If you have a “gut feeling” that your child needs some reading help, don’t let anyone convince you to “wait and see.” The earlier a child gets support, the better. And the more informed you are, the better you can get the right support for your child. Many resources are available.
To get you started, my BLOG covers a range of topics related to struggling readers. Also, below are some of the best resources available to help you help your child.
No matter where you are–from having a growing concern that your child may have a reading problem to trying to navigate the cloudy waters of special education–information is key. The more you know, the better you can secure the right kind of help for your child.
GENERAL READING RESOURCES
A VERY USER-FRIENDLY and highly informative article from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. See the SECOND half of the article for specific birth to young teen info about:
What to Know
How to Help
*RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) provides a guide and says, “Use our Reading Checkups to evaluate your children’s progress through six stages of reading development, from picture-pointing to independent reading.”
*Reading Rockets is a great, user-friendly resource for general information about reading tab. Use this link to go to their page for struggling readers.
Use this link to go to their page describing how parents can model “VISUALIZATION” at home.
*The International Dyslexia Association is an excellent resource if you are concerned about dyslexia (or even dyscalculia and dysgraphia). Find information, as well as a basic self-assessment tool for dyslexia, on their main page.
Click here for IDA’s state-by-state Provider Directory:
SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES
Wrightslaw.com is a goldmine for information about special education law. Pete Wright, who dealt with a range of learning challenges on his path to becoming a successful special education attorney, has built an invaluable resource here. Here is a great link on Response to Intervention (RTI).