FAQ’s
A lot of the time what we’re seeing is an incredibly bright child, who just does not have the foundational tools they need to access their classroom reading curriculum, and has lost the confidence they need to advocate for themselves.
This is my specialty. Let me teach your child how to read, while simultaneously working with you. I will teach you what questions to ask your child’s teacher, and show you what you can do at home, so you can best advocate for your child in and out of the classroom.
Have you noticed a change in your child since the school year has begun? Here are only a few of the signs your child may be struggling to learn to read at school:
Your typically mellow, resilient, and confident child begins having major meltdowns when it’s time to do homework
Your typically confident child begins to shy away from new activities and experiences
Your typically happy and healthy child begins feeling sick, or has stomach aches before getting on the school bus, or while getting ready for the day
Your typically proud child resists reading to you at bedtime, or showing you their school work that’s been sent home
Your typically independent and confident child begins comparing themselves to their peers, and talking down about themselves
Your curious child begins to resist activities they used to love and enjoy
Your typically well behaved child comes home sharing stories about “getting in trouble” or expressing how much they dislike their teacher/peers/school etc.
Your typically high-achieving child begins displaying difficulty in other areas of the school day, and their teacher shares concerns during parent-teacher conferences
All of these observations could be signs that your child is experiencing difficulty learning how to read in school. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your child! They just need to be taught the most foundational, and essential decoding skills in a direct, explicit, and systematic way, so that they can begin to feel successful, confident, and learn to love reading again.
Why is my child struggling to learn how to read?
Here are only a few of the reasons your child may be struggling to learn to read at school:
Your child is already frustrated that they are struggling to learn how to read, so when it is time for reading instruction to begin, they immediately shut off and are not receptive to reading instruction
Your child has convinced themselves that “they don’t like reading” so they are not willing/able to actively participate and engage in reading instruction
Your child is a “COVID Baby” and missed out on explicit phonics instruction during Kindergarten and 1st Grade while they were learning remotely
Your child’s homeroom or reading teacher does not use evidence based and/or science-based instructional methods when teaching your child to learn how to read
Your child’s teacher does use a phonics program in the classroom, but the curriculum is just moving too quickly for your child
Your child is learning how to read in a whole group setting, but learns better in a smaller group setting
Your child is a very active and energetic student, who requires frequent movement breaks and learns best through different teaching modalities (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile) but your child’s teacher is only using one of these modality in their lessons
Your child sees many of their peers reading, and becomes ashamed in the classroom, so has difficulty focusing and attending to their reading lessons
If these are some of the observations you or your child's teacher are making while they are at school, now may be a good time to reach out to a professional before taking any further steps such as additional academic/performance testing or pursuing a more comprehensive neuropsychological examination.