Universal Journal of Educational Research 8(12): 6706-6714, 2020 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081235 Use of Phono-Graphix™ Method to Improve the Phonological Awareness Skills of a Student with Reading Difficulty Mahlen Bonifacio Antonio * , Jennifer Penilla Santillan Graduate School, Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City, 2009 Pampanga, Philippines Received August 31, 2020; Revised October 26, 2020; Accepted November 11, 2020 Cite This Paper in the following Citation Styles (a): [1] Mahlen Bonifacio Antonio, Jennifer Penilla Santillan , "Use of Phono-Graphix™ Method to Improve the Phonological Awareness Skills of a Student with Reading Difficulty," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 8, No. 12, pp. 6706 - 6714, 2020. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081235. (b): Mahlen Bonifacio Antonio, Jennifer Penilla Santillan (2020). Use of Phono-Graphix™ Method to Improve the Phonological Awareness Skills of a Student with Reading Difficulty. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(12), 6706 - 6714. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081235. Copyright©2020 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Reading is a reliable predictor for students to succeed and become productive members of society and phonological awareness (PA) has been identified as a strong indicator of becoming a skilled reader. It has to be understood that reading is not a natural skill and may not develop without intervention. Students experiencing reading difficulty should be provided intervention that recognizes PA as the basic skill to be gained. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Phono Graphix™ method with a 6-year-old student diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading difficulties. This study used a single-subject design with a pre-test and post-test comparison and no control group. The principle of this design is that any changes upon the outset of intervention can be attributed as the direct result of intervention. Using four Phonological Processing Tests [21], the phonological awareness skills of the student were assessed prior and immediately after the intervention. Explicit instruction was delivered one-to-one for 40- minute sessions given three times a week for a 20-week period [26]. Findings suggest that the use of Phono-Graphix™ method improved the phonological awareness of the student in blending, segmenting, phoneme manipulation, and code knowledge. Findings of this study can add Phono-Graphix™ to the repertoire of strategies of special education practitioners, particularly when teaching students exhibiting the same characteristics as the participant herein. Results and implications for special education, teaching of reading and future researches are discussed. Keywords Phono-Graphix™, Reading Difficulty, Phonological Awareness 1. Introduction/Background Learning to read is the most important skill that a child can acquire during his/her school years. It is a fundamental and necessary skill and gateway to success in today’s literacy-driven society [8,9,19]. “Children must learn to read so that later they can read to learn” (p. 396) [9]. Researchers are in accord in asserting that reading is the foundation of a child’s life-long education [43] and it is the means to learn other school subjects [24]. Although these statements are valid and correct, they are too general, too nifty and do not actually depict the real pictures associated with the ability or inability to read. What learning to read will do is to allow the child to acquire the information that others have written down, to share his/her own experiences and opinions, and to put his/her questions and ideas on paper [21]. Reading will offer the child hours of enjoyment and, as reported in the recent research, decrease the likelihood of anti-social behavior, unskilled employment and unemployment [29]. Children’s ability to read