Language is everything! : A qualitative study on teachers' and SEN teachers' support to pupils with reading and writing difficulties in grades 4 to 6

The purpose of the study is to find out what measures and methods teachers and special educators use to strengthen students with reading and writing difficulties in everyday teaching. The survey highlights how teachers and special educators look at reading and writing skills and, in the theoretical background, what earlier researchers say. The study is based on qualitative analysis of interviews. The survey consists of two teachers and three special education teachers active in three different schools. The result shows a great convergence of the concept of reading and writing difficulties among both teachers and special education teachers. The study also shows that both teachers and special educators agree that they are experiencing deficiencies in students' ability to read and write and this affects whatever topic the student is taught in. The respondents in the study claim that the causes of the difficulties were due to biological, social and educational factors. Views on what constitute favorable methods are similar among both teachers and special education teachers, and generally it has been found that all respondents strive to adapt the daily teaching for all pupils' needs and abilities. In order to strengthen student's reading and writing they receive intensive training in reading periods, customized texts, adjusted text amount and compensatory aids in everyday teaching. Another important factor that emerged from the study was the time factor. It is an important prerequisite to take action and think long term for the students with reading and writing disabilities