Integrating Behavior Support into a Reading Intervention for Fourth-Grade Students with Reading Difficulties and Inattention

Students with co-occurring reading difficulties and inattention tend to respond to reading interventions less favorably than those with reading difficulties without inattention. However, there is limited research on how to increase student engagement during reading instruction for these students. To support the engagement of students with co-occurring reading difficulties and inattention during reading instruction, the present study embedded antecedent- and consequence-based behavioral supports into an evidence-based reading curriculum to answer the following research question: What are the effects of integrating behavior supports into a reading intervention on student engagement relative to a reading intervention without behavior supports for fourth-grade students with co-occurring reading difficulties and inattention? The study used an ABAB withdrawal design. Study effects were evaluated by the What Works Clearinghouse visual analysis indicators and nonoverlapping data effect sizes. Results suggested the presence of a functional relation and large effect sizes for two of the three students in the study. Social validity data indicated that intervention was important and acceptable. Study findings suggest that embedding behavior supports into an evidence-based reading curriculum during small group reading instruction can be a feasible method for schools to address student engagement during reading instruction.