Teaching Decoding Through Constant Time Delay to Students with Severe Disabilities and Verbal Difficulties

• Main Author: Dean, Julia
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2020
• Subjects: Severe Disability; Phonics; Constant Time Delay; Decoding; Reading Intervention; Special Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3751; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5222&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of constant time delay on decoding letter sounds within consonant-vowel-consonant words and to read constant-vowel-constant words skills for students with severe disabilities and verbal difficulties. This study used a multiple probe across participants design with four students with severe intellectual and/or development disabilities. Results indicated a functional relation between the use of constant time delay and decoding of CVC words. Additionally, students were able to maintain and generalize learning. Results were similar to other studies which implemented constant time delay to promote emergent literacy skills. Practitioners can use constant time delay to teach decoding to students with severe disabilities and verbal difficulties and to promote early reading skills. Future research should replicate the study with students from different age groups as well as examine the effects of this strategy on the acquisition of CCVC and CVCC words.