf sections explaining
rea
hg
process starfillg at birth. E.dr]y hotlIe are conducive to reading readiness are discussed and Inany c?S a deVekqmentd
eXperiences that helpful su&estions are included. The importance of language as the beginning of reading is stressed. One Of the chapters focuses on the causes of reading problems. Dr. Love mentions ~otne of the factors that “can contribute to failure in rPz:iiing achievement: poor vision, poor hearing, poor speech, poor teaching, inadequate schools, or an inferior environment .., brain damage, emotional maladjustment, and low intelligence” (pp. $8 - 49) as well as child rearing practices. He believes that some reading problems can be prevented by a supportive home atmosphere and by fostering t’avorable attitudes toward reading. The purpose of the authors’s diagnostic tests is to decide the child’s instructional level in word recognition and comprehension. These tests Lre informal reading inventories similar to measures used by classrooan teachers to determine a child’s reading achievement. cachers, however, have educational knowledge and experience, which parents lack, to help them interpret the results. In addition, teachers may use standardized tee+ data and daily observations to judge a child’s instructional level in reading. Furthermore, the question of whether the child is reading according to his ability cannot bc evaluated by parents on the basis of the tests provided by the author. An intellectually gifted child could be retarded in reading althougll perforIiling at grade level, while a mentally retarded child could also be retarded in reading but achieving according to his potential. If judged by the author’s methods. which child would be diagnosed by his parents as having a reading problem? Obviously professional guidance is essential to determine if a reading problem exists, if so, what is the cause, and what steps should be taken to correct itThe readiness and remedial ter:hniques recommended for correcting reading problems are methods comrronlv used by teachers in regular classroon’ instruction and are geared for c;Jdren of pre-school age through the elementary school years. The skills included are: word recognition, Phonics,
228
Book reviews
context clues, structural analysis, discrimination clues, dictionary use. tmnprehension, phrasing, sentence comprehension, paragraph comprehension, and comprehension of longer selections. The book would be enhanced by the inclusion of definite materials parents could use with children other than basal readers. Books of high interest level written at lower reading levels are available and would be most appropriate to motivate an interest in reading. In addition, there are chapter on children’s reading interests and tastes at various ages, study skills, learning disabilities, how parents can help gifted children, and oral and silent reading. Thes.e chapters also supply valuable information for parents. In summary, the book is reczornmended for parents, working under the guidance of a classroom teacher or reading spc;ialist, to help correct their children’s reading problems. Appraising the child’s instructional level is only part of the total evaluation, and, therefore, diagnosis by professionals in such fields as medicine. psychology, and/or reading would be necessary.
An answer to three reviews previously published of tangzdage, leartzitzgand communication disorders itz children. By Gertrud Wyatt, Wellesley, Mas,achusetts. First of all I wish to thank the editors of The humal of Cclt?lmutticatic)rl Disorders for honoring me and my recent book with multiple reviews and also for their thoughtfulness in the choice of the reviewers. At a time when we observe an increasingly sharp division between the various schools of psychology, setting clinicians against experinientalists, or phenonienologists against behaviorists, much credit must :3e given to this journal for assigning the reviews to people whose philosophies, activities and biasses seem to differ from each other. In spite of their differences, however, all three reviewers obviously have been most careful and conscientious in their discussions and 1 felt muclh stimulated in reading their essays. I only wish that we could all meet in person, in a symposium or workshop, to discuss further the important issues and the various points of view which were included in these reviews. Rather than arguing with the reviewers I will take the liberty and quote a few sentences from the book, which may bear repetition. In the Preface (p XIII) I referred to a statement by Werner and Kaplan to the effect that “there are multi.ple approaches to the problems of language” and that “none can claim reasonably to be the only avenue to truth”. Of the many possible appruachies I chose those that, at the time of writing, appeared to me must appropriate and most helpful in elucidating the phenomena we observed and studied.
227
Harold D. Love: Parerus diagmse arld correct readlnp problems. Springfield, 111,Charles C. Thomas, publisher, 1970, 112 pages, S6.00. By Frances Cacha, Pace College. Dr- Love states that parents can do an excellent job in diagnosing and correcting their children’s reading problems. According to the author, the role parents can assume in improving reading abilities has great potential. In the P&it, Parents have been encouraged to help their children in aft other curriculum areas; while they were discouraged fron: assisting their &i]dren in due to the emotional involvement. he book provides excellent background information about reading. written in non-technical language. Parents will find tnany usefuf sections explaining
rea
hg
process starfillg at birth. E.dr]y hotlIe are conducive to reading readiness are discussed and Inany c?S a deVekqmentd
eXperiences that helpful su&estions are included. The importance of language as the beginning of reading is stressed. One Of the chapters focuses on the causes of reading problems. Dr. Love mentions ~otne of the factors that “can contribute to failure in rPz:iiing achievement: poor vision, poor hearing, poor speech, poor teaching, inadequate schools, or an inferior environment .., brain damage, emotional maladjustment, and low intelligence” (pp. $8 - 49) as well as child rearing practices. He believes that some reading problems can be prevented by a supportive home atmosphere and by fostering t’avorable attitudes toward reading. The purpose of the authors’s diagnostic tests is to decide the child’s instructional level in word recognition and comprehension. These tests Lre informal reading inventories similar to measures used by classrooan teachers to determine a child’s reading achievement. cachers, however, have educational knowledge and experience, which parents lack, to help them interpret the results. In addition, teachers may use standardized tee+ data and daily observations to judge a child’s instructional level in reading. Furthermore, the question of whether the child is reading according to his ability cannot bc evaluated by parents on the basis of the tests provided by the author. An intellectually gifted child could be retarded in reading althougll perforIiling at grade level, while a mentally retarded child could also be retarded in reading but achieving according to his potential. If judged by the author’s methods. which child would be diagnosed by his parents as having a reading problem? Obviously professional guidance is essential to determine if a reading problem exists, if so, what is the cause, and what steps should be taken to correct itThe readiness and remedial ter:hniques recommended for correcting reading problems are methods comrronlv used by teachers in regular classroon’ instruction and are geared for c;Jdren of pre-school age through the elementary school years. The skills included are: word recognition, Phonics,
228
Book reviews
context clues, structural analysis, discrimination clues, dictionary use. tmnprehension, phrasing, sentence comprehension, paragraph comprehension, and comprehension of longer selections. The book would be enhanced by the inclusion of definite materials parents could use with children other than basal readers. Books of high interest level written at lower reading levels are available and would be most appropriate to motivate an interest in reading. In addition, there are chapter on children’s reading interests and tastes at various ages, study skills, learning disabilities, how parents can help gifted children, and oral and silent reading. Thes.e chapters also supply valuable information for parents. In summary, the book is reczornmended for parents, working under the guidance of a classroom teacher or reading spc;ialist, to help correct their children’s reading problems. Appraising the child’s instructional level is only part of the total evaluation, and, therefore, diagnosis by professionals in such fields as medicine. psychology, and/or reading would be necessary.
An answer to three reviews previously published of tangzdage, leartzitzgand communication disorders itz children. By Gertrud Wyatt, Wellesley, Mas,achusetts. First of all I wish to thank the editors of The humal of Cclt?lmutticatic)rl Disorders for honoring me and my recent book with multiple reviews and also for their thoughtfulness in the choice of the reviewers. At a time when we observe an increasingly sharp division between the various schools of psychology, setting clinicians against experinientalists, or phenonienologists against behaviorists, much credit must :3e given to this journal for assigning the reviews to people whose philosophies, activities and biasses seem to differ from each other. In spite of their differences, however, all three reviewers obviously have been most careful and conscientious in their discussions and 1 felt muclh stimulated in reading their essays. I only wish that we could all meet in person, in a symposium or workshop, to discuss further the important issues and the various points of view which were included in these reviews. Rather than arguing with the reviewers I will take the liberty and quote a few sentences from the book, which may bear repetition. In the Preface (p XIII) I referred to a statement by Werner and Kaplan to the effect that “there are multi.ple approaches to the problems of language” and that “none can claim reasonably to be the only avenue to truth”. Of the many possible appruachies I chose those that, at the time of writing, appeared to me must appropriate and most helpful in elucidating the phenomena we observed and studied.