Cognitive Hypothesis Testing and Response to Intervention for Children with Reading Problems

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2006

Abstract

Response to intervention (RTI) must be combined with comprehensive cognitive assessment to identify children with learning disabilities. This article presents the Cognitive Hypothesis Testing (CHT) model for integrating RTI and comprehensive evaluation practices in the identification of children with reading disabilities. The CHT model utilizes a scientific method approach for interpreting cognitive and neuropsychological processes together with evaluation of ecological and treatment validity data to develop targeted interventions for students who do not respond to standard academic interventions. A case study highlights how CHT practices can lead to effective interventions for a child who did not respond to a phonologically based reading intervention. In addition, discriminant analyses of 128 children with reading disabilities revealed the presence of Global, Phonemic, Fluency-Comprehension, and Orthographic subtypes. Results suggest subtypes show disparate cognitive profiles that differentially impact their reading achievement, supporting our contention that individual assessment of cognitive processing strengths and weaknesses is not only necessary for identifying children with reading disabilities but also can lead to individualized interventions designed to meet their unique learning needs.

Publication Title

Psychology in the Schools

Volume

43

Issue

8

First Page

835

Last Page

853

Comments

This article was published in Psychology in the Schools Special Issue, Volume 43, Issue 8, November 2006, Pages 835-853.

The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pits.20192

Copyright © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company

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