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Educational legislation has made reading a priority for students with significant intellectual disabilities (ID) and associated speech, language, sensory, or physical impairments. Historically, reading instruction for students with significant ID has focused on sight word instruction, with limited exposure to other essential reading skills. This article focuses on the evidence-based instructional methods that effectively and efficiently foster the reading development of students with significant ID. The authors reviewed the literature from the past 20 years on reading interventions for students with significant ID. In spite of access and opportunity barriers that have inhibited the reading development of students with significant ID, a synthesis of the empirical research on reading instruction suggests that students with significant ID and associated disabilities can learn phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension skills with direct instruction. Implications for providing reading instruction that effectively promotes reading development are discussed and areas for future research are identified.

Three-year-old Kasey has cerebral palsy (CP) with seizures. He often pushes books away, putting his head down instead. Kasey is learning preliteracy skills and enjoys manipulating objects but has great difficulty with fine motor abilities.Kasey’s twin, Kolby, also has CP. He enjoys having books read to him. He will often seek out books during check-out time, but he cannot interact with them on his own because of fine motor difficulties. His strengths include enjoying the computer with an adaptive switch, and he has the ability to understand key concepts in a story.Chandler is an active four-year-old with language delay, who often engages in imaginary play where he fights with ninjas during storytime. He seldom initiates looking at books, and when he does, he folds the pages, bends the corners of the book, or even tears the pages. During sensory activities such as playing in sand, finger painting, and playing with play dough, he is very attentive and will not leave that area. His strengths include his sustained attention to the sensory area and manipulatives table, his imagination, and his understanding of simple plots.

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