# Integrating Reading and Attention Practices to Maximize Learning for Students with Co-Occurring Difficulties

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $686,233

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Despite decades of research on reading disabilities, the efficacy of existing interventions for improving
reading in upper elementary students (Grades 3 – 5) remains limited. This is a significant public health concern
as reading is a strong predictor of lifetime earnings, general health, and overall wellbeing. One significant
limitation of the extant research has been the narrow focus on designing treatments that address solely students’
reading problems without adequately responding to other factors known to impact learning. To enhance the
effectiveness of reading interventions, we propose investigating the benefits of integrating approaches that hold
promise for improving reading outcomes. Attention difficulties are a critical target for such an integrated
intervention, as a substantial proportion of students with reading difficulties (25-40%) experience elevated levels
of inattention, which impedes their response to reading interventions. Despite substantial evidence linking
attention difficulties with reading problems, researchers have largely overlooked attention as a target in reading
interventions. This study is innovative in its approach of integrating evidence-based practices for attention and
reading within a single, unified intervention called Supporting Attention and Reading for Kids (SPARK) for an
understudied population, students with co-occurring reading and attention difficulties in Grades 3 - 5. Our study
will address three specific aims. The primary aim is to evaluate the effects of the SPARK intervention on reading
and attention immediately post-intervention and over time (two subsequent school years). We propose
conducting a randomized control trial with participants assigned to one of three-conditions: SPARK, reading-
only, and a documented typical practice comparison. This proposed 3-arm design will allow for examining the
relative effects of a researcher-provided integrated intervention (reading and attention supports) with a
researcher-provided reading only comparison and then also a typical practice comparison condition. Our second
and third aims will identify factors that influence the strength of the intervention (moderators) and the mechanisms
of action that drive changes in student outcomes (mediators). Collectively, these aims will contribute to
theoretical understanding of the relations between reading, attention, and other related factors (e.g., processing
speed, working memory). The findings will also have significant clinical implications that address a prevailing
and significant public health issue: reading disabilities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10858792
- **Project number:** 1R01HD115003-01
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Phil J Capin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $686,233
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-18 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10858792

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10858792, Integrating Reading and Attention Practices to Maximize Learning for Students with Co-Occurring Difficulties (1R01HD115003-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10858792. Licensed CC0.

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