Online procedure to encourage reading in children with school difficulties and their guardians, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Giulia Ito Silva, Gabriela Diniz, Patrícia Abreu Pinheiro Crenitte and 1 others
PMID 38126549WHAT IT FOUND
Six children with school difficulties and their mothers used an online reading program during the pandemic.
Mothers changed their behavior, offering more eye contact and encouragement. Five children reported higher interest in reading, though the study did not measure actual reading skill gains.
Key findings
01Mothers changed their interaction behavior between the first and last sessions, moving from no eye contact or pertinent questions to providing eye contact, questions, and encouragement in all four analyzed dyads.
02Five of the six children showed a positive change in at least two responses on the reading behavior scale after the intervention.
03Two mothers reported changing their daily habits to encourage reading, such as always sharing their own reading material or stopping other tasks to listen to their child.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a case series of only six children, so the results cannot be generalized to all patients with school difficulties. There was no control group, so it is impossible to know if the changes were due to the intervention, the passage of time, or the novelty of the online format. The study did not measure actual improvements in reading skills, comprehension, or academic performance, only self-reported behavior and observed interaction styles. Strict inclusion criteria requiring good internet access and an available adult guardian meant few patients were eligible, limiting applicability to disadvantaged populations. The authors note that changes in reading behavior may have been limited to verbal responses in the testing context rather than sustained routine actions.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the positive changes in mother-child interaction or self-reported reading interest as evidence that this program improves reading ability or academic outcomes. The study was too small and short to prove efficacy, and it did not measure reading skills.