5 Signs Your Child May Have A Reading Disability
Every parent wants the best for their child and likes to think they are the best. Of course, every child has their strengths and weaknesses, just as adults do. The sooner you accept this the easier it is to identify areas where they are struggling and help them.
Spotting the following five signs when they are young will help them to get the most out of a reputable center for early learning Croydon and onward, throughout their education.
The good news is that your child is not alone. It’s estimated that 10% of the population has a reading disability. Understanding and recognizing it will help to ensure they get the best education possible.
- Difficulty Reading
This may seem obvious but it is very easy for parents to overlook the obvious and assume their child is simply ‘behind the curve’. In fact, not being able to read material that they should at their age is an indication that they have a reading disability.
You’ll need to monitor them to see if they are simply developing slower or if it’s a bigger issue.
- Speech
Reading disabilities are generally best observed when your child talks. For example, you know that your child understands and can say a certain word in a conversation. If they then struggle to pronounce it correctly when reading for a book you’ll have to question if they have a reading disability.
As they learn to read they’ll be focused on sounding out words. That means they don’t try to guess the word, they sound it out. When the letters become jumbled due to a reading disability, they can’t pronounce the word correctly.
Of course, this happens to all children occasionally. You need to monitor them to see if it happens repeatedly, especially with different words.
- Pausing Often
If your child is reading material that is right for their grade but they are pausing often, it means they are struggling. In short, the letters are jumbled making it hard for your child to work out each word. This results in them pausing. The concentration on letters and words also means that they will talk in a monotone.
They are not taking the information in, simply concentrating on getting the words right.
- Avoidance
Children that have reading disabilities will often avoid reading altogether. They may try to avoid reading or only be comfortable reading to themselves. This is because the issue will not be obvious when they read to themselves.
You need to hear your children reading out loud regularly. This will help you to identify if they are having issues and ensure you help them.
- Often Distracted
Children that are easily distracted when reading may be looking for an excuse to stop reading. Of course, children are usually easily distracted which could mean that they simply don’t like concentrating too hard.
But, if you notice they are only easily distracted when reading you need to investigate further.
Don’t forget, a reading disability doesn’t mean your child isn’t intelligent. They simply need a little help reading and organizing letters.