What is Really Going on When Your Child Can’t Read

By: Beth Guadagni, M.A.

At The Yellin Center, we frequently work with students who struggle with reading. This can be distressing and confusing for many parents, so we wanted to share information about some of the most common reasons for reading trouble and some effective intervention ideas.





Connect and Share
The children we see who have difficulty with reading tend to fall into two categories: 1) readers who have trouble sounding out the words, or decoding, and 2) readers who can say the correct words but have trouble understanding the meaning of a text, or comprehension.  As you can probably guess, poor decoding often causes poor comprehension. 
This article is the first of a two-part series on reading difficulty. Here, we’ll focus on kids who struggle with decoding: learning letter sounds and using this knowledge to sound out words. Stay tuned for our next newsletter, where we’ll tackle reading comprehension.

Trouble with Decoding
Send To A Friend

Phonemic Awareness

Imagine hearing the following instructions: “Name a word that rhymes with “blue.” Tell me how many sounds you hear in the word “chat.” Say the word “note” without the /n/ sound.”

If you think about it, none of these tasks actually require literacy skills; one needs only to be able to process and manipulate the sounds, or phonemes, that make up words. This skill is called phonemic awareness, and it’s a critical prerequisite for learning to read. Before a child can learn that the letter b makes a /b/ sound, his brain must be able to recognize the sound and differentiate it from other, similar sounds. Some kids’ brains are adept at these distinctions, but those who have difficulty are at a real disadvantage and need work developing their phonemic awareness. Note that weak phonemic awareness is not a result of poor hearing; kids who pass audiology tests with flying colors can still have weak phonemic awareness because it is a function of the brain, not the ears.

Paired Associate Memory

Another skill required for effective reading is paired associate memory, a specialized part of long-term memory that is responsible for pairing two arbitrarily related pieces of information. Recalling someone’s birthday or name, learning the names of shapes and colors in preschool, or remembering that mesa means “table” in Spanish all require paired associate memory. When it comes to reading, paired associate memory is what allows a student to remember which sound a letter represents. This type of memory is used heavily in the younger grades, but less so as students advance through school.

Orthographic Memory

Sometimes, we work with students who can sound out each word on the page like a pro. They know which sound each letter represents, and they’re able to decode each word accurately. Great knowledge of letter-sound correspondence isn’t so great when a student has to sound out every single word, every single time, however. Even when a student like this has just read a particular word in a sentence, she may not recognize the very same word in the next sentence and have to sound it all over again, making reading very laborious. Sight words just don’t seem to stick for children like this. The culprit could be a weakness in the part of long-term memory that stores letter patterns and spelling, called orthographic memory. Poor orthographic memory can make spelling very challenging, even for older kids who read well. For beginning readers, weak orthographic memory can hurt reading fluency because every single word is a struggle.

Dyslexia

While dyslexia is a diagnosis, not a cognitive construct like the topics above, it’s a well-known, commonly misunderstood phenomenon that we feel deserves mention here. First, let’s dispel a few common myths about dyslexia. Contrary to popular belief, reading a word backward or reversing letters like b and d is not necessarily a sign of dyslexia. Most young children make these errors, sometimes frequently, when learning to read and write, and the reversals tend to stop with time and practice. Another common myth is that dyslexia is a vision problem. In fact, dyslexia originates in the brain, not the eyes, so reading through colored lenses or other forms of vision therapy will not help a dyslexic child to read. Finally, dyslexia does not affect intelligence; in fact most students with dyslexia are of average or even above-average intelligence!  

So what is dyslexia? It’s a neurological, often genetic disorder that makes it hard to recognize and process letters and sounds accurately and automatically. Sound familiar? We find that kids labeled as “dyslexic” have poor phonemic awareness and may struggle with paired associate memory and/or orthographic memory, too. If you suspect your child may be dyslexic, consult a highly trained reading specialist for assessment as soon as possible. Most classroom teachers, no matter how talented as instructors, are not qualified to make a diagnosis, and formal evaluation is needed to confirm dyslexia. Dyslexic children can make great progress with reading when they’re given appropriate, intensive, and high quality intervention early.

Interventions

Happily, there are lots of good interventions that can be very effective in improving reading decoding. Remember that early intervention is critical, so if you suspect your child may have real reading problems, it’s best to consult an expert without delay. 
  • Multi-sensory instruction, teaching techniques that recruit a child’s sense of touch as well as her eyes and ears, is one of the most effective methods for teaching letter-sound pairings to children with weak phonemic awareness or paired associate memory. Similarly, kids with weak orthographic memory may respond better to multi-sensory methods like tracing sight words on a textured surface than simply drilling with flashcards. Multi-sensory teaching allows students to absorb information through different channels and can be extremely effective. For very intensive multi-sensory instruction, look for specialists or centers that teach using Orton-Gillingham’s or Lindamood-Bell’s curricula. 

  • One of our favorite interventions for students with weak paired associate memories is a book called The Secret Stories by Katie Garner.  In it, Garner pairs pictures of letters and letter combinations with stories that explain “why” the letters make the sounds they do. Our favorite is the explanation for the /aw/ sound: A and w and a and u have crushes on each other, so whenever they’re together, they say, “Awww!” This clever technique helps kids understand the “logic” behind letter sounds instead of simply having to memorize information. Context, even silly context, can really help kids with poor paired associate memory learn.

  • Many children with decoding difficulties, regardless of the cause, can comprehend more sophisticated material than they’re able to read independently. It’s important to give these students access to literary material at their intellectual level. Reading to a child is one way to do this, and if she follows along in the book, she gets the added benefit of repeated exposures to words paired with correct pronunciation. Over time, this will help kids with weak paired associate or orthographic memories improve their skills. For busy parents or kids who want a bit more independence, audiobooks are fantastic for letting kids practice this on their own. Make sure that they’re following along as they listen.

  • Finally, practice, practice, practice. Accurate, fluent reading is the result of hundreds of hours spent with written words to become automatic with letter patterns. We encourage lots of practice reading at home, but with a few cautionary notes. First, be aware that continued drilling without results can be very frustrating for your child, and may even be futile if the method he’s using isn’t one that’s best for his kind of mind. If he’s reading as often as his classmates but falling further and further behind, ask his teacher or a reading specialist what other techniques he should try. Secondly, remember that reading, particularly for younger kids, should be a fun! Try to strike a balance: kids should not forgo reading because it’s hard, but reading shouldn’t feel like a grueling obligation either. 

We hope this overview of reading decoding has been helpful! If you’re not already on our mailing list, be sure to sign up so that you will receive our Summer newsletter, where we’ll delve into reading comprehension. 

Beth Guadagni, M.A. is a Learning Specialist at The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education.

Photo of reader: CC by Daehyun Park