How To Tell When Your Advanced Reader Needs Extra Help (age 2 to 3)

Children learn to read at vastly different rates. Some will be reading independently and smoothly by early 2nd grade, others will be well into 3rd grade before they can read chapter books on their own and enjoy longer books with fewer pictures. The best way to find out whether your child has a problem that needs attention is to spend time watching her read.

She may need extra help if she:

• Shows no interest in books. "A lack of interest could be avoidance," says Susan Glazer, director of the graduate program in reading language arts at Rider University.

• Becomes moody and frustrated while reading

• Has difficulty keeping up with school assignments

• Regularly misunderstands basic words and / or sentence meanings in assigned reading

• Refuses to read in front of you or with you

• Shows interest only in simple books and still relies heavily on pictures to help tell the story

• Dreads book reports and assignments that require reading

If your child seems to be far behind other kids in 2nd and 3rd grade, don't blame yourself or your child. Her struggle could be rooted in anything from vision or hearing problems to a teacher's teaching approach to inappropriate reading material. "I never say the child fails," Glazer says. "What I say is that the book has failed the child. Maybe the reading series is wrong for the child."

Here are six steps you can take to identify and correct the problem:

Watch and listen to your child read. Note problem areas: Does she mispronounce the same words over and over? Does she spend a lot of time struggling to sound something out? Try not to interfere. Simply observe.

Talk to your child without sounding too worried or frustrated. You don't want to scare your child away from books. To start the conversation, ask your child about school. Does the teacher move too quickly during class? Are the books boring or too difficult? Try to get information without comparing your child to other kids in class. Don't say, "Does everyone else read faster than you?" Instead ask, "Does the teacher separate the class into reading groups?"

Arrange to speak to your child's teacher or a reading specialist. Prepare questions before you go, and share whatever problems you've observed at home. Something you think is a problem may not be. Ask the teacher about the school's reading curriculum and any reading assessments that have been given to your child. Most teachers will be able to tell you your child's reading level, discuss any problem areas indicated by those assessments, and offer help.

With the teacher, try to identify the source of the problem. Consider the obvious first: Have you checked your child's eyesight and hearing? Vision problems could mean your child has difficulty seeing the board during vocabulary and reading exercises or has trouble deciphering letters on a page. Hearing difficulties can seriously affect a child's ability to read, because many new words are introduced orally during the first few years of school.

As you work on the reading problem, praise your child's progress. Many children are nervous about reading and keeping up with their classmates, so try to help your child feel as if he's mastering reading. If you're out shopping and you see a sign your child knows, such as McDonald's or KMart, ask your child, "Can you read that sign?" Write down your child's name or the names of everyone in the family and ask your child to read them. "Let him see himself as a reader," says reading specialist and 1st grade teacher Cindy Pfost. Find a copy of the book When Will I Read? by Miriam Cohen, and let your child read it. It reassures children who are having trouble.

Don't discuss your child's reading problem with other adults and friends in front of your child. It's best to keep the problem between yourself, your spouse, and the teacher or reading specialist.

source from http://parentcenter.babycenter.com