To get a better understanding of reading difficulties, I am a firm believer in cutting through the noise and getting to the root of the problem. To do that, I find it helpful to take away any unnecessary distractions that may divert my attention elsewhere.
For a moment, let’s just ‘unknow’ what we know about reading difficulties. Let’s strip away all the elements of instruction, close the lesson books, put away the learning screens and look beyond your child’s difficulties. Beyond what the eyes can see, and the ears can hear, lies a widely known but somewhat hidden element that is critical for learning and perhaps slightly overlooked when parents think about their child’s reading difficulties.
And no matter what else you think may be going on – common sense tells us if this one vital element is missing then reading difficulties are likely to ensue.
When we take away the surface noise, the one thing that effective learning hinges on comes down to how effectively the information that’s been taught can be processed and transferred to the long-term memory.
When you question why reading is hard for your child and consider the difficulties your child may be having, it makes a lot of sense when you look at it through this lens.
Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg and there’s a lot more to it than just that.
