Objective: This primary purpose of this study was to examine cognitive complexity and readability of patient-administered ADHD scales. The secondary purpose was to estimate variation in readability of individual ADHD scale items. Method: Using comprehensive search strategies, we identified eight English-language ADHD scales for inclusion in our…

Background: Information leaflets are commonly used in Speech and Language Therapy Departments. Despite widespread use, they can be of variable quality. Aims: To revise current departmental leaflets using the National Health Service (NHS) Toolkit for Producing Patient Information and to test the effect that this has on the readability scores of the…

Plain language involves more than just a few simple techniques, such as using everyday words, short sentences, and active voice. Although there is no single definition, "plain language" basically stands for several dozen well-established principles of clear communication. In this article, the author discusses the significance of plain language…

The prevalence of visual impairment (that is, blindness and low vision) is increasing in the United States, especially in persons aged 65 and older, with more than half of all people who are blind in this age demographic. It has been estimated that about 6.5 million Americans aged 55 and older report vision loss, and this number is expected to…

This case study of the Therapeutic Community Program at Montana Women's Prison investigates the relationship between inmate reading levels and the self-help materials used for rehabilitative purposes within prison settings. The Therapeutic Community Handbook, published by the Montana Department of Corrections, is used as the primary method of…

Texts are stated to have an important role in Turkish language education relevant to the goals stated in the Primary Schools Turkish Lesson Teaching Program and Guide (2006), and in the formation and improvement of the individual's reading culture. The aim of the study is to determine the comprehensibility levels of the texts in the Turkish…

School science has been criticized for its lack of emphasis on the tentative, dynamic nature of science as a process of learning more about our world. This criticism is the guiding force for this present body of work, which focuses on the question: what are the educational benefits for middle school students of reading texts that highlight the…

This descriptive study examined the readability levels of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs). The readability of 85 de-identified IFSP documents developed by seven agencies that serve families and children enrolled in a county early intervention program was analyzed using Flesch Kincaid grade levels and Flesch reading ease scores. The…

This quantitative study intends to better understand the impact of the location of the first deleted word upon the estimation of text difficulty yielded by successive cloze tests based on random deletion from a single passage. The variation in sampling of language features across five cloze tests based on the same passage is random and thus not…

At the conclusion of their study on home pregnancy test kits, Valinas and Perlman (1982) suggested that the instructions accompanying the kits be revised to make them easier to read. A study was undertaken to determine the readability of the printed instructions accompanying five home pregnancy test kits (Daisy II, Answer, Acu-Test, Predictor, and…

To make it easier to use the Spache Readability Formula, this document provides tables that simplify the necessary calculations; it also includes instructions for the use of the tables. (TJ)

Demonstrates a procedure for simplifying the reading ease formula and procedures developed by Rudolph Flesch, with no loss in accuracy. (GW)

Describes the procedure for determining the readability of a book or article in terms of approximate grade level. (CHC)

This study examined the effects of passage and presentation order on progress monitoring assessments of oral reading fluency in 134 second grade students. The students were randomly assigned to read six one-minute passages in one of six fixed orders over a seven week period. The passages had been developed to be comparable based on readability…

Background: The call for a scientifically literate citizenry necessitates individuals who are able to understand and make decisions regarding socioscientific issues. Socioscientific issues are social dilemmas with no definite solutions that have captured the attention of media sources nationally and internationally. This implies that…