When your child struggles with reading, well-meaning friends and family often offer reassurance: “Don’t worry, she’s just a late bloomer.” These comforting words suggest that with a little more time, your child will naturally catch up to peers. It’s a soothing thought—the idea that children, like flowers, simply bloom at different rates. But what does […]
Writing is a foundational skill that many of us take for granted. For some children, however, the seemingly simple act of putting pencil to paper becomes an obstacle course of frustration and difficulty. If you’ve noticed your child or student struggling with handwriting despite adequate intelligence and effort, dysgraphia might be the underlying cause. What […]
Each child’s brain processes information differently. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) embraces this diversity, offering a revolutionary framework that can transform how we teach reading to young children. What Is Universal Design for Learning? Universal Design for Learning is an evidence-based educational framework that optimizes teaching and learning for all students. Rather than forcing children […]
Understanding developmentally appropriate practices can transform how you support your child’s reading journey, replacing anxiety with confidence and frustration with joy. Let’s explore how to nurture your young reader in ways that honor their individual development while setting them up for literacy success. What Are Developmentally Appropriate Reading Practices? Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is an […]
Isn’t it amazing to watch a child’s eyes light up when they not only read words correctly but also grasp the full meaning of what they’re reading? This reading milestone occurs when children master sentence comprehension – the magical moment when individual words transform into connected ideas. While helping children decode individual words creates an […]
Reading comprehension—the ability to understand, process, and connect with text—forms the cornerstone of successful reading. While many parents focus heavily on helping their child sound out words, true reading mastery happens when those decoded words transform into meaningful understanding. For children struggling with early reading skills, developing strong comprehension abilities can make the difference between […]
Books open worlds of imagination, knowledge, and connection for all children, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As a parent of a child with ASD, you may wonder how to support your little one’s reading journey in ways that honor their unique learning style while building essential literacy skills. The path may look different, […]
When children begin their reading journey, they encounter two categories of letters: vowels and consonants. While vowels often receive special attention for their variable sounds, consonants form the reliable framework upon which reading skills are built. In fact, of the 26 letters in the English alphabet, 21 are consonants. These letters create the structure and […]
Did you know that a child who can recognize and produce rhyming words by age four is more likely to become a proficient reader by third grade? It might seem like a simple nursery game when your little one giggles at “cat” and “hat,” but what’s actually happening is profound brain development. Those playful rhymes […]
Reading scores have plummeted to their lowest point in three decades, leaving educators and parents scrambling for solutions. Whether you’re a teacher facing a classroom with wildly diverse reading abilities or a parent worried about your child falling behind, the current literacy crisis demands our attention and action. Recent findings from national assessments paint a […]
