Children Learn How to Read at the

¶ … children learn how to read at the same pace. However, the parent does have some cause for concern. As Kelly & Campbell (n.d.) points out, "studies indicate that when students get off to a poor start in reading, they rarely catch up," (p. 1). Therefore, I would first thank and congratulate the parent on being concerned and seeking assistance.

According to the Oxford Owl (n.d.), "the best thing to do if you are worried about your child is to talk to your child's class teacher." The first question I would ask would be how old the child is, and if the child is young, to direct the parent to the Oxford Owl website. This website includes a wide range of resources, games, and tools that parents can use with their children.

I would also tell the parent, possibly later in our conversation, that a range of formal programs are available for their child including Success For All, Reading Recovery, the Spalding Method, Early Intervention Reading, the Boulder Project, and the Winston-Salem Project (Kelly & Campbell, n.d., p. 1). The parent is able to choose whichever program they feel is appropriate, and I am here to help guide their decisions. A school-wide program will help parents find the necessary support they need.

I would first ask the parent what kind of reading activities the child engages in at home. Does the parent or another adult read to the child? If so, how often? Does the child engage in literacy activities that are unrelated to books such as reading product labels, playing with alphabet toys like blocks, or watching educational television shows with word instruction. It is important to ascertain the child's learning environment before making any recommendations. I would also want to know things like the child's history with reading.

Is this the first time the child has been behind in reading, or has the child always struggled? Does the child have any relatives, friends, or siblings that can practice literacy exercises including reading with the child? I would also want to know specifically what areas of reading the child is struggling with. For example, reading is not just about sight words or phonemes. Reading skills are about comprehension and analysis, too. It is important to know what the specific challenges are in order to overcome them effectively.

Perhaps the child has never received a vision or hearing test. Such biological problems sometimes get misdiagnosed. Likewise, the child may need to be tested for a learning disability (Kelly & Campbell, n.d.). The most important thing for the parent is to be supportive of the child regardless of the pace of improvement. There is no need for scolding or discipline, because the child will only learn to associate reading with pain and punishment. Instead, reading should be fused with playtime.

I would recommend the parent to choose new books, with the child accompanying the parent to the library. If the child chooses the books, the child will pick those books that are most attractive or interesting and which they are therefore more apt to read. A child will not be interested in reading about topics or characters that they do not care about, any more than adults will. Parents should be encouraged to be the reading role.