In the present paper, we describe the Interactive Strategies approach to early reading intervention. Interactive Strategies is a first grade remedial intervention program we developed to aid in distinguishing between impaired readers whose reading difficulties are caused primarily by experiential and instructional deficits and impaired readers whose reading difficulties are caused primarily by basic deficits in reading-related cognitive abilities. We first provide a brief description of the study in which we initially implemented this program and summarize its salient findings. We then describe the theoretical model from which the instructional components of the Interactive Strategies program were derived and thereafter rationalize and describe these components. Finally, we present data supporting the relative effectiveness of the program and discuss the implications of our findings for remediating and preventing long-term reading difficulties in beginning readers.