There is growing awareness of how vitally important parents' early interactions are in their child's reading success. This includes how frequently they speak with and read to their children. From these early years, parents are obtaining an intimate sense of how well their child is picking up on initial verbal and literacy skills. Not surprisingly, many a parent has rightfully suspected a reading disability early on and had it confirmed by later testing.
Thus, from a very early age it is critical for parents to be aware of the importance of choosing age and ability appropriate reading materials for their children. Learning to watch for other potential skill indicators of learning disabilities such as being slow to acquire speech, having difficulties producing certain sounds, and struggling with handwriting are all ways parents can assess possible disabilities their child may have.
Preschool and elementary teachers are key to further identifying suspected reading disabilities. Good teachers will employ different strategies to teach to the learning styles of their students' mild/moderate reading disabilities, while still using the general course materials. If performance and test results indicate this is not sufficient, teachers will often recommend students receive additional instruction. This may involve an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) being set up for the student to receive special services, but not necessarily so. It depends on the level of the student's disability and the reading skill needs identified by school professionals and the parents.
In many schools, this will entail working with a reading specialist and often paraprofessionals who provide more individualized attention. Sometimes general course materials are gone over in more detail, but increasingly, reading specialists are incorporating additional teaching materials from programs targeted to address specific reading disabilities. These are intended to more accurately bring students' reading skills up to their grade level. Programs utilizing the Orton Gillingham method are commonly used, as are others. Such programs systematically teach phonics -- a skill set many of these children have not mastered, and usually employ a multisensory approach, which is very different than the "whole language" curriculum found in most schools.
Many parents choose to utilize additional resources outside of school to address their child's reading disability, particularly during summer months. At times the school may recommend outside tutors -- frequently teachers themselves or individuals certified in particular approaches such as Orton Gillingham or Wilson Reading System. Some schools and nearby universities may offer summer reading programs. There are also privately offered programs -- Reading Rx, Fast ForWord, and Lindamood-Bell being three of the most commonly heard of, though these can be costly. Interactive software programs are also available for home use. Sally Shaywitz's book, "Overcoming Dyslexia," is an excellent source to learn more about some of the different programs available, and there are also numerous available online and text reviews.
Parents must remain vigilant about monitoring their child's reading skill levels throughout his schooling. Too often mild/moderate reading disabilities are missed by teachers. There is no time to "wait and see" or let the reading difficulties slide. Studies have shown that students missing skills to read at grade level by the end of third grade are very likely to struggle throughout their remaining schooling without ever fully catching up.
Children identified as having a reading disability must not learn to think of themselves as "disabled," but rather as learning differently from mainstream teaching techniques. Their successes acquiring reading skills must be highly praised to help counteract the negative effect their reading struggles often have upon their self-esteem.