Browsing by Author "Norrback, Elina"

The aim of this bachelor's thesis was to survey the identification and rehabilitation of reading difficulties on children in primary education in Finnish school system during the 2000s. This study was implemented as a literature review which consists of all the doctoral dissertations published between 2000 and present and that discuss reading difficulties in the context of primary education and that can be read in electrical formate such as e-thesis. At first, this study introduces the most important reading abilities based on the previous international studies as well as the literacy acquisition based on the most common theories of reading. The impact of reading difficulties to literacy acquisition is then discussed within the different definitions of dyslexia as well as the most common theories of dyslexia and its elements of risk. The doctoral thesis' that are on focus in this study are divided to interventions and follow-up studies. Interventions aim at investigating the effectiveness of different methods of treatment protocols of reading difficulties compared to one another and to produce research-based information for developing the practices of special education in primary school whereas the follow-up studies aim at increasing the knowledge of the stability of reading difficulties and the factors behind them and their effect on learning and also the long-term effects on different treatment protocols and rehabilitation of dyslexia. According to the previous studies the literacy development proceeded through similar stages among the at-risk children and their peers, the at-risk children being slower in their development than others. Reading difficulties were well predicted at the early stage, even prior to the first grade and they were highly permanent. Reading difficulties also seemed to define the success in studies all through the school years and especially for boys, poor reading skills seemed to cast highly negative and far-reaching consequences on studying. The studies also indicated that the early identification is just the start: in order to get lasting results there should be intense, systematic and sufficiently long-term treatment protocols and interventions. These results show that special education as it is today does not offer sufficient support for children with reading difficulties and also that the special education for at-risk children should be based on close following and evaluation of the development of reading as well as thorough initial testing at the beginning of intervention.