Reading in Children With Fragile X Syndrome: Phonological Awareness and Feasibility of Intervention.

Study 1 was correlational, so it cannot show that improving phonological awareness causes better word reading. Study 1 included only adolescent males with intellectual disability, so results may not generalize to females, higher-functioning individuals, or younger children. Word Attack scores were too low for analysis in 21 of 26 participants, so pseudoword decoding could not be tested. Study 2 had only 8 participants and no control group, so pre-post gains could reflect practice, maturation, school instruction, or other factors. Participants also received weekly contact from the research team, and the paper does not control for usual home or school routines, so the contribution of the HeadSprout program alone cannot be separated. Fidelity varied because of illness, family circumstances, internet access, holidays, and resistance, and most parents or teachers reported increasing difficulty maintaining use. The reading measures may not have been sensitive to small gains across the wide ability range.

The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural research support. The article text does not report author conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that the HeadSprout program improves reading. It was a small uncontrolled feasibility study, and gains were mixed: the WJ Passage Comprehension subtest showed improvement, but the TERA-3 subtests did not show significant change.