| The reading skills needed to learn to read easily | | | | closely linked to talking and listening. Children who |
| and well can be taught right from birth. Reading is | | | | are talked to and listen to as young children |
| a complex process. It involves the ability to | | | | develop better vocabulary and are better at |
| attend to details or attention; concentrate; focus | | | | reading and comprehension in later life. Children |
| your eyes on the letters and see the often subtle | | | | with speech and language difficulties are more |
| differences between them or visual discrimination; | | | | likely to be identified and given help sooner. One in |
| focus on and hear the very subtle differences in | | | | five children leave primary school unable to read |
| the sounds or auditory discrimination; say the | | | | beyond a basic level. |
| sounds or articulation; remember the connection | | | | Worldwide, literacy levels are a problem. People |
| between the sounds and symbols or long term | | | | who can't read or who can't read beyond a basic |
| memory; remember the sequence of sounds and | | | | functional level number 5.2 million in the UK. What |
| repeat them or short term auditory and visual | | | | a child learns before they go to school ay five |
| sequential memory. | | | | matters more to reading than what happens |
| Without these sub skills or pre-reading skills or if | | | | after that age.The human brain develops and |
| there is a deficit in any of them, problems with | | | | learns most before the age of five so what |
| reading can occur. Fortunately, these skills are | | | | happens at home before school age is most |
| normally developed through play activities and | | | | important. The most common cause of reading |
| being encouraged to draw, paint and read books | | | | problems is that children cannot sound out words. |
| throughout early life. Theories of the causes of | | | | Difficulties in decoding and recognizing words are |
| dyslexia highlight problems with these as being | | | | at the root of most reading problems. When |
| possible causes or contributory factors to children | | | | word decoding isn't automatic, fluency and |
| being dyslexic. The teaching of reading requires | | | | comprehension suffer. Teaching methods using |
| the integration of different methods for learning. | | | | phonics is essential to any reading programme. |
| In previous years the phonics versus look and say | | | | Without intervention, late readers won't |
| methods of teaching reading has been hotly | | | | improve.There was a study in America which |
| debated. The best way of teaching a child to read | | | | showed that 85% of poor readers in the third |
| is to first look at the individual needs and | | | | grade were still poor readers when they entered |
| preferences of the child and to use a balanced | | | | high school. It is vital to help as soon as problems |
| and integrated 'eclectic' approach to teaching | | | | are identified. With help, slow started can succeed |
| reading. | | | | in reading. Another American study showed that |
| There are six factors which greatly influence the | | | | with early intervention and the right help, two |
| ability to read well. Learning to read well is closely | | | | thirds of poor readers can become average or |
| linked to;- overall intelligence, visual ability, auditory | | | | above average readers. If you set a good |
| ability, language ability (spoken and received | | | | example your child will succeed at reading. Do you |
| language), physical factors such as illnesses, | | | | read? Children 'role model' themselves on adults |
| environmental provision such as material provisions | | | | they care about. If you show the value and |
| -books, games, toys etc, emotional factors such | | | | importance you place on reading, your child will |
| as relationship with parents, teachers, motivation | | | | follow. |
| and level of self -esteem. Learning to read is very | | | | |