From kindergarten through third grade, much of the focus in school is on learning to read. As students get older, they continue to improve their skills and expand their vocabulary, but they are also expected to read in order to learn new content. Whether the class is history, science, math, or English, students are asked to read important information on a daily basis. So when students struggle with reading, it is no surprise that they feel frustrated with school in general.

 

For a variety of reasons, many children struggle with reading. Some simply need better instruction at school and more practice at home. Others may need additional help from a tutor or reading specialist in order to become a competent reader. Yet children who experience unusual difficulties learning to read may actually have a learning disability. In fact, the majority of people with learning disabilities struggle with reading.

If you are concerned about a child's reading abilities, it is better to act sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the harder it will be for the child to catch up to classmates in terms of reading skills and content knowledge. But before requesting a comprehensive evaluation for learning disabilities, there are a number of intermediate steps that you can take. For starters, it is important that parents and teachers talk to determine what types of additional support are available and what types of practice the child should have. Every school and district should be ready and able to implement an effective plan for helping struggling readers.

 

Fortunately, there are many helpful, research-based reading resources available to parents and teachers. The following articles provide important information and suggestions about how to help children who are having difficulties with reading.   

 

• Helping Children Learn to Read: Preschool to Grade 3  offers straightforward suggestions about how parents can practice reading with their children at home.
  
• Effective Reading Instruction in the Classroom gives teachers a quick primer to the nuts and bolts of effective, research-based reading instruction.
  
• Should I Be Concerned about Reading Difficulties? looks at common warning signs of dyslexia.
  
• Before Special Education is an introduction to the "pre-referral" process, which is an intermediate stage of intervention before requesting a formal valuation.
  
• What Is Dyslexia?  provides an introduction to dyslexia, including its effects, identification, and treatment.
  
• Testing for Dyslexia contains detailed information about formal evaluations for dyslexia and what they should include.
  
• Working with Dyslexia suggests effective instructional techniques for teachers and directs parents to helpful strategies and resources.