How to Help your Struggling Reader

Can’t read ! Won’t read! I’m not reading that! Don’t get it ! Miss! I not sure

what to write! I don’t know what to say! How do you spell……? I can’t

spell that word! I’m not doing this ! ……..

My introduction to my English class of 14year olds in a London Comprehensive

school was not easy. I had been extremely happy and successful teaching Physical

Education for 15 years and was making the transition to teach and support

students with literacy difficulties. But at that time I had little understanding of

how literacy develops….. after all I didn't recall having any difficulties learning

how to read and write and neither of my own children had difficulties, so like

90% of the population we just sailed through the process.

I needed to do something about this.

Whilst continuing to work as a Special Needs teacher in both primary and secondary schools, I enrolled on a Post Graduate Course, “Developing Reading”, at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Education a few years later qualifying as a dyslexia /specific learning difficulties specialist with the University of London’s Institute of Education (IOE).

I could then say with confidence that I understood where those young people’s

comments, in my first class, were coming from.

Are you a parent / guardian of a child who is having difficultly learning to read and

write?

Having some understanding of the process can help. The Simple View of

Reading (Gough and Tunmer ) is a model developed in 1986 that was designed to

show how skilled reading is acquired. The model shows that two processes are

involved.

1) That the reader can work out the words on the page (that is, word

recognition processes or decoding).

2) The development of language comprehension (that is, written texts as

well as spoken language are understood and interpreted).   

These are both necessary, but neither is enough on its own. Reading needs to

give attention to both dimensions: word recognition and comprehension. The

diagram below shows where difficulties may lie within the model.

 So, if your child is struggling in one of these areas they will need some

specialist help. As a parent/ guardian you will need to understand and not

become frustrated! Be aware of your child opting out of learning and /or

developing low self -esteem.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a specific difficulty that affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent

word reading which in turn may impact on reading comprehension. It also affects

spelling. Difficulties range from mild to severe and can affect people of all ethnic

backgrounds and intellectual abilities.

What your child may find difficult?

The ability to identify the sounds and letters in words

 to blend (e.g. s/t/o/p/ - stop)

 to segment (e.g. flat - f/l/a/t/

The ability to recognize that words are made of smaller units of sound and that

changing and manipulating these will make new words and meanings

 to change sounds (e.g. hat - hot)

 to find words that rhyme (e.g. cat – hat)

They may also have difficulty with sounding out and pronouncing unfamiliar

words and blending words with two or more syllables.

Additional difficulties may also include verbal memory and verbal processing

speed.

How can you help?

 Seek specialist help for your child. You need to prevent, if possible, your

child struggling with unidentified difficulties well before they are 14!

 Remember to celebrate and support your child’s strengths!

 Work with your child’s school. Help them to learn common and current

topic words. This may be best approached through games. Tackle only a

few at a time and provide lots of repetition and success.

 Age appropriate books that other children are reading are extremely

important. If it is possible, read these to your child or provide access to e

books which can be listened to and enjoyed. Your child needs to develop

age appropriate vocabulary which the books that he /she can read may not

yet contain. This also should help with developing comprehension.

 Listen to your child read regularly. You could try reading the parts of the

text first out aloud so that they have some understanding of the text. If

they are making too many errors, the text is too hard and frustrating. Ask

for the level below. Pick one or two errors only to work on and practise

these words often. Don’t forget to give positive and focused praise.

 Spellchecker/Thesaurus/ text to speech apps. may be useful to support

spelling and reading in upper primary /secondary school.