Reading Disabilities and PASS Reading Enhancement Programme

Abstract

Children experience difficulties in reading either because they fail to decode the words and thus are unable to comprehend the text or simply fail to comprehend the text even if they are able to decode the words and read them out. Failure in word decoding results from a failure in phonological coding of written information, whereas reading comprehension difficulties result from difficulty in focussing on relevant information while reading, perceiving the interrelationship among obtained information, strategic thinking, lack of vocabulary knowledge, inability to make inferences  and lack   of reflective knowledge of language while reading. Within the framework of PASS model of intelligence, word reading has been found to be depending on successive processing, particularly at earlier grades, while reading comprehension depends primarily on simultaneous processing. Planning and attention, on the other hand, are found to be essential at all levels of reading. The PASS Reading Enhancement Programme (PREP) which is based on the PASS theory of intelligence, helps remediate the word decoding and reading comprehension skills of children by improving the underlying cognitive processes. The efficacy of PREP has been proved not only in case of children who are the native speakers of English language, but also in those for whom English is the Second Language (ESL children). School psychologists and teachers may take this as a challenge and help improve the reading skills of poor readers.

Keywords: Word decoding, reading comprehension, PASS processes, PREP, ESL children