Reading and Writing Disabilities : Why and How it Works for Students in High School.

The study aims to investigate how three secondary students with reading and writing disabilities are being supported in the classroom. What teaching methods and adaptations are applied in the classroom to support students in reading and writing? How do students respond to these methods? And what are the experiences of the support and adjustments that are made according to two of their teachers? The study consists of classroom observations and interviews with three students with reading and writing disabilities and dyslexia. It also includes interviews with two teachers, who teach these students in three different courses. There is a very obvious conclusion that teachers that reach out in their teaching and have a good relation with the students succeed in understanding and finding the students’ ability to learn, as stated by several researchers. In this study the teachers do not have a special educational background, but still they seem up to date with what works, and what does not work in the classroom. Also, the teachers do not distinguish between students, on the contrary they seem to adjust their teaching to support all their students, by simplifying, communicating, and making use of different teaching methods. Altogether, students and teachers feel they can cope with the situation, even though there is a sense of insufficiency among at least one of the teachers. The students think the teachers are competent, and they all agree upon the fact that they get the support they need, even if some lessons are hard and difficult to follow.