Effective Early Literacy Intervention for Students with Disabilities: Building Reading Fluency and Comprehension

We will describe results from an RCT efficacy study examining the effectiveness of Friends on the Block, a comprehensive early literacy curriculum, with 132 elementary students who have complex needs. We focus on program features, literacy outcomes, and the lasting results of intervention at one-year follow up. Participants will be able to: 1. Become familiar with key early literacy strands which are part of an evidence-based comprehensive literacy program designed specifically for students with complex needs. 2. Analyze the impact of an efficacy trial of the evidence-based comprehensive literacy program on the early literacy skills of students with complex needs. 3. Strategize implementation of effective early literacy instruction in their own schools or programs.