A longitudinal study of the effects of the Bridge reading program for children at risk for reading failure

The effectiveness of an experimental reading program, Bridge, was compared to ''Whole Language'' reading instruction in two schools in economically disadvantaged areas. The Bridge program uses icons or picture symbols to facilitate print word identification. Children who were predicted to be at risk for reading difficulties comprised the Bridge (N = 42) and Whole Language (N = 64) samples. Predictions of at-risk reading status were made using a test of phonemic analysis skills (the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test), Denkla and Rudel's Rapid Letter Naming Test, and a test of syntactic awareness. The Bridge group performed significantly better on the WRAT Reading test than the Whole Language group at the end of grade 1 and grade 2. The Bridge program appears to be useful for children who are at risk for reading failure.