Most children look forward to learning to read, a process in which they learn to transform what are essentially abstract squiggles on a page into meaningful letters, sounds, words, sentences, and eventually entire paragraphs. Reading represents a code — specifically, an alphabetic code. Many children break this code after a year of instruction. For at least one in five children, however, the experience is very different.
For these children, reading — which appears to come effortlessly to others — seems beyond their grasp. They understand spoken language and enjoy listening to stories, yet struggle to recognize the same words when they appear on a page. They read slowly and hesitantly, and words read correctly in one sentence may be misread in the next. Reading aloud can become particularly stressful. Over time, frustration and disappointment often follow.
In the classroom, reading is essential for academic success. Teachers, watching the gap between strong and struggling readers widen, may wonder what they or the child are doing wrong. Parents, aware that reading problems can affect academic progress and later-life opportunities, often experience worry, guilt, and frustration.
Find the cause to find a solution
Most problems can only be solved when their causes are understood. Scurvy, for example, claimed the lives of thousands of sailors during long sea voyages. Once the cause — a vitamin C deficiency — was identified, effective treatment quickly followed. A useful starting point, therefore, is to ask: What causes reading difficulties?
To understand what causes reading difficulties, we need to recognize that learning is a stratified process. One skill must be acquired before it becomes possible to acquire the next. Learning is like climbing a ladder. If a rung is missing, progress becomes difficult.
Language is the first rung
Di dunia kini kita, tiap orang harus dapat membaca…
Unless one has first learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia, it would be impossible to read the Indonesian sentence above. This illustrates that language forms the foundation of reading. Its role in reading can be compared to running in soccer: one cannot play soccer without first learning to run. Likewise, one cannot read a language without knowing that language well.
If a child’s knowledge of English is weak, reading ability is likely to be affected as well. Without improving language proficiency, reading progress may remain limited.
The second rung: Cognitive skills
Soccer consists of many smaller skills — passing, shooting, heading, dribbling, and ball control. Before children can successfully play a full game, they must first develop these individual skills. Reading works in much the same way. Cognitive skills such as visual and auditory processing and memory form the foundation for successful reading development.
Visual processing refers to the brain’s ability to make sense of information received through the eyes. These skills include the ability to distinguish foreground from background, differentiate between shapes and sizes, and understand spatial position. Spatial awareness, for example, helps children distinguish between letters such as b and d, or n and u.
Auditory processing skills include auditory discrimination — the ability to hear similarities and differences between sounds. Auditory blending refers to the ability to combine individual sounds into words. A child with weaknesses in this area may recognize individual sounds such as /c-a-t/ but still struggle to blend them into the word cat.
Auditory memory and phonics
According to neurodevelopmentalist Cyndi Ringoen, weak auditory short-term memory can interfere with a child’s ability to learn to read using phonics. Because phonics relies heavily on auditory learning, children require sufficient auditory memory to retain, process, and manipulate sounds effectively.
Ringoen explains that, beyond memorizing a few isolated sounds, children typically need an auditory digit span of approximately six to apply phonics effectively. Digit span is a common measure of short-term memory and refers to the number of digits a person can remember and repeat in the correct order immediately after hearing them.
To assess auditory digit span, numbers can be spoken slowly at one-second intervals in a monotone voice. For example, say 6-1-5-8 and ask the child to repeat the sequence. If successful, gradually increase the sequence length. A child is generally considered to have a digit span of four when they can correctly repeat four-digit sequences approximately 75% of the time on the first attempt.
Other memory skills involved in reading include visual, sequential, iconic, long-term, and working memory.
What parents can do
Neuroscientist Dr Sally Shaywitz warns that the worst thing parents can do when they suspect a reading problem is to do nothing. If you notice signs of reading difficulties, begin by speaking with your child’s teacher. Shaywitz offers several suggestions to help parents make the most of these discussions:
- Before the meeting, make a list of your observations and concerns. Parents are often anxious during these discussions and may forget important details.
- Arrange a specific meeting time rather than trying to speak to the teacher while they are busy.
- Ask for specific information about your child’s reading progress and how progress is being measured.
- Ask which reading group your child is in and how that compares to grade expectations.
- Ask what progress the teacher expects by the end of the school year.
Take immediate action
If your child is struggling to learn to read, early intervention is important. Research suggests that many struggling readers can improve significantly when they receive effective support early enough. The longer the intervention is delayed, the more difficult it often becomes for children to catch up.
Reading consultant Susan Hall encourages parents to trust their instincts:
“I have listened to parent after parent tell me about feeling there was a problem earlier on, yet being persuaded to discount their intuition and wait to seek help for their child. Later, when they learned time is of the essence in developing reading skills, the parents regretted the lost months or years.”
Educational specialist Susan du Plessis offers the following advice to parents seeking help for a child with reading difficulties:
- Have your child assessed, but budget wisely. Assessment is only the first step; resources should also go toward intervention.
- Ask questions such as: What method will be used? What theory supports it? Is there evidence of success?
- Computer-based reading programs alone are rarely sufficient to resolve significant reading difficulties without guided instruction and individualized support.
- Ensure that tutoring time is used effectively and professionally.
- Monitor progress carefully. Effective intervention should eventually lead to visible improvements in reading and school performance.
- Once your child becomes a confident reader, technology can be used to broaden knowledge and improve reading efficiency.
Signs of a reading difficulty
A child with reading difficulties may:
- Reverse letters such as b and d, or p and q.
- Read words such as no for on, or was for saw.
- Put letters in the wrong order, reading felt as left or except as expect.
- Misread small words such as a for and or then for there.
- Lose their place while reading and reread lines.
- Read aloud slowly, hesitantly, or monotonously.
- Sound out letters correctly, but still say the wrong word.
- Mispronounce words or stress the wrong syllables.
- Shorten words, such as saying portion instead of proportion.
- Omit prefixes or suffixes.
- Read with poor comprehension.
- Remember little of what was read.
- Struggle to match letters with sounds.
- Ignore punctuation such as commas and full stops.
Edublox specializes in cognitive training and educational interventions designed to improve learning readiness and help children learn more effectively. Our programs aim to strengthen the foundational skills required for reading, learning, and academic success, helping learners overcome obstacles and reach their full potential.
