I have a 8 year old in the 3rd grade. The teacher says that she needs directions read to her. After the teacher reads them to her- my child says ok I get it. Then she works independantly with no problem. Should I be concerned or is my child just double checking herself. A self confidence issue?
Re: should I have my child tested?
Basic simple first screen: have your child read out loud to you (a) the instructions on some of the test that she is asking to have read to her (b) a paragraph chosen at random from her reading book (c) a paragraph chosen at random from material she has in science and social studies.
First question is if she knows the words at all. If she stumbles and stalls and says the wrong word on every second word on the page, well, there is the first problem, and she needs to be taught foundation reading skills.
Second, *how* does she read? Is she grunting in a yelled monotone “CIRCLE … THE … WOODS …No, WORDS … BE … BEGIN …WHAT … no, WITH . . ” and so on? This is the prime clue to a stressed-out memorizer — a child who has been taught to memorize words by sight but who knows that this is inaccurate, so all of her concentration is spent in frantically running through her memory files and trying to match the words, and no mental energy is left to actually comprehend the reading. These kids need systematic phonics tutoring ASAP.
Third, if she can read the material orally without undue effort and frustration, ask her after a few sentences what it means. Can she give a reasonable explanation? Can she answer simple factual questions? If she can, then it is probably just a confidence issue. But if she has just read you something but it seems to have run in one ear and out the other, then she needs some work on comprehension.
You can go on from there to more formal testing, but it helps to know where to start looking.
Re: should I have my child tested?
Thank you for your answer. She reads very well and comprehends all the information. I believe that it is a confidence issue but wanted to double check. I have a child with CAPD and do not see any of the same issues with this one.
I saw my CAPD daughter really pull it together in 6th grade.She developed a confidence and determination to succeed independently. I keep saying with positive reinforcement my younger child will also. It is like a light bulb goes on and they shine.
Again, many thanks for your answer.
Re: should I have my child tested?
How does she read otherwise? If her reading is otherwise strong, I’d not leap to have her tested now. My first concern would be the year following. Will she have a teacher who will help her again in this way if she needs help?
Ask this year’s teacher to quietly recommend next year’s teacher.
can she read?