ABCs of Learning

Reading disabilities are the most prevalent learning disabilities identified in school-aged children. While these students often have a wide range of strengths in other areas, they encounter struggles when faced with academic tasks that involve reading. Because most other subjects require reading as a means of acquiring content-area material, these children often have difficulty across the curriculum.

Reading disabilities can result from delays in several different areas of performance. Some students struggle with phonological awareness and phonological memory.  These underlying weaknesses in the way the brain processes language impact the child’s ability to accurately sequence the individual sounds of language. Often, such students find it difficult to acquire early phonetic skills, such as alphabet recall, sound matching, and blending. 

Other children experience struggles that are rooted in their ability to retrieve and organize language. Some of these individuals previously showed developmental delays in their spoken language. Their early difficulty in understanding speech or in putting together words to express their ideas may later present a weakness in comprehending written text. While some of these children may have fewer difficulties in decoding individual words, they struggle to analyze information and to answer critical-thinking questions.

Reading disabilities may also arise from problems with fluency. In order to gain meaning from longer text, individuals must be able to input the information in an efficient manner so that they can recall what they have decoded. Students who struggle with fluency often exhibit a hesitant, choppy reading style. Because they must put forth such significant effort at the level of processing individual words, they are vulnerable to forgetting what they read. Even though they may have just completed a passage, they find that they are unable to tell an adult what they have read.

In order to further explore any of these patterns, it is important to pursue a comprehensive evaluation by a trained professional. Results will help to identify the root of your child’s struggles and to provide information about appropriate educational supports. Early intervention can help your child to overcome these weaknesses and go on to enjoy many happy years of reading.

Martha Knight is an Educational Specialist at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, NC.