Is Your Child Struggling to Read? Signs to Look For
Reading doesn’t come easily to every child. Some children seem to pick it up almost effortlessly, while others need more direct, explicit instruction and plenty of practice along the way.
So how do you know when your child is simply learning at their own pace — and when they may need some extra support?
Signs your child may be struggling with reading
Reading difficulties can look different from one child to another. You might notice that your child:
has difficulty remembering letter sounds
struggles to blend sounds together to read a word
guesses at unfamiliar words instead of trying to sound them out
has trouble reading unfamiliar words
reads very slowly or word-by-word
struggles with spelling, even with words they have practised
avoids reading or becomes frustrated when asked to read
can tell you all about a story when it is read aloud, but has difficulty reading it independently
seems to forget reading skills they appeared to know previously
One sign on its own doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem. What matters more is a pattern of difficulty that continues despite instruction and practice.
“Should we just give it more time?”
This is a question many families ask.
Children absolutely develop at different rates, but persistent difficulty with reading shouldn’t simply be ignored in the hope that a child will eventually catch up.
When a child is having difficulty learning to read, identifying the specific skills that are causing trouble can help determine what instruction they need.
And importantly, a child does not need to wait for a diagnosis before receiving reading support.
What kind of reading instruction should I look for?
Effective literacy instruction should be explicit and systematic rather than expecting children to figure out the reading system on their own.
For a child who is struggling, instruction may include work on:
phonemic awareness — hearing and working with the individual sounds in words
connecting sounds with the letters that represent them
decoding unfamiliar words
spelling and encoding
reading accurately and fluently
vocabulary and comprehension
Skills should be taught explicitly, practised regularly and built upon as the child progresses.
What can parents do?
If you're concerned about your child's reading, start by talking with their teacher about what you're noticing and asking what they're seeing at school.
You can also support literacy at home without turning every evening into another school lesson. Read aloud together, talk about books, play with sounds and words, and keep reading experiences positive.
If difficulties continue, additional literacy support may be worth considering.
You don't have to wait until your child hates reading
One of the best reasons to address reading difficulties early isn't simply academic.
Struggling with something every day is hard.
The goal of literacy support isn't to rush children or compare them with their classmates. It's to figure out what they know, where they're getting stuck, and what they need to learn next.
At Next Page Literacy, we provide one-to-one structured literacy intervention in Brockville for children who need additional support with reading and spelling.
Have questions about your child's reading? You're welcome to reach out. Sometimes a conversation is the easiest place to start.
