Understanding reading and writing difficulties in Chinese language: From research to intervention

Around 3 to 10 percent of the school population in a country has reading and writing difficulties that appears to be the most prevalent difficulty of students with special educational needs in many mainstream classes. Their education is therefore of great concern to the community. Research on reading and writing difficulties in Hong Kong is briefly reviewed with emphasis on the cognitive characteristics and its manifestations. Understanding the profiles of students may help to provide a solid foundation for both intervention and further research. Recent progress on the development of assessment and intervention framework for early identification and intervention is presented. The need for translating research into evidence-based practice in developing literacy curricula and intervention programs is also discussed.