Written by: Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, Founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center
Originally Published: September 28, 2019 | Updated: August 31, 2026
Reading is a skill your child will use for the rest of their life, so when it’s a struggle, it’s understandable to feel worried. A child struggling with reading can start to feel like they’re “not smart,” even when that couldn’t be further from the truth. The good news is there’s real hope here: with the right tools, extra time, and the right kind of effort, children can genuinely improve their reading skills, along with their confidence and sense of self-worth. Finding the right help is absolutely worth it.
Should I Just Wait and Give It More Time?
It’s a fair question: what if your child just needs a bit more time, and they’ll learn to read eventually on their own? Some children are simply slower to develop certain skills and do catch up with a little more time. But for others, reading struggles come from learning differently, and without the right tools, reading stays a struggle indefinitely rather than resolving on its own.
According to Reading Rockets, the key difference is whether a child’s reading catches up quickly once solid instruction is in place (a developmental lag) or whether the struggle persists even with good instruction (a true reading disorder). The stakes of waiting too long are real: research cited by Reading Rockets suggests that about 90 percent of children with reading difficulties reach grade level if they get help by first grade, while about 75 percent of children whose support is delayed until age nine or later continue to struggle throughout their school years. When in doubt, it’s almost always better to get a screening than to wait and see.
What Are Signs My Child Might Be Struggling With Reading?
Start by talking with your child to understand exactly what feels hard. A few questions worth asking:
- Do the letters on a page seem blurry or hard to make out?
- Is it difficult for them to remember the sounds that letters make?
- Can they read individual words but struggle to get meaning from them?
- Are they able to understand and follow a story just fine when it’s read aloud to them?
These answers can point you toward whether the struggle is more about decoding words, understanding language, or something else entirely.
4 Ways to Help a Child Struggling With Reading
1. Talk to your child. Understanding exactly what feels hard for your child, using the questions above as a starting point, gives you a much clearer picture of where to focus support.
2. Talk to your child’s teacher. Find out what they’re observing in the classroom, what strategies they’re already using, and whether they have suggestions based on what they’re seeing day to day.
3. Talk to other parents. Connecting with friends whose kids have faced similar struggles can surface what’s worked for them, and it’s also a reminder that your child isn’t alone. Many kids struggling with reading do best with a different teaching approach, one-on-one instruction, or the chance to learn at their own pace.
4. Pursue a reading or language evaluation, and consider tutoring. An evaluation can pinpoint exactly where your child’s weak spots are, and just as importantly, where their strengths lie. As you work to build up the areas that need support, keep encouraging the areas where your child is already strong.
When Should I Seek Help?
If you suspect your child needs help, earlier is almost always better. The window for the most effective intervention tends to be narrower than most parents realize, so a screening now can make a meaningful difference down the road. There are many paths and options available to support kids who struggle with reading, you don’t have to figure this out alone.
If you’d like to talk through next steps, our dyslexia and reading support team is here to help. Contact us to learn more or schedule a free screening.
0 Comments