"Slipping Through The Cracks"

How does an A/B honor roll, high school student make it through grade school, middle school, then on to high school, yet is unable to read? Think it's impossible? Let me share an experience with you.

A parent reached out to me about her difficulties getting her daughter to read. She said, "Ms. K, I need your help. My daughter is headed to high school this year. She's a good student, but she hates reading. Do you think you can help?"

With limited background information about her daughter, I asked to speak to her to see what was going on. Let's call her Jesse for privacy purposes. First, I asked some random questions about her hobbies and school to ease the atmosphere, then I asked about her reading. She repeated the same thing her mom said; she hated it. I told her no problem, not everyone likes to read. It's not uncommon, but next I said, "Let's read something."

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Jesse (click on the symbol beside subtitles to view section information)

I picked one of my favorite books, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. I chose this book for several specific reasons. It has images, some spicy language, action, a mixture of lower and higher level vocabulary, and the plot is engaging. Next, I turned to a random page and asked Jesse to start with the first sentence. Within seconds, I already knew what the issue was. I stopped her after the first couple of sentences, which were very short by the way, then thanked her for reading to me. My next question was this, "Do you hate reading because it's boring and you are uninterested in it, or is it because you're having trouble reading the words?" She replied, "Reading the words."

I knew the answer before I asked the question, but I wanted her to be able to voice the real reason aloud so she didn't have to hide behind the statement, "I hate reading." Without any formal assessing, I would say that Jesse was reading between a 4th and 7th grade level. She was low in phonemic awareness, which is the ability to recognize letter sounds in words and use them in various ways to help pronounce words. For instance, a student with phonemic awareness can see the word chair and identify the letter pair "ch" then know that it makes one sound opposed to separating the sounds individually. She was lacking in this area. Additionally, she struggled with decoding, which involves taking the prior knowledge of phonemic awareness and using it in different ways to help pronounce words. Those two things are key components of reading. Another is comprehension, the ability to understand what you read. This was an extra concept she had difficulty with. However, this is not rare because many struggling readers usually encounter problems in more than one area.

Back to the original question...

How did she get this far without someone noticing that she was a struggling reader?

Here are a few options:

• She faked it 'til she made it. Meaning Jesse may have gotten by through listening to others and regurgitating the information on paper, thereby "slipping through the cracks" without being noticed.

• Someone did notice, but she was "pushed through the cracks" like many others during virtual learning and Covid, which only set her back opposed to aiding in building skills.

• She needed services to address her specific learning needs that weren't being met.

There are other reasons that kids struggle with reading, but the bottom line was she needed help. She was already failing in the first month of school. On top of that, she was getting frustrated. The material was a step up from middle school and the demand in work increased. So, what next?

A Breakthrough for Jesse

Well, of course I agreed to tutor her. After some sessions of fundamental skill and phonics practice, vocabulary building activities, and reading low to intermediate level materials, along with other exercises, she began to slowly show improvement in her learning. Not only did she grow, but I kept referring back to that Sherman Alexie novel and having her read from it.

Then one day, I thought I had asked her to read too much. So I said, "I'll read the next page." She quickly responded, "Awww, I wanted to read it." I was taken aback. I didn't see that one coming. I said, "Whaaat! Well you go right ahead my dear."

Her mother was shocked too. It was a wonderful shock though. Jesse wanted to read. She gained confidence and was excited about being able to decipher those words. Even when she messed up, she used the strategies I taught her to try and figure it out. That was progress, and I was just as proud of her as she was of herself. Her smile said it all. She's not where she needs to be but she's not where she was at.

I wonder though, how far she would have gotten without fully being able to read or comprehend text that well if her mother hadn't pushed the issue or taken the time to get proactive about it and seek help. It's possible that she could have found a way but eventually it would have posed a problem.

But what about you?

Do you have or know a school aged child or adolescent who is struggling with reading, slipping, or has slipped through the cracks? If so, I'd like to share a few helpful tips to help you get started on what to do.

TIPS FOR PARENTS OF STRUGGLING READERS & INDEPENDENT STUDENTS

1. Speak to the teacher to find out how your child is doing in school. Questions to ask: Have you noticed any difficulties in his/her reading? If so, what kind? What should he/she be doing for the grade level? When struggling, what strategies does you use to help? Does the school offer any programs or tutoring to help? How can I help him/her at home? What can he/she do well? (Ask for samples of work if available.)
   

2. Identify the source of the problem: (learning disabilities, vision or hearing issues, lack of phonemic awareness, ineffective instruction, social or emotional issues, processing issues, comprehension...) *** Note: In order to identify the source you may need to ask for an evaluation by the school and/or a doctor to help narrow down the cause. *** Speaking to a doctor applies to homeschooled and independent students as well.
   

3. Support and encourage your student at home. A little praise goes a long way and helps build confidence and self-esteem.
   

4. Avoid comparisons to siblings or others who don't have difficulties.
   

5. Create opportunities to make learning fun, teachable moments by using individual interests to promote practice and growth. For example, if your child enjoys video games, sports, music, art, cooking, and so on, use those at informal times to practice reading and build skills (more information on this topic later).
   

6. Find a tutor. Addressing issues can be stressful for parents and kids. Seek support and services inside and/or outside of the school when needed.
   

7. If after an evaluation and a determination for special education services is made, know that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Keep written records and be sure that the plan created meets the individual needs.
   

8. Exercise patience and get support for yourself if needed through other parents, staff, or student support teams.
   

9. For homeschooling parents and independent students, use varied materials such as videos, music, graphic organizers, and mixed content type books for the current level, then gradually build from there. (You could even start a level below for review and practice purposes.)

If this blog was beneficial in any way, leave a comment or add a question. I'd love to hear from you.

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Kiyoko's Place

Kiyoko Demings

(Reading & Writing Interventionist)