My Child Is Struggling to Read. Should We See an SLP?

May 21

When a child struggles to learn to read, it can be difficult to know where to start.

You may have noticed that your child:

has difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words
guesses at words rather than reading them
finds reading much harder than you expected
struggles to remember letter sounds
has difficulty hearing or manipulating sounds in words
finds spelling unusually difficult
avoids reading or becomes frustrated during reading activities
seems to understand stories when they are read aloud but struggles to read the words independently
continues to have difficulty with reading despite extra practice or tutoring

You may also be wondering whether this is simply a matter of needing more practice—or whether there is something else going on.

Sometimes, a speech-language pathologist can be an important part of figuring that out.

When might an SLP assessment be helpful?

Consider talking with an SLP if your child:

has persistent speech sound difficulties and is struggling with reading or spelling
has difficulty learning or remembering letter sounds
struggles to identify, blend or manipulate sounds in words
has significant difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words
has persistent spelling difficulties
has a history of language or speech difficulties and is now struggling academically
understands information when it is spoken but has difficulty reading it independently
is making much slower progress in reading than you would expect
becomes increasingly frustrated or avoids reading
is receiving reading support but continues to struggle

You don't have to wait until the problem becomes severe.

Early information can help you understand what your child needs and where to focus support.