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.