My Child Is Struggling with Reading. Now What?

If your child is struggling to read you might have noticed some red flags.

Examples may be what you’ve seen when reading at home such as your student skipping or substituting words, not knowing the name and/or sounds of letters, difficulty rhyming, consistently mispronouncing words, or not being able to share key details from a story.

Your student’s teacher might have also shared some concerning information. Perhaps they’ve told you that your child needs a little extra support and is getting pulled into a small group. Or they might have shared the results of benchmark testing or dyslexia screening given to all students (if they haven’t shared this information, ask for it!).

Knowing your child’s history is also important. A close family member who struggled with reading may also indicate higher risk for reading difficulties as dyslexia is 50-60% hereditary.

If you or someone close to your child suspects your child has a reading disability, the next step is to get a comprehension evaluation. You can request this evaluation directly from the school district, which you should do so in writing with examples of the red flags you’ve noticed. Evaluations can also be done by a private neuropsychologist or in the form of an independent educational evaluation (IEE) (see IEE blog post here).

This testing should include a thorough exam of the 5 essential components of reading instruction (ECORI) identified by our federal government and the National Reading Panel. As a student moves up through the grades the school might be less likely to evaluate all five areas (assuming they can identify all of their letters and sounds) but if your child has never been evaluated before it may be helpful to have a baseline in all five areas. They are as follows:

• Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. We know that a student's skill in phonological awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.

• Phonics helps students use letters and sounds to accurately spell and read words.

• Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression both aloud and silently. A fluent reader reads smoothly in phrases and with proper expression. This skill helps the reader have better comprehension.

• Vocabulary is both taught and learned indirectly and is necessary for a student to communicate their understanding and thoughts.

• Comprehension is the understanding of reading material tested through methods such as giving an oral or written summary and answering questions.

After testing, compare your student’s results to the state curriculum and the above mentioned components of reading to help identify skill areas that need attention. Bring this information to the meeting with the school team to review the evaluation.

Some questions to ask during the meeting:

Is or has my child received Response to Intervention (RTI) and if so, at what level and for how long?

There are 3 tiers of RTI with Tier 1 being the support all students receive inside the classroom through Tier 3 which might include small groups and individual lessons as needed. Ask for data from the RTI sessions to help understand if your child is making effective progress.

Does my child need special education? (The team meeting should follow the eligibility process).

If so,

• what specific reading program(s) are you recommending?

• why will that program work for my child and what is that decision based on (hint: this should be based on your child’s individualized needs)?

• is the program scientifically and evidence based? (See US Code)

• is there a certain level of training required to properly teach this program and does the reading teacher have those qualifications?

• what frequency and duration is recommended by the team (e.g. 5 times per week for 45 minutes each)? Does that frequency and duration meet the publishers’ standards?

• how will we measure my child’s progress?

If not,

• what data does the school team have to show that my child is progressing according to their full potential?

• how will my child’s reading skills improve without a change in instruction?

• how will the school monitor my child’s progress?

• when will the school share that progress with me?

Identifying the risks, requesting comprehensive evaluations, understanding program quality, and asking questions will best set your student up for reading success. If you have questions or need support, please feel free to reach out for help or book a consultation. Hourly rates apply for consultations.