Effects of a comprehensive reading intervention on the reading achievement and social behaviors of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) were evaluated using a multiple baseline across-subjects design. Six third-grade students from a self-contained special education school identified with severe reading and behavioral deficits participated. Reading instruction occurred daily in small groups using Horizons Fast Track A-B reading program supplemented by Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS).; Analyses indicated variable and differential improvements in basic reading skills (i.e., phoneme blending, phoneme segmentation, nonsense word fluency, and word identification) with limited transfer to oral reading fluency. Outcomes for social behaviors indicated that changes in total inappropriate behavior were not directly related to the reading intervention while improved attending appeared related to intervention but not necessarily reading achievement. Consistent with previous studies with students with E/BD, these results suggest that Horizons and PALS, with additional work in fluency building, may be one method to improve severe reading deficits in this population of students. Collateral improvements in social behaviors are less clear. Results are discussed in context of possible reasons for differential responding, influence of teacher behaviors, and implications for practice and future research.
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