As adults, it’s hard to remember what it was like to learn to read. What were the struggles? Where were the hang-ups? How do you know if your child is on-track in learning to read?
Signs of Struggle In Early Readers
- Frequent guessing. Guessing can be a natural instinct for children when working out a word or syllable. However, frequent guessing – or making up words – may be a sign of struggle in learning to read.
- Laborious reading. By taking it slow, one letter at a time, many basic words can be sounded out. Some children may read so slowly and laboriously that they aren’t able to comprehend what they’re reading. The meaning of a sentence is lost to the time it takes to phonetically sound out the words.
- Problems with sight reading. At a certain point in learning to read, many basic words like “the” and “and” are known by sight. If a child doesn’t pick up on sight reading these words, they may have a reading learning challenge. There are also common words like “eye” that simply need to be memorized by sight. Difficulty in memorizing and sight reading these common words could be a sign of a learning challenge.
- Reading resistance. Not all reading challenges occur with the book open. In some children, a resistance to reading may be indicative of difficulties with reading.
- Significant spelling errors. Many children struggle with spelling, and that’s completely normal. However, major ongoing spelling errors could be indicative of a reading learning problem. Some children struggle with common phonetic spelling patterns (eg. “werd” for “word” or “burd” for “bird”); other children may struggle with including all of the necessary letters in a word. A specialist can help evaluate your child’s spelling and use their observations to work with your child on reading (and spelling) improvements.
Discover Learning Lab’s LifeReader™ Program
A unique reading approach awaits! Learning Lab’s LifeReader™ Program…
- Is designed to close learning gaps at a faster rate.
- Is based on a multi-sensory approach that targets all learners.
- Features dyslexia-specific intervention.
- Addresses all reading deficits.
- Offers customized guidance to help students overcome problems or manage learning-related concerns, including spelling, vocabulary and writing instruction.
Is Your Child Struggling to Read? Help Is Available.
Learn more about Learning Lab’s LifeReader™ Program. For more information, call 615-377-2929 (for Brentwood) or 615-321-7272 (for Nashville), or contact Learning Lab online.
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