This longitudinal quasi‐experimental study examined the general efficiency of part‐time special education for students at risk for reading difficulties in Estonian primary schools. Participants were selected from 464 students whose pre‐reading and reading skills were assessed for the study at the beginning of school. Eighty‐four of these children received part‐time special education support throughout the first grade (treatment group). Statistical matching was used to find a control group similar to the treatment group on pre‐reading skills and parental educational level but who did not receive extra help (control group; 84 children). Students' reading fluency and task persistence were assessed at the end of Grade 1 and Grade 2. Neither group differed in reading fluency nor task persistence at the end of either grade. Developmental trajectories of those treatment group children who received additional support only for reading and spelling difficulties did not differ from those who received this support for concurrent developmental disorders in addition to reading and spelling difficulties. Our findings indicate that a full‐year of special education support in the form of extra lessons without a prior diagnostic assessment, frequent progress monitoring, or focused interventions might not be an effective way to support children with reading difficulties.

中文翻译：

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兼职特殊教育对有阅读困难风险的儿童有好处吗？爱沙尼亚的一个例子

这项纵向准实验研究考察了爱沙尼亚小学有阅读困难风险学生的兼职特殊教育的总体效率。从464名学生中选择参与者，他们的学前阅读和阅读技能在学校开始时就经过了评估。这些儿童中有八十四名在整个一年级（治疗组）接受了兼职特殊教育支持。采用统计学匹配的方法，在预读技能和父母教育水平方面找到与治疗组相似的对照组，但是他们没有得到额外的帮助（对照组； 84名儿童）。在一年级和二年级结束时评估学生的阅读流利度和任务持久性。在两个年级结束时，两组的阅读流利度和任务持久性均无差异。那些仅在阅读和拼写困难方面获得额外支持的治疗组儿童的发展轨迹与那些在阅读和拼写困难方面获得并发发育障碍的支持者没有区别。我们的发现表明，在没有事先诊断评估，频繁的进度监测或有针对性的干预的情况下，以额外的课程形式提供全年的特殊教育支持可能不是支持阅读困难儿童的有效方法。