Delayed Reading
by: Dr. Tina Lepage
Q: I have two kids – a six year old boy and a four year old girl. My daughter is learning to read already and quickly catching up with her older brother. My son has begun to say he doesn’t like to read, especially after he sees my daughter reading. I’m not sure if he is delayed or if my daughter is just really early in learning to read. They’re both really smart if I do say so myself!) but my son has had much more difficulty learning to read than my daughter. I didn’t realize he was having difficulty until I saw how quickly my daughter has learned. His teacher says he’s a little slower than average but she doesn’t think it’s a problem. (This is her second year of teaching, so I’m not sure I trust her breadth of experience.) Is this something I should address or is he just learning at his own pace? He’ll be turning seven in June and my daughter turned four in January.
A: It’s often surprising for parents to see the differences between their children. The first child sets the precedent for everything so it’s typical for parents to compare those that come after the first. It sounds like there is a pretty significant difference between your daughter’s language skills and your son’s. This might be just one of those differences between them, or it might signal some kind of challenge for your son. Your daughter is on the early side in learning to read but there are many four year olds who are learning or know how to read. Your son, at age seven, is also is the range of when most children learn to read but since this is the end of his first grade of school, he sounds like he might be somewhat delayed. The first thing to do is work with him on his reading skills. Pay attention to how well he identifies letters and sounds and whether he is able to sound out words. There are many good reading resources at places like The Teach Me store that you can use to help your son develop his skills. Be sure to make this a fun activity, offering encouragement and support. If he feels pressure or frustration from you while you do this together, most likely he will not enjoy it and will resist your help. If he is highly resistant or it doesn’t seem to be “clicking,” it might be an indication of something else going on.
Even though it seems obvious, first be sure he is not having difficulty seeing. Then you should get a little more information from his teacher about what she sees in the classroom and ask whether an evaluation would be a good idea. If your son is in a public school, the school might be able to provide the evaluation although it can often take a long time to get the evaluation done by the school, and they determine whether it is needed and will not do it simply on your request. (Schools are busy with requests so tend to test if the child is falling behind.) The other option is to have a psychoeducational evaluation done by a psychologist in the community who is experienced in evaluating learning issues. A psychoeducational evaluation should include an IQ test and an achievement test in order to compare his ability level to his level of achievement. If there is some kind of learning issue (such as a reading difference), the earlier you intervene, the better the outcome for your son.
Each month Dr. Tina Lepage and her colleagues will be answering questions directly from Ch/C Mothers Club members. Any and all questions accepted! To submit your question, email [email protected]. All identities will be kept anonymous, but we want to know what YOU want to know!
Lepage Associates Solution-Based Psychological & Psychiatric Services is home to a highly experienced team of experts with diverse specialties in all aspects of psychological and psychiatric services. We welcome your questions each month on any child or parenting issue. For additional information, visit our website www.lepageassociates.com, email [email protected], or call 919-572-0000.
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