The effects of peer-assisted learning strategies on the beginning reading skills of young children with emotional or behavioral disorders

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) often exhibit reading problems that contribute to a progressive pattern of academic underachievement and school failure. However, limited research exists concerning effective reading interventions for students with E/BD. One reading program that has been validated in the literature with students who have learning disabilities (LD) is Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), which consists of teacher-led and peer tutoring components. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Kindergarten PALS (K-PALS) in increasing the beginning reading skills of kindergarten students identified as having E/BD. Results indicated that the peer tutoring phase of K-PALS led to increases in student scores on lettersound correspondence and blending probes. Consistent with the literature on the efficacy of PALS with the LD population, these findings suggest that K-PALS is a promising approach in increasing the reading performance of students with E/BD who are at risk for reading failure.