Signs Your Child Might be Struggling with Reading
Teach, Read, Succeed: Ask the Expert
When children are having difficulty with learning to read, helping them sooner rather than later ultimately has better outcomes for reading ability.
For the first few years of education, the focus of instruction is on learning how to read. After being taught how to read, the expectation and goal of reading becomes reading to learn. Typically this shift is said to happen at third grade, and once the shift happens it becomes increasingly difficult to fill the gaps in reading ability that develop for struggling readers.
As parents, we want our children to be successful. Being on the lookout for signs that your child is having difficulty with reading can help you to advocate for them if they attend school, or tailor the instruction that you are providing them with if you are homeschooling. Learn more about the foundational skills your child needs as they begin learning to read, and tips for practicing these skills in my free guide, click here.
Indications of Reading Difficulty
Difficulty Learning Letter Sounds
If your child has been taught the letter sounds and is having difficulty identifying and producing the sounds that a letter (or letters) makes when it is shown to them it can indicate that can be a red flag indicating the possibility of difficulty with learning to read. Sometimes when a child is having difficulty with reading, it is surprising to find that they are not able to produce all of the letter sounds or spelling patterns they have been taught when they are shown them in isolation (not as part of words).
Trouble Recognizing Words Automatically
When a word has been taught - meaning that a child is expected to know all of the sounds and to be able to blend them together, but is continually needing to sound out words that they are expected to know, or if they are sounding out a word and frequently forget one of the sounds, they may be having difficulty with learning how to read.
Example: if your child has learned the sounds /c/ /a/ /t/ and should be able to read ‘cat’, but after seeing this word many times they are still not able to automatically read it.
This is not the same as memorization, the brain does not learn to read words by rote memorization, rather automatically reading a word means that the brain has taken in all of the sounds and the words is recognized automatically and effortlessly.
Reading without Fluency
As young children are learning to decode, we do not expect them to read fluently; however, if their reading continues to sound ‘choppy’, not smooth, and there are long pauses between words, it can indicate that your child is having difficulty with reading. Fluency is typically an indicator that there are foundational skills that require additional practice. You can read more about fluency here.
Uninterested or Unwilling to Read
Just like adults, children often do not want to do things that are hard or unenjoyable. If your child is avoiding reading, it can indicate that they are having difficulty or that they are finding that reading is hard for them. Also, if your child gets frustrated when you are practicing reading with them, it is another indication that it is difficult. Behavioral and emotional indicators, like anxiety, avoidance, and frustration all indicate that they may be having trouble with reading.
As your child’s parent, you know them best, so you will want to use your judgment with their behaviors, because avoidance could also be caused by wanting to do a preferred activity at that time. Similar to adults, I know I personally would rather be working in my garden than doing the dishes.
Now what?
If you suspect that your child is having difficulty with reading, and they attend a public school, reach out to their teacher and begin the conversation there. If you are homeschooling your child, or if you have had conversations and feel that your child may benefit from additional support with reading, you will want to begin by identifying what specific skills your child is struggling with, and helping them to strengthen those areas.
When in doubt, there are many professionals who can help, including teachers, reading specialists, psychologists.
If you are interested in learning more about print awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and tips for practicing these skills, grab my guide here. You’ll learn about these foundational skills and you can begin to identify areas your child may need more practice with.
If you need additional support for your child, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help you determine what your next steps may be.
Brittany is a teacher and reading specialist, fueled by her passions in teaching and supporting families. She supports families whether from birth through childhood.
Contact Courageous Moments to learn how she can help you and your child on your child’s reading journey.