Case Study: The Combined Effects of the Neurological Impress Method and the Educational Therapy Approach upon an Adult Disabled Reader

Abstract

The adult remedial reader often exhibits diverse needs which are necessary to be taken into consideration amid remediation efforts. Low self-esteem, sense of failure, and dependency upon trusted teachers, family, and friends briefly describe the obstacles which the adult learner must contend with. This is a case study of a 38 year old woman attending Adult Basic Education classes in an urban community. Despite having progressed through the twelfth grade, her educational experiences were generally inconsistent and academically unsuccessful. The subject read at a second grade independent reading level and exhibited great need in phonological awareness at the initial stages of the study. Extreme hearing loss in her right ear further compounded her literacy difficulties. The Neurological Impress Method and the Educational Therapy Approach were methods of reading remediation which helped to reduce anxieties and enlisted the active participation of the subject. Instructional planning, interpretation of the problem, and assessment of efforts were co-determined by both tutor and subject. The results of this study indicate that the Neurological Impress Method showed the most positive effects upon the subject's silent reading grade level. Oral reading strategies were observed to be steadily improving, as was evident after a critical examination of Ekwall testing. The Educational Therapy Approach revealed important insights regarding the subject's past development along with current endeavors and difficulties. The sum of the study brought to light issues in education related to continuity and expectations.