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Slow Progress Tells You The Problem Is Deeper
Your child is struggling with reading, and of course, you want to help. You try flashcards, phonics drills, extra reading time, tutor sessions, and lists of sight words.
These reading drills can be helpful, but if progress is slow and/or a lot of repetition is needed, chances are your child is not processing sounds and is guessing or memorizing. That means the drills are not really helping.
Furthermore, if your child cannot process the sounds you think they should be able to, the drills represent torture for them – failure, frustration, and the knowledge that they are disappointing you.
All of which risks creating a new problem, a negative connection to reading that can last for years.
Time Is Precious, Practice Isn’t Always the Answer
Most children want to please, and they know you want them to read. So it’s not for a lack of trying. But reading is complex, requiring a range of skills: auditory processing, working memory, attention, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension.
Most children develop these abilities gradually and with practice. But some children—especially those with learning difficulties or processing challenges—don’t. For them, practice alone isn’t enough.
Flashcards won’t fix a weak language or cognitive foundation. Most of the time, it’s like spinning wheels.
For most children, time and patience are in short supply. Your child will go along with a certain amount of extracurricular reading drills. The key is spending that time wisely. Most often, that means giving up on reading band-aid drills, and instead working on programs that address the source of the reading problem, once and for all.
Reading Is a System—And Every Part Matters
Imagine trying to learn phonics when the sounds of “b” and “d” blur together in your mind. Imagine trying to remember spelling rules when you are unsure of your letter sounds. Sight word lists might help with tomorrow’s quiz, but it won’t solve the underlying problem. A comprehensive phonics intervention for struggling readers is required.
Effective reading requires the smooth integration of several brain systems:
- Auditory Processing – Distinguishing, sequencing, and manipulating sounds
- Phonemic Awareness – Understanding that words are made of individual sounds
- Phonics – Connecting letters to those sounds
- Working Memory – Holding and manipulating information
- Attention and Focus – Staying engaged through the task
- Comprehension – Making sense of what’s read
A breakdown in just one area can throw everything off. Unfortunately, most reading instruction focuses on output: reading performance. They don’t assess or target the component skills.
That’s where interventions like Fast ForWord by Gemm Learning come in.
There are no Shortcuts, but there are Accelerators
The key is for reading not to be effortful, with some comprehension. Then, reading is less frustrating and even interesting! That leads to reading for longer periods, and the reading miles needed to be a proficient reader.
Gemm Learning programs isolate and exercise the learning MAPS (working Memory, Attention, Processing, and Sequencing), then vocabulary, language syntax, fluency, reading comprehension, and critical thinking.
Cognitive and language skills first, then higher-level reading skills.
Your Time (and Your Child’s) Is Valuable
Every hour spent on ineffective reading drills is time that could be used more productively. If your child has been stuck at the same reading level for months or if progress feels painfully slow, it’s time to consider a different approach.
You don’t need more worksheets. You don’t need a different reading curriculum. You need to go under the hood and fix the systems that drive learning.
The brain is incredibly adaptive. Even if your child has struggled for years, the brain can change. It just needs the right input, at the right intensity, over the right amount of time.
Don’t Wait—Start Building Real Reading Skills Now
If you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to stick, don’t blame yourself and don’t blame your child. If you are unsure if it’s serious, check out our reading milestones and warning signs here. Or request a free online reading assessment here.
If you know your child is behind in reading and is not catching up, consider Gemm Learning. If we can strengthen your child’s learning systems, everything becomes easier. Reading becomes less of a grind. Comprehension improves. Confidence grows.
Learn more by requesting a demo, or call 877.914.4366 to find out if we can help your child.
