ABSTRACT
Skilled readers read fluently, with accuracy and speed (Torgesen, 2000). The importance of fluent reading for text comprehension has recently been stressed by the National Reading Panel in its review of the scientific research literature on reading (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Yet fluent reading is a skill that eludes many adults, leading to hardship and frustration in career and educational pursuits. This chapter aims to explore some of the factors that might explain why some adults fail to become fluent readers, despite adequate instruction and years of schooling. Toward this end, I present a selective review of the literature that examines factors that appear to contribute to reading fluency. Next, to illustrate the impact of reading dysfluency on adults as well as some of the interventions and accommodations that can alleviate this impact, I present a case from a support program for graduate students at Harvard University. The final part of this chapter suggests directions for future research that might inform us about the causes, effects, and treatments for reading dysfluency in adults.
