How do I know which area of reading my child is struggling with?

Question

My child has good comprehension but is a very slow reader. He also struggles with spelling even basic two syllable words. What should I be doing to help him improve?

Answer 1

Riley-Tillman, Burns, & Gibbons (2013) explain that all children learn how to read in the same order: Phonemic awareness --> Decoding --> Fluency --> Comprehension.

Phonemic awareness: Mostly auditory and verbal. Being able to hear the individual sounds in words and break them apart. So your child would be able to hear the word 'speak' and say the individual phonemes: "s-p-ea-k".

Decoding: Written language. Understanding and being able to read the letters which represent sounds. Knowing that 'cheek' has 3 sounds and knowing which letters represent them.

Fluency: Also known as automaticity, it is the ability to read with speed, accuracy and expression.

Comprehension: Understanding of what you've read.

If your child is struggling to spell that shows that the lowest level where they need support is decoding. This is the area that they would need help with first and is an indication that they do not have a solid grasp on letter-sound correspondence. Although fluency is important, it's necessary to fill the gaps in their learning from the bottom up, ensuring they have a solid foundation before moving forward.