I talked in the last blog post about a question I received recently covering the topic of ‘Fostering a Love of Reading’, this week I’m covering another question I received recently at the Parent Carers Voices Association from Northants, “What do I do if my child is really struggling to read?”.
Ongoing Challenges in Reading and Spelling
There are a multitude of reasons why a child could be struggling, and I’ll cover some of them in this post. The first reason might be that they’ve not really *experienced* reading. Maybe they’ve had challenges accessing school, so they’ve not had a chance to learn the phonics code: learning how to break down books and words in order to develop their individual reading. Even with strong teaching and consistent support, some learners continue to struggle with reading and spelling. You might notice they repeatedly stumble over the same words, despite having practiced them many times, or that spelling patterns fail to stick no matter how often they are revisited. This persistent difficulty, despite targeted effort, can indicate underlying challenges that require a different approach or further investigation. If this is the case, then the first port of call would be to talk to your teachers. If you are home educating, have a look at what have you done to support reading; have you gone back to some of the basics, have you looked at English orthography?
The Complexity of the English Language
English has a complex and layered spelling history. It is not a phonemic (based only on sounds) language, but it is built on morphemes, or units of meaning, which remain consistent across related words. For example, heal and health share the same spelling pattern because they come from the same root, even though their pronunciations differ. This reflects how English is a living, breathing language. While this richness adds depth to the language, it can also make reading more challenging, as spelling patterns do not always correspond predictably to pronunciation.
What To Do Next?
So, you’ve gone back to the basics; you’ve reviewed phonics, your teachers have exhausted their efforts with multiple interventions, but your child is still struggling to read. It might be time to do further exploration and conduct a diagnostic assessment. Before a full assessment, schools may use a screener; often a computer-based set of tasks that produces a likelihood score for dyslexia. While these can highlight strengths and weaknesses, they are not always reliable for identifying dyslexia. Screeners can produce both false positives and false negatives, so results should be treated cautiously and followed up with more detailed investigation.
What’s The Difference Between a Diagnostic and a Screening?
A screening provides a surface-level overview, doing some basic exploration and sometimes suggesting general support strategies. However, it is not a formal diagnosis and cannot be used for exam access arrangements or disability support, as it does not carry legal recognition. Screeners can be useful as an initial step, and many are available for free through schools or online, but a screening won’t be as helpful as a diagnostic.
A full diagnostic assessment, while more time-consuming and costly, is official and provides the evidence needed for educational support and workplace protections. It offers a detailed analysis of a student’s abilities, including memory, processing skills, and how these affect reading, writing, spelling, and sometimes maths. If a student continues to struggle despite quality teaching, targeted interventions, conduct a screening to explore if that flags any issues. If after all these interventions, a learner is still struggling, then the next step would be to conduct a diagnostic assessment to identify underlying difficulties and guide tailored support.