TOWARDS ACHIEVEMENT OF READING SKILL POTENTIAL THROUGH PEER TUTORING IN MAINSTREAMED 13-YEAR-OLDS

A long-term study of potentially disabled children identified at birth , yielded 27 disabled children who had not achieved the reading ages p redicted by their verbal IQ scores. Peer-tutoring outside of the class room resulted in significant increases in reading age, self-esteem and academic self-confidence, in comparison with non-disabled control chi ldren. Children with higher IQs were more reading delayed, suggesting that teachers of mainstreamed children may be satisfied with 'average' rather than 'optimal' scholastic attainment in disabled children.