Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

You are here: > Strategies to Help Kids Who Struggle with Reading

Strategies to Help Kids Who Struggle with Reading

Did you know that learning to read is a challenge for almost 40 percent of kids? The good news is that with early help, most reading problems can be prevented. The bad news is that 44 percent of parents who notice their child having trouble wait a year or more before getting help.

Unfortunately, the older a child is, the more difficult it is to teach him or her to read. The window of opportunity closes early for most kids. If a child can't read well by the end of third grade, odds are that he or she will never catch up. And the effects of falling behind and feeling like a failure can be devastating.

Click below to find information on:

Questions and Answers – Find answers to real questions from real parents about reading and learning disabilities
Why They Struggle – Learn why some kids struggle with reading
Target the Problem! – Pinpoint the problem a child is having and discover ways to help
Assessment Process – Find out how to get your child evaluated
Parent as Advocate – Why you need to toughen up and stand up for your child
Finding Help – Where to get extra help for your child
Self-Esteem and Self-Advocacy – What else suffers when kids struggle in school and what they can do to help themselves
Ask the Expert – One-on-one answers to your questions from our reading expert

Early identification is crucial. Please, if you suspect a problem, don't hesitate. Learn about reading difficulties, get your child assessed, find out what you can do, and don't give up!

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: Seven Steps for Teachers

By: Joanne Meier and Karen Freck (2005)

Children come to our classrooms from so many different ability levels and backgrounds. As a teacher, it's important to recognize and know what to do to help a struggling reader.

About Reading Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Reading Difficulties

By: Kathryn Drummond (2005)

Reading difficulties likely occur on a continuum, meaning that there is a wide range of students who experience reading difficulties. There are those students who are diagnosed with a learning disability. There is also an even larger group of students who do not have diagnoses but who need targeted reading assistance.

Waiting Rarely Works: Late Bloomers Usually Just Wilt

By: American Federation of Teachers (2004)

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents

By: Reading Rockets (2004)

What should you do if you think your child is having trouble with reading? Sometimes children just need more time, but sometimes they need extra help. Trust your instincts! You know your child best. If you think there's a problem, there probably is.

"Thank you for such a concise list of reading objectives for grades K-3."
~ Colleen H.

Real parents. Real questions. Research-based answers.

Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.

Visit WETA's educational web sites:

© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Reading Rockets is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Reading Rockets® is a registered trademark of WETA.

Stay informed! Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters.

Strategies to Help Kids Who Struggle with Reading

Related articles