Özet:

Reading ability is important for mentally handicapped students to get involved with their peers. The importance of reading skills is emphasized for independent learning skills aimed at gaining special education students (Özer, 2002). As each achievement is a continuation of the next achievement, reading skill is a basic skill for many academic skills acquisition. It has been observed that, in special education classes, the disability conditions of the students are different and with the difference of these obstacles, a different approach may be required for each student individually. Researches in this field in our country are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the difficulties experienced in the teaching of reading skills of students with mild mental disabilities who are studying in special education schools. The research covers 20 teachers working as a special education teacher in the city center of Konya in the 2017-2018 academic year. The data of the research was collected by using the semi-structured interview technique. Data were analyzed by using the Descriptive Analysis Technique in analyzing the interview data. It was found that some students with mild intellectual disabilities did not distinguish between similar letters. It is revealed that reading skills cannot be gained without gaining prerequisite skills.

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