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How Do I Support My Child’s Reading at Home?
Lynne D. Stietzel MEd, MA, BCETThinking and Learning Connection
[email protected](650) 493-3497
June 5, 2014
Parents play a vital role:Detecting a child’s reading difficulty and
seeking helpKeeping a good binder of your child’s historyHelping a child to become interested readersEncouraging reading growth enthusiastically Finding alternative ways for a child to keep-up
intellectually
Start early helping learn about the reading process
Model reading enjoymentPoint out print in their environmentRead to them while using your index
finger under lines of printUse lots of repetitionFrequent libraries and
bookstores with them
Detect early language deficitsLook for:Is later than most children in learning to speakMispronounces words especially multisyllabic words
(pasgeti for spaghetti) (wabbit for rabbit)Disinterested in word play and rhyming Uses poor oral syntax (“Me want to go.”)Has slow or inaccurate word retrievalHas difficulty learning letters and soundsDifficulty remembering spoken directions
Awareness of reading difficulties is essential!
If your child has trouble in the early levels of school, Get Help Immediately by a professional!
Learning differences don't disappear spontaneously.
If you worry that receiving extra help will make your child feel different, forget it. Your child already feels different by virtue of what he can and cannot do.
Should we worry about stigmatizing?
Testing and assistance usually relieves a dyslexic and lets them know they are not lazy, crazy or stupid
Early identification and interventions can help your child feel less stigmatized
Research-based, explicit, multisensory instruction is key to being a good reader
How can I help my school-age child who doesn’t like to
read? Explore why they don’t like reading Make reading funContinue reading daily to your child at their intellectual levelProvide interesting material
at their reading levelEncourage and model leisure-
time readingExplore alternative ways to read and gain
information
Make reading fun.
Enjoy books together: At reading levelAt intellectual level
Read aloud what they see:labels, signs, menus, etc.
Provide motivating, high interests materials:Subjects of interestMagazines ComicsRecipes
Go to the libraryRead as a family (print or auditory books)
Keep-up with materials at child’s intellectual abilities
Listen to books or read with them Discuss content with your child for
understandingUse new vocabulary in conversationsPlay word games
Know their reading challenges?
Phonics and Phonemic Awareness difficultiesFluency (speed, accuracy, automaticity)Visual processing (readability)Visual tracking (physical)AttentionComprehension (vocabulary, background)Critical thinking (make connections, draw inferences)RetentionNeed for instructional support (scaffolding)
Going beyond a good remediation program
Set up additional programs so no intellectual ground is lost during remediation.
Everyday, children need to read at both their reading level their intellectual level
Alternative ways of gaining information
Supplement with narrated audiobooks Use Electronic Text (e-text)
Change visual appearance of textUse text-to-speech software to read aloud
(built into some operating systems)Children need never fall behind in
reading at school
Use tools to aidTracking
Can use a manual reading guide Change fonts, size, spacing, colors Software that “spotlights” e-text as it reads Screen masking software (reduce visual distractions)
Understanding Rewordify.com Talking Dictionaries/Thesaurus
Fluency Narrated audio Text-to-speech software and e-text Syllabification tools
Critical Thinking & Retention Highlighters, sticky notes, write in margins Digitally highlight and annotate e-text, extract for later use Scaffolding
Where to Get Print Alternatives
Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D) Narrated audiobooks, good source of textbooks, eligibility required
Bookshare E-text, good source of textbooks, eligibility required
Amazon.com (Kindle e-books)Audible.com (professionally-narrated audiobooks)iBookstore (e-books for iBooks app)Project Gutenberg (public domain works in multiple
formats)Publishers (request accessible format for qualified
students)Public libraries
Borrow digital audiobooks and e-text via Overdrive Media Console app
Distraction ReducersVisual
Use computer apps for blocking temptation to surf while reading. Self Control for Mac Cold Turkey for PC
Readability.com reformats web pages to remove images AdBlock – blocks ads Have a dedicated workspace that is clutter free
Auditory Ear plugs, noise-canceling headphones White noise app or instrumental music + headphones Turn off phones Assistive listening system
Don’t depend on schools teaching vocabulary
Poor readers are not exposed to challenging language.
Learning vocabulary from context only is not effective for poor readers.
Combining explicit vocabulary instruction with visual or auditory reading is highly effective.
Directly teaching vocabulary is key
Collect vocabulary with your child, so they do not skip over words.
Set up a study program of vocabulary.Make a binder full of vocabulary and definitions.Collect new words on the back cover of a the
book. Make Study Cards.
Front side: vocabulary wordReverse side: definition, sentence using the
word and a drawn picture corresponding to the word
Use the vocabulary words they are studying in discussions Repetition improves vocabulary acquisition.
Three Contacts for Excellent AT Information:• Shelley Haven at techpotential.net
Serving the whole Bay Area• Jennifer McDonald-Peltier at CforAT.org
Serving the Greater Area of Berkeley• Parents Helping Parent iTECH at php.com
Serving the South Bay
Children who have difficulty with reading
the written word are not broken.
They learn differently.
