What scientific evidence supports ReadingDoctor®?

Many of Australia's leaders in scientifically-based literacy instruction recommend ReadingDoctor® and a growing number of research studies provide evidence supporting the program. 

Here is a summary of this evidence so you undertsand the importance of the skills being targeted by the program and why it may be a good choice in helping you to help your child develop their reading ability!

What evidence is there to support ReadingDoctor®?

ReadingDoctor® software is scientifically based, meaning that it has been designed based on findings from scientific research into reading acquisition and reading difficulties. The program is recommended by many of Australia's leaders in literacy instruction and a growing number of independently conducted studies provide evidence for its effectiveness.

"An example of a good app is Reading Doctor software because it incorporates a carefully designed sequence of content and skills, as well as the proven effective teaching strategies of modelling, guided practice, independent practice, and feedback." Dr Jennifer Buckingham, Education Needs to be Evidence Informed, Australian Financial Review, April 16, 2021.

To read the article quoted above, click HERE.

Recommendations

• ReadingDoctor® has been included in Five from Five, Auspeld and Learning Difficulties Australia's 'Primary Reading Pledge'. The Primary Reading Pledge is an evidence-based framework for schools to dramatically reduce the number of children who finish primary school unable to read proficiently. Reading Doctor is recommended as a program that has been ‘shown to be effective in experimental trials published in peer-reviewed journals’. You can read more about it here: Primary Reading Pledge

• ReadingDoctor® has been included in AUSPELD's latest "Understanding Learning Difficulties" guide under the section, "Examples of High Quality, Evidence-based Phonics Programs and Resources". You can download the entire guide here: https://uldforparents.com/  

• ReadingDoctor® has been included in the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment's recommended response to the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, 'Phonics screening check: analysing and responding to results’. This document is a companion document to the ‘Phonics screening check: administration guide’. Reading Doctor is listed as a recomended digital resource that, “…provides computer software and tablet apps designed to support the teaching of synthetic phonics. The software and apps strengthen skills crucial for literacy learning such as phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, blending, segmentation, decoding and sight word recognition”.  You can read more about the Phonics Screening check here:  Year 1 Phonics Screening Check for teachers

• ReadingDoctor® is on the Association of Independent Schools of NSW list of recommended apps for developing phonics and spelling. You can see their full list of resources here: Association of Independent Schools of NSW - Learning from Home - Literacy

Research supporting ReadingDoctor®

• Karyn L. Carson (2019): Can an app a day keep illiteracy away? Piloting the efficacy of Reading Doctor apps for preschoolers with developmental language disorder. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2019.1667438

• Winn, T., Miller, J., & van Steenbrugge, W. (2020). The Efficacy of a Computer Program for Increasing Phonemic Awareness and Decoding Skills in a Primary School Setting for Children with Reading Difficulties. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.202v45n12.1 

• Winn, T.R., Carson, K.L., Collings, G.J. and Van Steenbrugge, W.J. (2019). Using Reading Doctor to accelerate class-level reading development for children with and without low language ability. In Engaging, Collaborating, Empowering. Joint SPA and NZSTA Conference. Brisbane, Australia. Jun 2019.

• Westerveld, M.F., Armstrong, R. and Peach, J. (2019) Examining the effectiveness of an intensive six week school based phonological and orthographic processing intervention for Year 5 students with dyslexia. In Engaging, Collaborating, Empowering. Joint SPA and NZSTA Conference. Brisbane, Australia. Jun 2019.