Instructional strategies that foster reading skills of learners with intellectual disability: A scoping review

Abstract

Effective learning and classroom interaction depend on learners’ reading skills. In essence, reading is the cornerstone of academic success. Thus, functional literacy enhances learners' abilities irrespective of their intellectual abilities. Learners with intellectual disability will have an improved ability to understand and apply the information learnt to real-life situations. This scoping review aimed to examine instructional strategies adopted to foster the reading skills of learners with intellectual disabilities. A database search of relevant studies revealed 522 academic papers. Only six articles met the inclusion criteria for an in-depth analysis of studies on the use of instructional strategies to improve reading skills among learners with intellectual disabilities. The study included in this review used six strategies to improve reading skills. Furthermore, all strategies except phonics-based instruction effectively enhanced reading skills. Based on these findings, we recommend that workshops be organized for professionals providing services to learners with intellectual disabilities on the advantages of applying appropriate instructional strategies to develop reading skills among learners with intellectual disability. Moreover, larger sample sizes are required in future studies to draw generalizable conclusions.

Key words: fostering; learners; instructional strategies; intellectual disability; reading skills