Why Early intervention is the better choice.
We have to take action to see changes
So many times, in life we want to just wait and see if things will work themselves out. We put off going to the doctor, mending that friendship, or working toward that goal.
But you know what 99% of the time that is not true. Things don’t get better :(. They actually can get worse. I have learned we must take specific actions to change the situation and to make improvements. We cannot wait for someone to act.
Growth takes time and effort!
Now growth does take time. However, the waiting period is not passive, but it is being intentional in taking the right small steps that will make change.
Unfortunately, it can be hard and annoying, but at the end of the day, when we take the right actions, we are thankful, and things go a little bit smoother.
When a child struggles to learn to read, we need to make sure we take action sooner than later, because the reality is they more than likely won’t catch up.
Also, with reading there can always be a lag in fluency because fluency happens once the child is able to decode accurately.
Now remember every child is different and we want to help them along at their own speed, but we want to make sure they are getting a solid reading foundation and building good decoding habits as soon as possible.
Waiting to get help can cause lack of confidence
On the other hand, I have heard some people say that it is better to wait to get support because they do not want to hurt the child’s self-esteem. I agree we do need to consider the child’s feelings but let me tell you their self-esteem is wacked even more when they have to read out loud in front of their peers and they stumble over all the words. Even if those listening are kind, the child who is reading can feel inferior.
When we avoid early reading intervention, it will impact other areas of academic learning. So much of school is based on reading and making understanding of the text. When a child struggles to read they do not have the extra energy to think critically about the text.
My child is not making progress in reading
Now you may be thinking, “But Audrey, I do notice that my child is struggling to learn to read, but the schools are not able to offer much help. I can hardly measure my child’s gains.”
I hear you. It is frustrating to see your child struggle and not get the extra support.
That is one of the disadvantages of the school systems structures.
But remember most of the teachers out there are doing their very best and many are frustrated with the gaps they see with their students.
There are multiple reasons for this: big class sizes, assigned curriculum, lack of reading training, in addition to so many other expectations.
Okay. Enough about that. I believe it is better to focus on what we can change, rather than focusing on the things we cannot control.
So, let’s chat about what makes a child a strong reader.
Simple ways to close the Reading Gap
Strong Readers Need….
1. A strong Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds within words. This would include syllables and individual sounds. A child must be able to manipulate the different sounds to have proper orthographic mapping. Orthographic mapping is how the sounds and symbols are mapped in the brain.
2. Phonics knowledge of sound/symbol relationship
This is the understanding of how the letter(s) and sounds are related. For example, /f/ can be spelled as [ff], [ph], and [f].
Many of my students come to me and do not understand
that a sound can have multiple spellings. Or they are
unable to apply phonics concepts to their reading.
3. Proper Handwriting
Research has shown that handwriting and reading fluency are closely related. In general, when a student can write 40 letters in 1 minute, they are fluent readers. You can learn more here.
4. Reading connected text
You want your child to have experience reading a connected text, not just doing phonics worksheets. It is recommended that a child reads decodables focused on the phonics concept being taught. This allows the new sound to be transferred into “real” reading.
5. Lots and lots of practice
Lastly, just like everything in life, to get good at it we have to
practice. Give proper feedback so that your child can learn to decode unfamiliar words.
Assess where your child is at with his/her reading
Were you able to recognize an area your child might be lacking in? That is great.
Maybe you are like I am, just not sure.
Well, let me take the load off your shoulders. You can schedule a Free Reading Assessment and I can help you discover your child’s weaknesses and strengths!
Your Child Can become a Strong Reader!!
The good news is that if you notice your child struggles in one or more of these areas, you can do some simple activities to help strengthen them. These activities will cause exponential growth in their reading ability.
Now remember the improvement all depends on when intervention starts, the type of intervention, and how much practice is done.
5 simple reading intervention ideas you can do with your child at home.
- Practice handwriting with your child
- Teach your child to blend continuously
- Encourage your child
- Do sound games to strengthen phonemic awareness
- Read aloud to your child and ask probing questions
If you are interested in learning more about the Science of Reading and a simpler approach to teaching reading, check out Reading Simplified. Marnie teaches a simple but robust lesson plan that allows your child to make the most progress. You will also learn a lot of the science and misunderstandings related to teaching kids how to read.
Marnie has developed a reading program that has activities focusing on multiple sub-reading skills. This has a two-fold gain.
First, the instructional time is shorter, because skills are integrated and not isolated. Then, which is what I love the most, the child is directly connecting the phonic lessons to actual reading of text. As a child comes to a word he or she doesn’t know, you are able to point to the unknown part and prompt the student by asking a question or giving meaningful feedback.
How to move forward
You are not alone!!
As you are reading you may be thinking, “this is great that there are some answers and things I can do, but I don’t have the time to learn something new and then try to apply it to my child.”
OR
Furthermore, maybe you are using these strategies, but you want to make sure you are on the right path. Sometimes it is better to have someone else do the assessing and placement for your child.
If you are wanting to outsource reading practice for your child, an experienced tutor may be the way to go.
When you work with me, your child will complete a reading assessment which will show his or her strengths and weaknesses.
A customized plan will then be created that will focus on your child’s most pressing need. As lessons continue, lessons will be adapted to challenge your child to his or her next level.
Go ahead and sign up for your Free Reading Assessment. Click here to get started!