Is It a Reading Disorder or a Developmental Lag?

The three key research conclusions that support seeking reading intervention early are

90 percent of children with reading difficulties will achieve grade level in reading if they receive help 

by the first grade. 

75 percent of children whose help is delayed to age nine or later continue to struggle throughout 

their school careers. 

If help is given in fourth grade, rather than in late kindergarten, it takes four times as long to 

improve the same skills by the same amount. 

  To read a fact filled article with more on this subject, click here.

Practice Deficit

There are times in one's life when a little help is needed

Some kids don't read as much as others.  There can be a variety of reasons why:

They may have inefficient skills and have to work harder than others to decode. 

Who wants to do something that is difficult for them? 

 

If their decoding skills are inefficient, they may be working so hard at decoding the words that they miss the meaning.  

Who wants to read much when they aren't getting anything out of it?

Some readers are slow processors and cannot read the same amount as good readers can in a given time period.  

Who wants to read if it takes forever?  And even if I do read, I can't seem to read as much as everyone else!

Any of these common problems can lead to what has been termed a "practice deficit."  What this means is, a reader who is not reading a lot may have seen any given word maybe 100 times in print, whereas a good reader who likes to read may have seen the same word 1000 times! 

 This practice deficit means that the first reader will be less automatic and skilled at identifying those words when he or she encounters them in text, and will also be less likely to know the proper spelling of those same words.

This is one of the reasons why it is so critical to seek early intervention for decoding or fluency issues.  Every month that one waits, the practice deficit is growing.    If you are concerned that a reader in your household may have any of these problems, an evaluation with us could give you clarity and a plan of action to make reading easier for your child.

Beware of the Developmental Lag Excuse!

The National Institutes of Health state that 95 percent of poor readers 

can be brought up to grade level 

if they receive effective help early.  

The reality is, time is of the essence when it comes to addressing reading issues.  Yet parents are often told not to worry, that Johnny or Suzy is just suffering a developmental lag and all will come together at some point in the future.  Research indicates this is usually not the case.  If you think your child is having difficulties with reading, act now!

The three key research conclusions that support seeking help early are:

• 90 percent of children with reading difficulties will achieve grade level in reading if they receive help by the first grade.
• 75 percent of children whose help is delayed to age nine or later continue to struggle throughout their school careers.
• If help is given in fourth grade, rather than in late kindergarten, it takes four times as long to improve the same skills by the same amount.

Click here to read the article providing this information.

How Early Should I be Worried About My Child's Reading? 3 Warning Signs

One of the most commonly asked questions we hear at Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers is, "How early should I be worried about my child's reading skills?" Closely related is, "When should work on reading skills start?" Research clearly indicates that what preschoolers know before they enter school is strongly related to how easily they learn to read in first grade.

Three Predictors of Reading Achievement in preschoolers:

1) the ability to recognize and name letters of the alphabet

2) general knowledge about print (which is the front of the book and which is the back; which way to turn the pages of the book)

3) awareness of phonemes (the sounds in words)

If your preschooler is lacking in any of these areas, reading experts advise stepping in early. Research indicates that a child who is four or five months behind at the end of first grade has only a 20% chance of ever reading at grade level in a typical school environment.

The good news is, however, that slow starters can succeed if they are provided the right kind of help. Early intervention programs that combine daily instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and reading fluency strategies can improve reading skills to average or above levels.

So don't wait for your child to experience failure. If your young child is displaying warning signs that learning to read is going to be difficult, seek intervention early! If you'd like information on early reader screenings and/or full assessments to determine whether your child is at risk of reading difficulties, see our website.

Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers

(502) 473-7000

weteachreading.com

Literacy Milestones From Birth to Age Six

Ever wonder whether your young child is on track in his or her reading development?

Click on the site below for information provided by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Literacy Milestones From Birth to Age Six

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Is Your Child Learning To Read the Hard Way?

Four Signs Your Child May Be Learning To Read the Hard Way

Is your child developing habits that may make learning to read difficult? Here’s how to find out.

Listen to your child read aloud. When he comes to a word he doesn’t know, check to see if he exhibits any of these 4 possible warning signs:

1. Spending a lot of time studying the pictures first.

2. Often skipping, adding and misreading small words.

3. Seems to be just trying to memorize words.

4. Looking at the first letter of a word and then giving a wild guess, such as reading “dirty” as “dry” or “make” as “mess.”

Good readers have the ability to sound out new words. Memorizing and guessing from context are good skills to have but if they are used instead of sounding out, reading will be a much harder task than it needs to be.

There are about 44 sounds in the English language and readers who have the ability to hear and pull apart those sounds in words have a much easier time learning how to read.

If you think your child may be learning to read the hard way, talk to your child’s teacher for ways to help before frustration hits.