Getting Reading Difficulties in Perspective

THE FIELD of reading difficulties has been dominated by ideas which predate the revolution in literacy research which has occurred during the past two decades. Furthermore, reading difficulties has been locked into special education by the inclusion of the learning disability category in the US PL 94‐142. This review attempts a brief review of non‐North American ideas about reading difficulties to identify the contributions of regular and special education to this field. The implications of research on literacy acquisition are considered. The consequences of regarding reading difficulties as a ‘Matthew effect’ include the urgent need to prevent reading failure. One important attempt to do this is Reading Recovery, a program now used in Australia and the United States as well as New Zealand. The potential of a Vygotskian perspective on assessment and teaching for children experiencing reading difficulties is outlined.