ABSTRACT
Experience with severely backward children, particularly older children, reveals that one of the principal causes of failure is teaching which has failed to take into account the importance of not introducing children to learning situations before they are ready. This is particularly true in the teaching of reading, largely because reading assumes greater importance in a highly literate culture and is thus taught as soon as possible. In devising a reading readiness programme, it is important to remember that intellectual, physical, emotional and social developments are involved. It is also important to realize that growth in these four areas of development may be uneven. A child may be physically and intellectually ready but be too immature emotionally and socially to be able to benefit from teaching. The ‘cure’ in such a case centres round remedial education to achieve feelings of success in reading, since overcoming the reading difficulty will remove the cause of emotional disturbance.
