Lonely in Literacy - Finding Support as a Parent of a Struggling Reader…

I don’t know if you all have experienced the same as me, but this has been one of the busiest Mays my family has experienced, EVER. Baseball and softball, end of year music programs, sports pictures, team snacks, celebrations, and the end of the school year shenanigans have turned my mind into a mashed up mess, and if it wasn’t for Google Calendar telling me where everyone needs to be, I would be a lost cause.

During one of the celebrations I got to participate with my daughter Lucy, who had a dinner recognizing her character and leadership skills at our local Boys and Girls Club, I had the chance to chat with a fellow mama who was there with her own children. As we chatted about the business of May, we also started talking about the work I have been doing in regards to literacy training and development. She asked me if I tutor, to which I replied that indeed I did, and she went on to share about a friend of hers who has a child who is struggling with making gains in reading.

It got me thinking about how many parents are out there struggling with the same, and I myself have wrestled with how to best support my children in their reading development. My son has autism, which when it comes to language and comprehending fiction text, he will sometimes struggle to read “between the lines” and infer in situations that deal with social interactions. His autism impacts other aspects of his life as well, and as a parent, it’s hard to see and let go of a dream of what you thought their lives may look like, for a reality you aren’t sure how to help them navigate, much less know how to navigate yourself.

It’s hard as a parent, seeing other families and their children doing what looks to be like “normal” things, and knowing that your family will never experience what that feels like.

When it comes to literacy, it can be scary seeing your child fall further and further behind and not know how to help them, and it can feel isolating when seemingly no one else is struggling with the same thing. Fortunately, you are not alone, and resources are out there. Here are my top recommendations on how to help your struggling reader as a parent:

Read to them! Or find their favorite audio books at the library. Expanding their ability to comprehend what they hear will naturally strengthen their reading comprehension. Books and magazines will have a different format of language than YouTube clips, and hearing the difference between spoken and written language (even when it’s read aloud) is HUGELY beneficial for readers. Find the stories and things they love to learn about, and dive into some good books!

Find a tutor who understands Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. To decode the text and read the words, tutors must know how to help students connect the sounds in words to the letters that represent them. Just focusing on reading comprehension will not create a reader. Word Recognition must also play a role.

Advocate for phonics and knowledge building curriculum in your schools. Schools need to hear from parents on how we want our students receiving appropriate instruction, and expecting teachers to be curriculum designers and instructors is an awful lot when considering the complexities of teaching students how to read. Teachers need the resources and training to know to effectively grow students into successful readers. Unfortunately, too many educators are coming out of teaching preparation programs without any knowledge of how the brain learns to read.

Listen to Emily Hanford’s Podcast, Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read went so Wrong. This podcast series unpacks the multiple stories of families who experienced having struggling readers, and the different educational trends that have impacted education in America and other English speaking countries. As a parent, you’ll hear others share the struggles and how they overcame reading difficulties.

And reach out to me! I am here as a support and want to encourage you as you seek out the BEST for your reader. It is my mission and passion to connect families and teachers with the knowledge needed to help readers be successful no matter what! My heart lies with partnering with you all, and ensuring that you are NOT alone in this journey. We can walk it together.