Teaching Students with IDD and ESN to Engage Meaningfully with Text Through High-Quality Literacy Instruction

Literacy skills are essential and serve as the foundation for all academic learning. Students with IDD and ESN deserve the chance to learn to read and write. Time engaged in literacy instruction learning to read and write may be some of the most important over a student’s educational career. Educators are charged with addressing not only the reading and writing state standards but also the speaking and listening and language standards. This breadth acknowledges the integration of literacy—reading, writing, and communication. In this chapter, we outline effective literacy practices (i.e., High Leverage Practices, systematic instruction, embedded instruction, graphic organizers, and assistive technology) and strategies applicable for any age and grade. Discussions in reading address each of the five components—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—along with considerations for instruction, such as using age-appropriate texts and planning challenging questions and appropriate supports within texts. In writing, considerations for what occurs between writers and readers, what motivates writers, teaching spelling, and using systematic instruction are shared. With opportunities to learn this content and these skills, students experience a higher quality of life in every setting—home, school, work, and the community.