The Reading Room

Helping the Struggling Reader

Don't try to be your child's teacher

Your child needs you to be his parent. Support his reading; follow up on the teacher's suggestions; encourage your child to attempt new things; read to him and with him; but don't make the home reading sessions hard work, or your child will lose his willingness to try.

Keep a balanced perspective

Reading success is very important, but it is not the most important thing in life. Reading skill is important in every aspect of school life, but is not a prerequisite to being a successful adult. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs had reading difficulty in school. Everybody has some strengths and some weaknesses; some children have to work harder at reading to be successful, just as in every other endeavor. It is important to remediate reading difficulty early, but it is counter-productive to label your child in any way. Disability labels often lead to disability performance.

Get early intervention

The earlier your child is remediated, the faster the "catching up" will occur. Children are amazingly adept at developing coping mechanisms, most of which are negative and counter-productive: over-relying on only one strategy, leaning on others for help, or even acting out in school. Remediation should begin before your child has experienced failure.

Find the right tutor

one who establishes a good raport with your child.

one who knows the school curriculum, is available to speak with the child's teacher on a regular basis, and can help bridge the gap between the tutorial sessions and school.

one who teaches your child the skills he needs, rather than acting as a crutch to help him with his homework. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime."

one who keeps the tutorial sessions positive and expects success, as a good coach would do with a prized athlete.

one who assesses your child and makes a plan based on his needs.

one who is not wedded to any one program, but has a large arsenal of educational materials from which to draw.

Work as a team

It is vitally important to adopt a team approach in helping your child; the teacher, student, parents, and any tutorial or psychological personnel must all work together in a supportive way, because each of the team members has some exclusive information that the others may not have. You, as parents, know your child best--his fears, his reaction to frustration, his interests, and his emotional needs, to name a few. The teacher, on the other hand, knows your child better than you do in a group setting -- how he reacts to academic demands and frustration in class, how and with whom he interacts in class, and how he stands academically in relation to his peers. The psychologist, learning specialist, language therapist, and tutor know your child in a more objective way, as he interacts with assessment or instructional materials. Finally, and most important, your child knows how he feels, and it is the team's responsibility make sure everybody working with the child recognizes his strengths and interests, rather than just his weaknesses, and allows him to express himself to others.

Don't look for a quick fix; there are no miracles

Beware of a tutor or learning center that tells you they can "fix" your child in a specified number of sessions. Every child is different, and some children catch on with an "aha!" while others move more slowly toward reading success. Regularly-scheduled tutoring, two or three times per week, is more effective than weekly or sporadic sessions. Individualized tutoring is generally much more effective than group remedial work. Although it may be more expensive, you will get more "bang for the buck." Finally, working at home between tutorial sessions, under direction of the tutor or teacher, will speed the improvement. No amount of tutoring will "fix" a student who does not get enough sleep, has emotional trauma or dysfunction to deal with at home, or who does not have support at home and school.




	Parent Resources

Reading Room home Parents Teachers Kids Book Lists The Writing Room US Library US Primary websites For comments and questions, contact: University School 20701 Brantley Rd. Cleveland, OH 44122
		Helping the Struggling Reader Don't try to be your child's teacher Your child needs you to be his parent. Support his reading; follow up on the teacher's suggestions; encourage your child to attempt new things; read to him and with him; but don't make the home reading sessions hard work, or your child will lose his willingness to try. Keep a balanced perspective Reading success is very important, but it is not the most important thing in life. Reading skill is important in every aspect of school life, but is not a prerequisite to being a successful adult. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs had reading difficulty in school. Everybody has some strengths and some weaknesses; some children have to work harder at reading to be successful, just as in every other endeavor. It is important to remediate reading difficulty early, but it is counter-productive to label your child in any way. Disability labels often lead to disability performance. Get early intervention The earlier your child is remediated, the faster the "catching up" will occur. Children are amazingly adept at developing coping mechanisms, most of which are negative and counter-productive: over-relying on only one strategy, leaning on others for help, or even acting out in school. Remediation should begin before your child has experienced failure. Find the right tutor one who establishes a good raport with your child. one who knows the school curriculum, is available to speak with the child's teacher on a regular basis, and can help bridge the gap between the tutorial sessions and school. one who teaches your child the skills he needs, rather than acting as a crutch to help him with his homework. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime." one who keeps the tutorial sessions positive and expects success, as a good coach would do with a prized athlete. one who assesses your child and makes a plan based on his needs. one who is not wedded to any one program, but has a large arsenal of educational materials from which to draw. Work as a team It is vitally important to adopt a team approach in helping your child; the teacher, student, parents, and any tutorial or psychological personnel must all work together in a supportive way, because each of the team members has some exclusive information that the others may not have. You, as parents, know your child best--his fears, his reaction to frustration, his interests, and his emotional needs, to name a few. The teacher, on the other hand, knows your child better than you do in a group setting -- how he reacts to academic demands and frustration in class, how and with whom he interacts in class, and how he stands academically in relation to his peers. The psychologist, learning specialist, language therapist, and tutor know your child in a more objective way, as he interacts with assessment or instructional materials. Finally, and most important, your child knows how he feels, and it is the team's responsibility make sure everybody working with the child recognizes his strengths and interests, rather than just his weaknesses, and allows him to express himself to others. Don't look for a quick fix; there are no miracles Beware of a tutor or learning center that tells you they can "fix" your child in a specified number of sessions. Every child is different, and some children catch on with an "aha!" while others move more slowly toward reading success. Regularly-scheduled tutoring, two or three times per week, is more effective than weekly or sporadic sessions. Individualized tutoring is generally much more effective than group remedial work. Although it may be more expensive, you will get more "bang for the buck." Finally, working at home between tutorial sessions, under direction of the tutor or teacher, will speed the improvement. No amount of tutoring will "fix" a student who does not get enough sleep, has emotional trauma or dysfunction to deal with at home, or who does not have support at home and school.

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Parent Resources

Reading Room home

Parents Teachers Kids

Book Lists The Writing Room US Library

US Primary websites

For comments and questions, contact:

University School 20701 Brantley Rd. Cleveland, OH 44122