Reading is a critical skill and is difficult for many. Why is it such a struggle for some students? The most recent statistics show that over two-thirds of 4th graders are not reading proficiently.
Why is Reading Difficult?
Mainly because effective reading – fluency and comprehension – is a complex task that requires strong cognitive skills like memory, processing speed, auditory processing, attention and reasoning. If any of these skills are lacking, it can have a huge negative impact on a student’s reading skills.
Five Ways to Support Your Struggling Reader:
- Read with your child, not just to them. Partner with them. Switch off reading a page or even a paragraph. This can help build reading fluency and make reading feel less overwhelming. It can also help for your child to see you modeling strong reading and reading enjoyment.
- Play word and sound games. These can help develop auditory processing skills and phonological awareness which are critical skills for sound blending and decoding. For example, rhyming games or games like auditory “I Spy”.
- Read texts that match their interests and passions. Subjects they love like animals, sports, space or comics. If your child enjoys reading, it will reduce resistance as they can see a benefit to reading vs. it being seen as a chore.
- Limit distractions and create a routine. When you read, do it in a a calm and comfortable environment. Also try to find a consistent time to read to help it become a habit.
- Strengthen the brain skills causing the reading struggle. The key to unlocking reading is to identify and address the root cause.
Reading Gains at LearningRx Eagan
If your child has been experiencing consistent reading struggles, the above strategies can help, but the long-term solution is to identify and address the root cause of the reading difficulty – whether your child has general reading struggles or a dyslexia diagnosis. To understand the root cause of your child’s reading difficulties, call LearningRx Eagan to schedule an initial assessment. This hour-long assessment will identify why your child struggles, and more importantly, provide the answers allowing our 1-on-1 reading training to pinpoint the root cause and help your child read more fluently.