Busy parents are often unable to tell if their child has developed a reading problem, especially if teachers reassure them that Johnny is doing fine (does she even know?).
So here are the symptoms.
1. He guesses constantly. He confuses “a” and “the.”
2. He can usually sound out the first letter and the last letter but the middle of the word is a mystery.
3. He looks at the pictures first and does a lot of his guesswork based on the pictures.
4. A word list to memorize appears in his homework, sometimes with instructions for him to call out the words as quickly as possible. (Speed is stressed rather than accuracy.)
5. If little books come home for him to read, they contain a high volume of irregular words that are difficult to sound out. (Phonetic readers have very few irregular words.)
6. If you suspect your child is failing to learn to read, research the Internet and find a compatible phonics program to help you teach him. Or hire someone to tutor him. Reading is the most important thing he will ever learn in school and his future depends on it.
Good suggestions. Thank you.