How to Help Your Struggling Reader

What does a struggling reader look like?

There’s a wide range of ages at which children learn to read. Anywhere from 4-8 is fairly normal. But age isn’t the biggest factor when considering whether your child struggles as a reader. Instead, look for some of these signs:

• Trouble pronouncing words or confusing letter sounds
• Failing to recognize a word they should know
• Lack of focus while reading
• Trouble understanding what was just read
• Frequent pausing during reading
• Lack of expression when reading
• Anxiety about or avoiding reading
• Spelling and writing difficulties (are very tied to reading abilities!)

If you see these signs, it’s time to figure out what is holding your child back.

Why is your child struggling with reading?

First, a little advice (advice well supported by experts like Jim Trelease of The Read Aloud Handbook and Sarah MacKenzie of The Read Aloud Family (seriously, read them both: amazing!).

1. The very VERY best way to inspire a love of reading in your children AND give them a head start toward reading proficiency (even if they have medical or health difficulties) is this: Read to your children from babyhood!

Children who are read to as babies and toddlers are taught reading is a pleasure!

2. Guard your own attitudes about reading. Let’s face it, what we enjoy, often our children enjoy. Even if you’re not a reader yourself, keep the tone positive about reading, and provide opportunities for your children to hear reading and learn to enjoy it themselves.

3. Here are some more literacy tips for you to check out!

But all that said, your child may still be struggling! Dear mama, there are so many ways to support your struggling reader and get them help!

Many medical or physical factors can play a role in hindering a child’s ability to read. So here’s a few things you can look into to help your struggling reader.

Ways to Help your Struggling Reader

1. Get their vision checked. It could be that your child has a vision problem impairing their ability to differentiate between the various letter shapes. Some letters might look like others. Or the shape may be so indistinct that they can’t tell them apart. A vision test might show a need for an eyeglass prescription, which could set your child back on the road to successful reading!
2. Get their hearing checked. Similarly, hearing impairments can break down your child’s ability to hear the phonics sounds. While they can still learn to read, of course, this might just make the process more difficult and cause your child to lose interest in reading.
3. Ask your doctor or school evaluator to check for dyslexia. Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that can impede reading accuracy and fluency. Although there’s no medical cure for dyslexia, there are ways to support a dyslexic student’s reading growth.
4. Visit a speech pathologist. Speech and language delays can also delay the reading process.
5. Discuss attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with your doctor. Reading requires attention both to the sounds and the written abstract symbols of letters. Difficulty with attention is going to make reading more difficult too.
6. Address secondary impact of reading difficulties. Your child may soon recognize they are behind their peers. Embarrassment, anxiety, inability to understand conversations, difficulty answering questions, and even depression over their slower pace can present. A proactive approach and a positive environment can support children, but you may want to look at supportive counseling as well.

But doesn’t this all cost money!?

I know what you’re thinking. Vision exams, hearing tests, speech therapies, extra doctor visits and tests. These all cost money! And that is often money parents can’t afford. And some of these helps for struggling readers, commercial insurances won’t pay for.

Ruling out possible issues and getting support for your struggling reader is better done earlier than later. So if you’re concerned about the cost of getting help for your struggling reader, I’m excited to tell you about a child medical grant that might help you!

This child medical grant could help your struggling reader!

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) wants to give out 30,000 child medical grants within the next decade. Qualifying families can receive up to $5,000 annually per child!

So many families don’t even know about this grant yet! Or that it’s incredibly easy to apply online. And that 89% of applicants are approved! 

If you have:

• a child age 16 and younger
• whose parents are US residents
• who has  commercial health insurance already (and it’s not limited to UHC members!)
• and meet economic guidelines…

Then you could qualify for this grant!

UHCCF has awarded over $48 million via more than 20,000 grants already. Grant recipients have paid for MS treatments, autism treatment, hearing aids, orthotics, and other therapies.

This grant COULD be the help you need to get support for your struggling reader. Click here to apply for the UHCCF child medical grant!