Kids Reading Disabilities

Home environment, innate ability and parents not getting involved in helping children to read are few reasons for a child having difficulty in reading.

The main reasons for reading problems are:

• Ineffective reading instruction
• Auditory perception difficulties
• Visual perception difficulties
• Language processing difficulties.

Parents can recognize their child’s poor reading from some of the following symptoms:

1. poor pencil grip
2. penmanship
3. attention problems
4. anxiety in reading
5. task avoidance
6. lack of impulse control
7. easily distracted
8. problems with comprehension of spoken language
9. don’t like school

Other signs of reading disability are more closely to the act and process of reading. Signs of a reading disability may include the following:

• consistent difficulty sounding out words and recognizing words out of context
• confusion between letters and the sounds they represent
• slow reading rate when reading aloud (reading word-by-word)
• lack of expression while reading
• ignoring punctuation while reading
• confusion about the meaning of words and sentences
• inability to connect concepts and ideas within a passage
• omission of, or glossing over, detail
• difficulty identifying significant information from details
• high distractibility during reading
• trouble remembering or summarizing what is read
• difficulty connecting what is read to prior knowledge
• difficulty applying content of a text to personal experiences
• inability to view content from different of new perspectives
• What to Do if You Suspect a Reading Disability

If you have gone through the checklist and feel like your child may have a reading disorder, here’s what to do next.

• Learn about the symptoms of reading disorders.
• Keep a journal of behaviors associated with said symptoms and their frequency.
• Follow school’s protocol for learning concerns.
• Discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher and pediatrician.
• Get a formal evaluation.
• Explore more ways to help the child learn to read.
• Daily training in linguistic and oral skills to build awareness of speech sounds or phonemes

Help your child with reading: Reading problems in young children may be influenced by a combination of both neurological and environmental factors, according to a study. Help your child in various ways to read.

• Read to your child. No matter what age your child happens to be, he will benefit from listening to you read aloud.
• Discuss the books you read to your child.
• Be a good reading model by letting your child see you read.
• Introduce your child to books that discuss his hobby, interests, or new experiences.
• Buy books as presents for your child and he’ll learn to value books.
• Make sure your child has a library card.
• Download Reading or Flash Card Apps

Have hopes and don’t give up on your child: Never get frustrated, angry and anxious with your child. No matter what your child’s developmental level when you begin working together, remember to stay patient and calm. Even if your child seems to be learning at a slow pace, remember that one day, everything will click.

.

References:

1. http://www.nursetogether.com
2. http://www.icanteachmychild.com
3. https://werindia.com

Image credit: Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)