Literacy Transition Strategies for Upper Elementary Students With Language-Learning Disabilities

Learning to read is the number one education priority in this nation. For the most part, upper-elementary students with language-learning disabilities (LLD) have not been included in the many regional and state initiatives to improve reading achievement and instruction. This article discusses how our knowledge and research about teaching beginning reading effectively to young children in the general education classroom can be applied to students in Grades 4 through 6. Stages of reading acquisition in LLD, key transition points, and a comprehensive set of strategies for general and special educators and other professionals (e.g., speech—language pathologists) to foster literacy in older beginning readers are offered.