A Case Study: Teaching a Struggling Emerging Adult Reader in Prince George’s County, Maryland to Decode and Encode Using the Wilson Reading System®

Using a case study from Prince George’s County, Maryland, this work provides insight and raises questions as to how dyslexia affects adult English Language Learners (ELLs) and their instructors. The work is a result of a professional development project leading to a certification for the author in the use of multisensory instruction to help struggling adult readers. Three local adult education programs are summarized, and the biological and cognitive aspects of dyslexia are reviewed. The case study demonstrates academic achievement in tandem with the use of an intervention curriculum: The Wilson Reading System. The paper also raises questions about the efficacy of federal and state adult education funding and suggests areas where additional research may lead to improved results with struggling adult readers.