As an occupational therapist who frequently works with family members, I often provide families with activities to do between sessions. I frequently provide families with written materials supporting any verbal information. During a class I took a year ago, I came across some interesting information regarding written materials that has made me stop and think about the written information I provide to families.
What I found:
Approximately 52% of adults in the United States have basic or below literacy skills. (NCES, 2016). For the general population, authors recommend that text should be written no higher than an 8th grade level. They also recommend that for audiences with limited literacy or populations at risk, text should be written at 6th grade level or lower (NCES, 2016). I typically provide reading material learners in three different categories: teachers, therapists, or parents/caregivers. In regard to these three populations, I need to be most aware of the text I am providing to families. The text should be no higher than a 6th grade level, unless I am giving information to a more specific population who I know has a higher education level.
What can be done:
One great resource for ensuring that the readability matches the learner is to do a readability assessment on your handouts. One resource for doing this is the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level (FKRGL), which is accessible through on Microsoft word. The FKRGL is calculate based on two variables: average sentence length (based on number of words) and average word length (based on number of syllables). The FKRGL is valid for measuring written test in the United Stated for Grades 5 to college (Jindal & MacDermid, 2017). In regard to comprehension, The FKRGL has also been validated against the cloze comprehension test (Jindal & MacDermid, 2017). The FKRGL can be calculated electronically or manually. Microsoft Office suite has a free option for calculating the reading level. The program is embedded in the spelling and grammar section of word. When ready, one can click on spelling and grammar and once the spelling check is complete, the program will provide a FKRGL reading level.
Summary:
It is important that we modify our materials to match the needs of the learner. It is difficult for us as therapists to always know the abilities of the learner. Due to this barrier, we need to modify our written materials at a level that the majority of our learners can understand. Based on the recommendations, our written materials should be at around 6th-8th grade level. If you are working in an area of high risk, written materials should be no higher than a 6th grade level.
References
Jindal, P., & MacDermid, J. (2017). Assessing reading levels of health information: Uses and limitations of flesch formula. Education for Health, 30(1), 84-88. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.bu.e…
National Center for Education Statistics (2016). Skills of U.S. unemployed, young, and older adults in sharper focus: Results from the program for the international assessment of adult competences (PIAAC) 2012/2014. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2016/2…
