Towards achievement of reading skill potential through peer tutoring in mainstreamed 13-year-olds

A long-term study of potentially disabled children identified at birth, yielded 27 disabled children who had not achieved the reading ages predicted by their verbal IQ scores. Peer-tutoring outside of the classroom resulted in significant increases in reading age, self-esteem and academic self-confidence, in comparison with non-disabled control children. Children with higher IQs were more reading delayed, suggesting that teachers of mainstreamed children may be satisfied with 'average' rather than 'optimal' scholastic attainment in disabled children.