FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

I hear people using different terms to refer to difficulties or delays in reading – most often, ‘reading disability’ or ‘dyslexia’. What is the difference between these terms?

What are some early ‘red flags’ that might indicate my child is struggling with literacy development?

What clues might indicate a reading disability from Grade 2 onwards?

I had difficulty learning to read and spell and received special education support when I was young. I am still a slow reader and a poor speller. Should I be concerned about my child?

How common are reading disabilities?

Are boys more likely to have difficulty with reading than girls?

I am wondering if my child has a reading disability, but he has just started Grade 2. Am I overreacting? How long should I wait before seeking remedial help and/or an assessment?

We have a child in Grade 5 who has never liked to read and is very resistant to putting his thoughts onto paper. We can’t tell if he is truly having difficulty with reading and writing OR if he is simply lazy!

My daughter has a learning disability in reading. Can you recommend a reading program for her?

How do I know if my child’s reading disability is mild, moderate or severe?

I hear people using different terms to refer to difficulties or delays in reading – most often, ‘reading disability’ or ‘dyslexia’. What is the difference between these terms?

Both terms refer to a specific learning disorder characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor decoding and spelling abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language (i.e., the ability to identify speech sounds and understand how they correspond to letters and words). A reading disability or dyslexia is often unexpected as it presents itself despite average to above average intelligence, rich childhood experiences and exposure to books, and good classroom teaching.

What are some early ‘red flags’ that might indicate my child is struggling with literacy development?

The earliest red flag may be delayed language.

Then, in Preschool, watch for:

Trouble learning common nursery rhymes
Mispronounced words
Difficulty in learning (and remembering) names of letters and numbers
Failure to know the letters in his/her own name

In Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1, look for:

Failure to understand that words come apart (sandbox can be pulled apart into sand and box and later on, that the word sat can be broken down further and sounded out as s, aaa, t).
Difficulty learning to associate letters with sounds
Reading and spelling errors that show no connection to the sounds in the words (e.g., the word truck for boat).
Difficulty sounding out very simple words (e.g., run, hot, nap)
Wild guessing based on picture clues
Seems to have memorized simple books (i.e., is not actually ‘reading’ them)
Complains about or avoids reading
A family history of reading difficulties in parents or siblings

What clues might indicate a reading disability from Grade 2 onwards?

Primary and junior level children who are struggling with literacy development may exhibit the following:

Difficulty reading unknown words that must be sounded out; lacks strategies and makes wild guesses
Errors with small function words (e.g., a, the, her, that)
Stumbles on multisyllable words
Slow, choppy and labored oral reading
Over reliant on context to figure out words
Trouble reading math word problems
Strange spelling, with words not resembling true spelling (e.g., winy for when) and/or letters being omitted (e.g., lup for lump)
Avoidance of reading; yawns, tries to leave the room, becomes squirmy
Lowered self-esteem
History of reading and/or spelling problems in some family members

I had difficulty learning to read and spell and received special education support when I was young. I am still a slow reader and a poor speller. Should I be concerned about my child?

Like many common conditions (such as allergies or type-2 diabetes), reading disabilities or dyslexia sometimes run in families. Given your own history, it would be prudent to carefully monitor your child’s reading and writing development and seek professional advice if you notice any ‘red flags’.

How common are reading disabilities?

Reading disabilities are the most common learning disability, occurring in approximately 1 in 5 or 6 children.

Are boys more likely to have difficulty with reading than girls?

The long-held belief that mainly boys suffered from reading disabilities or dyslexia reflected bias in school-selected samples. Research data now indicates no significant difference in the prevalence of reading disability in boys and girls (using research-based diagnostic criteria). Many girls’ learning difficulties are neither identified nor remediated. This is possibly because they are, in general, quieter, less disruptive, and more likely to ‘fly under the radar’.

Within our practice, 30 to 40% of our clientele within a given year are girls.

I am wondering if my child has a reading disability, but he has just started Grade 2. Am I overreacting? How long should I wait before seeking remedial help and/or an assessment?

Early intervention is the key! Research data strongly indicates better outcomes when interventions are provided in the first few years of school compared with those delivered in the later years. Following a wait-and-see approach is likely to put your child further behind and damage his/her self-esteem. Children need help before they fail!

We recommend that children who are struggling in Grades 1 and 2 have an early literacy assessment. The information collected can be used to plan an individualized tutoring program that targets areas of weakness. A psychoeducational assessment is not required before accessing specialized tutoring services – in fact, it may not be recommended until your child is 8 years old or in Grade 3.

Children who naturally develop reading, spelling and writing skills are typically able to complete reading and writing tasks without undue effort. Because they are able to ‘decode’ and ‘encode’ words with relative ease, they complete tasks quickly and are able to focus on comprehension, idea development, etc. In contrast, individuals who struggle with literacy development lack automaticity with even very basic skills; as such, what seem to parents/teachers to be simple tasks require considerable mental effort and attention on their part. They work slowly, fatigue quickly, and often drift off-task. Simply put, they ‘run out of fuel’. These behavioural responses are often misinterpreted as a lack of interest, low motivation, or laziness. If you see these signs and symptoms in your child, you are advised to seek the input of a professional – in order to rule out an underlying issue that may need to be addressed.

My daughter has a learning disability in reading. Can you recommend a reading program for her?

There are a number of research-based reading programs for students who are not naturally acquiring literacy skills (e.g., Direct Instruction, Orton-Gillingham, EMPOWER). More important than the specific program you choose is that the program provides systematic, explicit instruction in the following: phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, fluency, comprehension, spelling and written expression.

Remember, there is no ‘miracle cure’ or ‘quick fix’ for reading disabilities. Even a reading program that has all the right elements requires both student and teacher to be persistent and work steadily toward reading proficiency over a sufficient period of time (often several years).

How do I know if my child’s reading disability is mild, moderate or severe?

While formal test scores can help to answer this question, another good indicator of the severity and persistence of reading disabilities is how well a child responds to research-based intervention (i.e., response-to-intervention).

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

The Centre For Literacy & Learning