The Influence of Prior Reading Instruction and IEP Goals on the Reading Skills of Children with Down Syndrome

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between IEP goals and prior reading instruction for children with Down Syndrome, and whether both of those variables had an impact on the children’s reading abilities and potential to learn. 24 children with Down Syndrome between the ages of 7 and 16 participated in a study conducted by Lemons and Fuchs (2010). The raw data was extracted to create kappa coefficients showing the agreement between IEP goals and prior reading instruction. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients were also created to determine the relations between IEP goals, reading instruction, reading abilities and gain scores on posttest scores. The results showed no significant agreement between IEP goals and reading instruction. There were also significant relations between reading instruction and pre-test scores but not gain scores. There was no relationship between IEP goals and either set of scores. Implications for practice and research are discussed.