Children spend a lot of time and energy developing the wiring in their brains to become readers. Studies have found preschoolers who match letters to their respective sounds grow up to be better readers later on. Students who struggle to pick up on letters and how they code to respective sounds struggle to read and are sometimes diagnosed with dyslexia. A staggering 5-15% of the general population has dyslexia.
If reading is a struggle, so is understanding anything related to language. To do a math word problem, children need to be able to read and understand directions. To answer questions about a book, they need to be able to read while understanding the text. If they can’t read well, then their energy is devoted to decoding the words, instead of comprehending written language.
The stress of being inefficient at reading leads to loss of confidence. Eventually, the gap in their abilities and school performance widens.
If your child is struggling to read, the two most beneficial actions to follow are:
1. Seek out a private, formal assessment that is completed by a Clinical Psychologist
or
Write a letter requesting a formal assessment to your child's school district, which will be performed by a School Psychologist
2. Follow through on recommendations in assessment
Studies find that the earlier the prescribed interventions are completed, the better the results. An educational therapist can provide concerned parents with names of psychologists who can assess students struggling to read. These students are eligible for services, like educational therapy, to remediate reading deficits.