My child is behind in reading: a free 2-minute finder
“Behind in reading” can mean ten different things, and each one needs different help. Check off what is true for your child. You will see the one thing to work on first, and what can wait.
How to do it: check off every line that is true for your child today. If you are not sure about a line, leave it. Nothing you check off is sent anywhere.
Reading is built in steps, and each step stands on the one before. Practice on a later step does little while an earlier one is missing. That is why a child can do weeks of worksheets and stay stuck. This is the order:
Ears FirstHearing the sounds inside a word comes before any letters. Without it, letters have nothing to stick to.
Eight Sounds That StayA child cannot sound out a word until the sounds come right away.
From Sounds to WordsThis step is called blending. Many early readers get stuck here.
Look at Every LetterA guessing habit hides what a child can really read.
Tell b from dCommon before seven. It slows reading and writing, and it has its own short plan.
Words That StickA handful of words turn up in every sentence, and part of each one does not follow the usual sounds.
Smooth ReadingThe words are right but the sentence does not flow yet.
Read It, See ItReading is working. Taking it in is the next skill.
Hear It, Write ItSpelling is reading backwards, and it usually comes later than reading.
Start at the TopHandwriting can be worked on beside reading. It does not have to wait.
It is not a test and not a diagnosis. It cannot tell you whether your child has dyslexia or any other difficulty. It points to a sensible place to start. If your child is seven or older and reading is still very hard, or if you checked off most of the lines, tell their teacher what you see and ask what the school has noticed. If your child often does not seem to hear well, ask your doctor about a hearing check.
