• Could you recommend a phonics program for an almost 4 year old
  
• He does very well in his course work but doesn't seem to transfer what he has learned to other reading material
  
• Two of our sons have significant reading delays
  
• I heard about a reading program for four year olds
  
• My daughter is 5 years old and just starts kindergarten this year
  
• My 8 yr. old daughter is beginning 3rd grade work this year
  
• Our hope is that we can have her start in first grade next year since I've homeschooled the Kinder portion
  
• She has such a hard time with reading
  
• My wife and I have a four-year-old boy that loves to be read to
  
• My son really hates writing, it's always a struggle to get him to write much more than four lines
  
• I'm writing because my 7 year old son has been having a hard time reading
  
• I am acquainted with a young man who is in his early 40s, he cannot read.
  
• She looks at a word and then guesses, hoping that it's the right word.
  
• My son seems to mix up the sounds he sees and hears.
  
• My daughter's teacher told me that she thinks my daughter has poor phonemic awareness

Hello, Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

Some reading specialists would disagree with me but this is what I think... For the most part, phonics programs are incredibly similar. In fact, my staff and I frequently joke with each other, "Phonics is phonics." With that said, the biggest differences, in my opinion, are mainly cosmetic. I think Frontline Phonics is good for extremely young kids because it has little songs and phrases that are fun and oriented toward young children. However, most phonics programs are very expensive and some are hard to follow. I would suggest finding one that fits your budget, and that you think you can teach then let that be your guide. Here are some more phonics pointers: "Phonemic awareness" is the processing ability that readers use to distinguish one sound from another. This means that "Phonemic awareness" is the processing ability necessary to learn how to sound out words. (phonics) This processing ability has been studied by many scientists and most agree that it fully develops in a child by the age of 6. (Some studies say five; some say six and a few say seven.) That means that a child younger than 5 may not have the ability to "catch-on" to phonics. But not necessarily, phonemic awareness develops early in some kids. In other words, don't be disappointed (or worried) if your child doesn't pick up on phonics or doesn't like working with phonics. The practice can't hurt! :)
Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

2) Hello Amy, My son is 7 years old and is in the second grade. He uses Learning Language Arts Through Literature as his reading program. He does very well in his course work but doesn't seem to transfer what he has learned to other reading material. He is frustrated and thinks he is a bad reader. He wants us to buy him one of the nationally advertised phonics programs so he can read the 24 chapter book like the 7 year old on TV. I can watch his eyes kind of glaze over as he gets lost or frustrated. Any suggestions?

Hello,
Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

"He does very well in his course work but doesn't seem to transfer what he has learned to other reading material." When you say this, I am not sure if you are talking about not transferring reading techniques or actual content (facts, dates etc) that he has read about in the past. If he is having a hard time remembering what he reads, then the problem is probably centered more around language comprehension. If you teach him how to sound out a certain type of word and then later when he sees a word like that in another situation but does not remember how to sound it out, that is different. If he is having a hard time remembering how to sound out words that you thought he knew, the problem is likely something to do with phonemic awareness and or symbol imagery. If this is the case, working on one of those phonics programs probably won't work. I suggest you find out more about phonemic awareness and symbol imagery to find out if this is the weakness that is hindering your son's progress. I suggest reading "Seeing Stars for Symbol Imagery" by Nanci Bell, Gander Publishing, San Luis Obispo, California. Her book is very informative and easy to read. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Best Wishes,

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

3) Hi Amy,
I really need some help. We are homeschooling two of our 3 sons. One of our sons is very bright and benefits from a lot of structure and ongoing challenges. I realized that his time needs were distracting me from important help that the other two boys needed. The other two have significant reading delays. They are about in grades 3 and 5 (ages 9 and 11). We are a reading family, treasure good books and do a lot of reading aloud. But so far neither of these two are capable of reading on their own. I own about all the phonics programs out there, and we have daily lessons in phonics and reading, taking it by small steps. I have tried to take a wait and let them mature approach, but now I'm getting concerned, especially for the 5th grader. I'm looking for some direction. I probably should get them tested to determine the specifics of their skills. Thanks.

Hello, Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

As for your two sons who are having trouble with phonics instruction...Phonemic awareness is the processing ability necessary to sound out words. Most studies say that phonemic awareness will fully develop by the age of seven, some studies say five, and some say six. If your sons are nine and eleven and are having trouble absorbing phonics instruction, they almost certainly have some phonemic awareness weakness. I think that it would be a great idea for you to have your sons tested. You can use the Let's Go Learn Reading Assessment or have them tested by a reading specialist in your area. As for improving their phonemic awareness, I suggest you find a workshop on phonemic awareness designed for reading teachers. I know that workshops can be expensive but in my opinion, it is the best way for a parent to learn how to administer reading instruction for phonemic awareness weakness. Let me know if I can answer any other questions that you have.

Best of luck and happy reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

4) Hello Amy, I heard about a reading program for four year olds. I have a four year old that I would like to home school, so when she starts public school she could be ahead. I have an eight year old that has reading difficulties and thought if I could start my younger one sooner it would benefit all of us. Thank You for you time and any information you can pass along to me.

Hello, Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

1) Should you begin teaching your 4 year old to read? Well, there are several schools of thought regarding when to teach children how to read. I got an email recently from the mother of a 19 month old by who said her son loved books so much she wanted to begin teaching him to read. On the very same day I got an email from someone asking me about "delayed reading," a program that does not teach kids to read until age seven. My own preferences are somewhere in the middle. I certainly don't recommend teaching babies to read, but it is probably not necessary to wait until the age of 7. This is what was a wonderful and wise speech pathologist that I used to work with said to me: "A child who is ready to learn to read will show an interest in sounds. Don't ask the child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start repeating after you." That really stuck with me over the years. Learning to say the sounds in isolation should be fairly easy for the child who is ready to learn. Phonemic awareness is the processing ability that allows us to learn how to sound out words. Most scientists say that this develops by age 5, some say 6 or 7. If you decide that she is ready to learn to read, what programs should you use? Well, Frontline Phonics has been very highly rated, you might like that. "Total Reading" is also used by a lot of homeschoolers. When choosing a program, remember that any good reading instruction should include these three things: 1) Learn to sound out words, 2) Learn to memorize words that cannot be sounded out, and 3) Learn to use contextual cues when reading.

2) "I have an eight year old that has reading difficulties and thought if I could start my younger one sooner it would benefit all of us." Unfortunately, if your 8 year old has a reading problem and your 4 year old has the same kind of problem, learning to read at 4 probably won't be any easier than it will be at 8. However, if your 4 year old does have a reading problem identifying it and getting help ASAP is a great idea. If you do decide to teach her to read now, approach things slowly and don't pressure her. If she is having a hard time, don't start worrying until she is 5 or 6. Chances are she will be just fine!

Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

5) Hi Amy, My daughter is 5 years old and just starts kindergarten this year. Is it too early to teach her to read? If not, could you recommend some materials?Thanks.

Hello, Thanks for your email. I apologize for not returning your email sooner, this last week has been crazy. Here are my thoughts:

There are several schools of thought regarding when to teach children how to read. I got an email recently from the mother of a 19 month old by who said her son loved books so much she wanted to begin teaching him. On the very same day I got an email from someone asking me about "delayed reading," a program that does not teach kids to read until age seven. My own preferences are somewhere in the middle. I certainly don't recommend teaching babies to read, but it is probably not necessary to wait until the age of 7. This is what was a wonderful and wise speech pathologist that I used to work with said to me: "A child who is ready to learn to read will show an interest in sounds. Don't ask the child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start repeating after you." That really stuck with me over the years. Learning to say the sounds in isolation should be fairly easy for the child who is ready to learn. Phonemic awareness is the processing ability that allows us to learn how to sound out words. Most scientists say that this develops by age 5, some say 6 or 7. If you decide that she is ready to learn to read, what programs should you use? Well, Frontline Phonics has been very highly rated by www.homeschool.com, you might like that. "Total Reading" is also used by a lot of homeschoolers. When choosing a program, remember that any good reading instruction should include these three things: 1) Learn to sound out words, 2) Learn to memorize words that cannot be sounded out, and 3) Learn to use contextual cues when reading. I hope this is helpful to you. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

6) Dear Amy, My 8 yr. old daughter is beginning 3rd grade work this year. She continues to have difficulty with reading and reading comprehension. She frequently misreads words, guessing based on the first few letters rather than reading a complete word. She will occasionally read words backwards such as reading, "saw" as "was". Her abilities vary from day today. One day she will be reading solidly at grade level and the next day she will have trouble with basic phonics. Reading for her is a chore and she becomes easily frustrated when I ask her to re-read a word or sentence. Can you tell that I am a bit frustrated too? I would appreciate any suggestions that would help me to help her. Thank you.

Hello, Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts about your daughter:

1) I feel terrible saying this but if your daughter is having these kinds of problems in 2nd grade, she will almost certainly have a harder time in 3rd grade. In the United States, 3rd grade is where a student is required to begin reading large quantities of material independently. I talk to droves of parents who tell me that their son or daughter was doing "OK" in 1st and 2nd grade but really went down hill in 3rd grade.

2) "She frequently misreads words, guessing based on the first few letters rather than reading a complete word." This is very common for kids who have weak phonemic awareness. I have seen kids who even sound out each of the letters then say something totally different when they say the word as a whole. They sound out: "/s/-/t/-/ar/-/t/" and then they state the whole word, "straight." It may seem to you that what she sees on the page is not what is coming out of her mouth. It may seem like she can't match the two things up. This is a very common symptom of phonemic awareness weakness.

3) "Her abilities vary from day today. One day she will be reading solidly at grade level and the next day she will have trouble with basic phonics." This too is common for phonemic awareness weakness. Another factor may be what some people call "Symbol Imagery." This is ability to hold on to letters and words in your mind. You might see that she will learn a word like "whose" and she might know it all day, but the next day it's like the word is brand new to her again.

4) "Reading for her is a chore and she becomes easily frustrated when I ask her to re-read a word or sentence." I am sure that this is very hard for her. I had one parent who described her daughter as having similar difficulties as your daughter. Her daughter was a little bit older and had to write a book report. Just reading the book for the report was very hard on both of them, writing the report was very difficult and took all weekend. On Sunday afternoon when they had finished the rough draft of the report, she said to her daughter, "And now for the easy part! Just copy this onto a clean sheet of paper." Her daughter began to scream and cry. I told that mother to imagine what it would be like if I gave her an entire page of Japanese text and asked her to copy it onto a clean sheet of paper, that is similar to what it is like for her daughter to copy a page of text.

5) "Can you tell that I am a bit frustrated too? I would appreciate any suggestions that would help me to help her." Well, it sounds like your daughter is weak in some of the processing abilities necessary for reading. I am sure this situation is very frustrating for you and your daughter. I have known master teachers who had been working with beginning readers for years who wanted to pull their hair out because of this kind of difficulty. Twenty years ago, most people thought that phonemic awareness could not be increased. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore. The first step is to get your daughter tested with a full reading assessment. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. is offering an on-line reading assessment on www.homeschool.com. If you decide you want to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context and vocabulary.

I hope these things are helpful to you, please feel free to email me with more questions. Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

7) Dear Ms. Pedigo,
My daughter will be 5 on Sept. 22 so could not start Kindergarten this year (cut off was Sept. 1). She is very advanced socially, emotionally and intellectually. She spoke over 100 words at 1 year of age; has always spoken very clearly and articulately. She has always LOVED reading books. She constantly asks how to say or spell words. She is reading simple Dr. Seuss books, understands phonics, single letter sounds, letter blends, does simple math, understands basic o'clock and thirty when it comes to telling time. I would like your opinion on the following: We plan to send her to a private christian school next year. This year, because of the cut off date, she is in the Pre-K or "4's" class. I purchased the Alpha Omega Kindergarten Homeschool Pak and I have started teaching this to her. Our hope is that we can have her start in first grade next year since I've homeschooled the Kinder portion. I haven't yet spoken to the school she will attend next year but since it is private they will test her and we will go from there. I would never do this unless she was emotionally and socially ready..which she is. What is your opinion/recommendation on this whole scenario? Thank you so much.

Hello,

Thanks for your email. I apologize that it has taken me so long to email back to you. Here are my thoughts:

1) It sounds like your daughter is already way ahead of the game! She will certainly do well, no matter what grade she begins at next year. If you are going to teach your daughter to read at home before she goes to school, I recommend you find out what reading instruction methodologies they use at her school. Reading programs can differ dramatically and you may want to follow their lead so as not to confuse your daughter when she starts school. That way if she goes to K or 1st, the things you have taught her will be very helpful.

2) Should she go to 1st grade? I specialize in reading so I am not an expert on school readiness but I will tell you what I have experienced in the past. I once taught vacation-bible school for two summers in a row. The first year I taught the kids who were on their way to first grade. The second year I taught the kids who were on their way to Kindergarten. There was a huge difference. It wasn't so much socially or emotionally but the kids going into first grade were just more adept at handling themselves in a classroom-oriented situation. The pre-K kids had a hard time sitting in chairs for an extended period of time and a hard time being quiet for a long time etc. In my opinion, Kindergarten is less about kids learning content than it is about easing into school. Kindergarteners do some play activities and some academic activities; by 1st grade they are better able to handle a full day of academic oriented tasks. Even if I thought my daughter was ready for the kind of content taught in a first grade classroom, I would not let her miss Kindergarten. But of course it is up to you. Talk to your school, I am sure they will know better than me about what will work with their program.

3) I think teaching her some reading this year before she goes to school is a good idea. However, studies say that "phonemic awareness," the processing ability necessary to sound out words, doesn't fully develop until the age of 6 or 7. So if your daughter seems to have a hard time with some parts of reading, don't worry she will probably be fine. When I worked in a Kindergarten classroom, we had pre-K kids come in for half-day visits in the springtime to see what it was like. Perhaps that would be a good idea for your daughter.

Let me know if I can answer any more questions that you have. Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

8) Dear Amy - My daughter is seven. (March will be eight) She has such a hard time with reading. We have tried many different programs and different ways to teach her, but still she has trouble. We have gotten readers for level one readers, such as The big bug or Dan is in the pan. They are for K-1st. She really struggles with them. We have now noticed that it is trickling over to her other subjects. What would you recommend doing? Should we drop all other subjects and just do reading until she has a grasp on it? Please help as we are at the end of our rope. Thanks so much for your time.

Hello, Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

1) If she is having that much trouble with reading, I am sure it is effecting her other subjects and that will only continue to get worse. Once a student progresses to a third grade level in any subject, independent reading is expected. So even though she may be good at something like mathematics, she might miss the instructions because they are in written form.

2)"Should we drop all other subjects and just do reading until she has a grasp on it?" In my personal opinion, yes, I would discontinue other subjects until she has a grasp on it. However, you will want to engage in some effective reading instruction to bring her up to speed. I worked at a specialized reading company for many years and we worked with all of our students on an intensive basis. (Daily for 3 or 4 hours) Lots of kids were pulled out of school all together because increasing their reading skills was just more important than the history lesson they could not read about anyway. I am a big fan of immersion instruction when it comes to reading.

3)"She has such a hard time with reading. We have tried many different programs and different ways to teach her, but still she has trouble." With out seeing her personally, I can't know the exact nature of the problem. However, what you are describing sounds like it might be a problem with "phonemic awareness." Phonemic awareness is the ability to distinguish sounds within words, this processing ability is necessary for people to learn to read. This makes it possible for people to sound out words. I am assuming, if your daughter is having trouble with basal readers, that she has a hard time sounding out words. Phonemic awareness is the single best indicator for reading success, so I am guessing that your daughter is probably not doing as well as she should in that area. Receiving direct instruction in boosting phonemic awareness is the best solution. But be careful what route you choose, "phonemic awareness" has become sort of a buzzword in the reading world lately so some phonics programs have started throwing that word around a lot.

4)"What would you recommend doing? " I recommend having your daughter tested with a full reading assessment. Getting an accurate profile of her reading strengths and weaknesses is the first important step to designing accurate effective instruction for your daughter. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. is offering an on-line reading assessment on www.homeschool.com. If you decide you want to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context and vocabulary.

I hope these things are helpful to you. Please feel free to email me more questions. Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

9) Greetings Amy: Thank you for the information you have on your website. I do, however, have a question that you answered in part in the 'frequently asked questions.' My wife and I have a four-year-old boy that loves to be read to. He will sit for over an hour, asking for another book to be read as each book is finished. I am thankful that he (and his two year old sister) likes to be read to. The problem I am having is knowing where to go from here. He likes to work with letters and sounds, and has learned some. We never push him to read or practice letters and sounds. He asks to be read to, and then we end up working on letters and sounds while we are reading. While he doesn't seem to be an exceptionally bright child, he does like to be read to and work with letters. Where can we go from here?

We have thought of getting one of the phonics programs that are available, like Hooked on Phonics or FrontLine phonics, but we are not sure that that us the best thing to start with. What do you think we should do? I don't like the idea of just reading to him when he is showing an interest in learning more. We probably read to him a total of 1 1/2 hours a day. He would have us read more, but we don't. Should we? Thank you very much for your concern and the time that you sacrifice to help parents teach their own children.

Hello,

Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:

1)"He likes to work with letters and sounds, and has learned some. We never push him to read or practice letters and sounds. He asks to be read to, and then we end up working on letters and sounds while we are reading. While he doesn't seem to be an exceptionally bright child, he does like to be read to and work with letters. Where can we go from here?" Reading to him is great, an interest in oral and written language is always a good sign. It sounds like you have been on the right track already. Some people confuse an interest in being read to with reading readiness. Reading readiness would be indicated by some of the other things you mentioned, like his interest in letters and sounds.

I have never been a great fan of super early reading instruction, however encouraging his existing interest can't be a bad thing. This is what was a wonderful and wise speech pathologist that I used to work with said to me: "A child who is ready to begin learning to read will show an interest in sounds. Don't ask the child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start repeating after you." That really stuck with me over the years. Sometimes when I am with my gaggle of nieces and nephews, I will just start saying specific consonant or vowel sounds as we are playing with blocks or legos. They usually don't say anything or they say something different. After a while, if they repeat after me, then we say sounds to each other over and over. There are about 42 sounds in English, some linguists and speech pathologists dispute that number by one or two. Saying sounds in isolation may be very easy for your son, or not. The ability to distinguish single sounds within words is called "phonemic awareness", this is what ultimately allows children to "sound-out" words. Some scientists say this processing ability does not fully develop in a child until the age of 6 or 7, so you may find that saying distinct sounds in isolation may not be a simple task for your son. I think you should begin by saying the consonant sounds with your son. If he finds these really easy, you can move on to the vowels. Go slow and only practice for a few minutes at a time. If you decide to do this, it is important for you to remember to say each sound IN ISOLATION. In all my years teaching teachers to teach reading, (say that ten times fast!) I had a very hard time trying to get teachers to say each of the consonants in isolation. Some of them would say PUH for /p/ and TUH for /t/. You can understand why people do this, consonants were never meant to be pronounced in isolation. Since every syllable has a vowel sound, we automatically add a vowel where there isn't one. These are the consonant sounds we use in English, there are others that have snuck into our language that are from foreign derivatives. Remember these are sounds, not letters. Some sounds use different letters. Like the sound /k/ as in "kite", is the same sound in "cut" and "school." I don't recommend teaching your son to write or read letters quite yet but just learning to say each of the sounds will be a great foundation. Saying them in isolation can be harder than you remember. After he has learned to say all the sounds after you, you can start saying words that use that sound. You can say things like /m/ and then say "map" or "make."

2)"We have thought of getting one of the phonics programs that are available, like Hooked on Phonics or FrontLine phonics, but we are not sure that that us the best thing to start with. What do you think we should do?"

If you find that your son has an easy time learning to say the sounds in isolation, then perhaps formal reading instruction is in order. Are you planning to homeschool your son? If you are not, then perhaps you would want to hold off on instruction for him because you don't know what kind of reading instruction he is going to get in school. You might start teaching him one way and then the school would start teaching him another way and it could get confusing for him. However, if you are planning to homeschool, starting out with a solid phonics program would be a good idea, if you are confident that he can say the sounds in isolation with out difficulty. Frontline Phonics has received very good reviews, I have never seen it in practice but it looks good. However, I always remind people that reading instruction should not be solely phonics. The best reading programs involve instruction for the three skill areas of reading: 1) sounding out words (phonics) 2) whole word memorization and 3) contextual cues. All of us need to know how to sound out words but we also need to have a large selection of words memorized. And last but certainly not least, we all need to understand what we are reading as we are reading it. So, with that, I recommend supplementing any phonics based program with some sight word memorization as well as guided reading instruction.

3)"We probably read to him a total of 1 1/2 hours a day. He would have us read more, but we don't. Should we?"

Your son enjoys being read to and that is a good thing. However, being read to is a form of entertainment. Most kids enjoy being read to just as much as just being told a story or listening to a story on a CD. Entertainment like this in the form of oral language is certainly healthier than something that "does the thinking for you" like TV or video games. Never the less, it is entertainment and you should only do whatever fits into your schedule. Don't feel guilty that you don't have time to read to him as much as he would like you to. I suggest setting aside a specific time each day for reading and sticking to it. (Like 30 minutes before bed or 30 minutes each day after lunch etc.) If your son likes reading that much, you might find it fun to read him a longer book that would be read over several sessions instead of reading lots of short books. You guys can talk about how the story is going and discuss what you think is going to happen next in the story etc. Your 2 year old might not be as keen on that...

I hope this all helps you. Feel free to email me more questions. It sounds like reading is going to be a strength for your son!

Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

10) Hi, I'm an Aussie mum with a son who is struggling to read. I wanted to give you some background and ask you advice. My son is in year four this year. When he began school, he went to a small, private school that had a strong phonics program. He was there for kindergarten and year one. His reading was progressing fine and he was shining in every area he attempted. That school closed and we had to change schools. This new school recognized phonics but did not work reinforcing phonics or going over the rules and how to sound out words. He was there for two years. Currently we are away from Australia and I have been homeschooling for a year now. I plan to continue this when we go home to Australia in October. My son has had his eyes tested before we left last year and the eye doctor found that his visual memory and visual sequencing were both very poor. I'm not sure exactly what this means but I know it does effect his reading. He is very good at math, in fact, last year he finished his grade 3 book, a grade 4 book and was ready to start the grade 5 book, but his reading has held him back severely. The doctor gave us some exercises to help. I have noticed that his eyes often drop below the line he is reading and also he constantly mixes up words like for/of, that/what, where/were, here/there etc... and really struggles to sound out new words. He's a bright boy and finds it very frustrating! What I thought, was that when we get home, to purchase a good phonics program and start again with how to pronounce different sounds etc... and also to go back to the eye doctor and see what he had to say. What would you advise? My son really hates writing, it's always a struggle to get him to write much more than four lines. He really likes drawing (stick figures, planes etc...) and he's very creative with his Lego. I would really appreciate your input. Thanks for your help.

Hello,

Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts: I am asking myself if your son is having difficulty because of incomplete phonics instruction or if he is having difficulty acquiring the skill of sounding out words. Children in Kindergarten and first grade (especially very bright children) may seem to read well because they memorize words easily and use the pictures and concept of the story line to help them figure out the words. These are good reading strategies when used in conjunction with sounding out words. Once a child gets to third grade, the quantity of reading gets so large that these tactics (with out the added skill of sounding out words) cannot suffice. I have worked with hundreds of kids and the majority of them have been in 3rd and 4th grade. Even a minor reading issue will become evident in third grade since this is where a student is required to read independently. In the United States, this expectation is extremely sudden. In second grade, the students are still reading picture books and learning to sound out words, the very next year they are required to read chapter books independently. A lot of the parents I have worked with report that their children seemed fine until third grade. "The teacher never said anything to us about his reading and now he is falling way behind." If you think that your son is having difficulty because he had incomplete phonics instruction, then perhaps some supplemental phonics might be a good idea. If you think that he has already had efficient phonics instruction and is still having difficulty with phonics, a full reading assessment would be suggested to identify any issues. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. is offering an on-line reading assessment on www.homeschool.com. If you decide you want to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context, reading comprehension, listening comprehension and vocabulary.

I have heard people say again and again that the child they are working with just needs "more phonics." Sometimes that is true, but sometimes the reason the student is not catching-on to phonics is not because of lack of instruction. I am remembering a student I worked with in Texas five years ago. She was a sixth grader; let's call her Stacey. Stacey was one of the smartest, brightest kids I ever worked with, she was almost senatorial. She could handle herself in a room full of adults, participating in the conversation, making witty comments etc. Stacey was attending a special education school. Stacey could not read. She had been in an intensive phonics program for four years with virtually undetectable progress. Stacey had extremely poor phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to distinguish sounds within words. Phonemic awareness is a major indicator for reading ability. A person with strong phonemic awareness will usually learn to read with just about any type of reading instruction. A person with poor phonemic awareness may have a very difficult time no matter what type of instruction. Phonemic awareness is a processing ability necessary for a student to learn how to sound out words. If your son has phonemic awareness weakness, he will probably mix up words, stumble over sounding out words and spell poorly. This could be the reason that your son hates writing and gets fatigued after only a few lines. If he is putting a heap of cognitive effort into spelling each and every word, writing will be an exhaustive exercise. I find that these same kids often seem exhausted when just copying words from one page to another.

If you think that more complete phonics instruction is needed, Homeschool.com sponsors a highly regarded phonics program called Frontline Phonics. I have read a lot about it and it has been very well received. However, some of the instruction might be a little "young" for your son. You might have to modify it a bit. I have found that kids around the age of your son are becoming aware of being "cool", therefore I try to make the whatever lessons I am teaching seem hip. Best of luck to you, feel free to contact me with more questions.

Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

11) Hello Amy, I'm writing because my 7 year old son has been having a hard time reading. He seems to give up on his self. He looks at the words and to me does not even try to sound things out. I would like to find someone to help him. I feel he needs one on one. Please let me know what you think!

Hello,
Thanks for your email. If he is struggling that much, it sounds like he could benefit from one-on-one intervention. One-on-one instruction definitely makes the biggest impact on reading skills. The kinds of problems you are describing are most likely due to phonemic awareness weakness. Phonemic awareness is a processing ability. This processing ability makes it hard to learn to sound out words. Sounding out words is a huge part of beginning reading. Poor phonemic awareness will also contribute to a poor spelling performance.

I am sure this situation is very frustrating for you and your son. I have known master teachers who had been working with beginning readers for years who wanted to pull their hair out because of this kind of difficulty. Twenty years ago, most people thought that phonemic awareness could not be increased. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore. The first step is to get your son's reading ability tested with a full reading assessment. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. is offering an on-line reading assessment on www.homeschool.com. If you decide you want to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context and vocabulary.

You are fortunate that you are getting an early start on the issue, a student as young as your son has a great chance of overcoming any weaknesses in a relatively short time. The longer he goes without help, the farther behind he will fall. You are smart to get started right away. I recommend that you collect examples of the reading and spelling mistakes that he makes to bring with you to any proposed reading instructor. Contact me with questions any time.
Good Luck, Happy Reading,

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

12) Amy, I really need your help. I am acquainted with a young man who is in his early 40s. He is a very successful businessman. One problem, he cannot read. people who work closely with him know this. i do not believe his employees are aware of this. I would like to know if there is such a program that can help him with his reading and math. even just his reading. one thing is that it has to be on computer. he has one in his office. is there a program that is voice activated? I really would like to help this man progress and at least be able to read some of his correspondence and financial reports? thanking you in advance for all of your help.

Hello,

Thanks for your email. I have worked with a lot of adults with reading issues. One thing to remember is that it is never too late. I have worked with senior citizens. A person who has gone that long with out learning to read most likely has a weakness in what is called phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to distinguish sounds within words, this processing ability is vital in reading development. People with this processing weakness have a hard time learning how to sound out words as a child, this makes beginning reading very very difficult. The first step to reading improvement is assessment. Even if he can't read at all, he probably has strengths and weaknesses in reading processes, these need to be measured to create a way to increase his reading abilities. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. offers a full reading assessment on line, available on the Homeschool.com website. If he decides he wants to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context and vocabulary. My company also has on-line instruction in development that might offer him a dignified way to work on his reading. However, a student with extremely poor phonemic awareness may wish to boost his phonemic awareness before tackling a self-taught program. As far as voice recognition software, it is still in the beginning stages. The voice recognition software that they sell at most software stores works mediocre at best and it would be very difficult to use that as your only tool for reading instruction. I recommend getting some intensive one-on-one reading intervention and supplementing it with a computer program.

I also want to share with you the thing I found most difficult about working with adult students; reading practice. Think of it like this: if you are taking a night course to learn Spanish, and you work at a job with native Spanish speakers, you will have an easy time practicing. If you did not work at a job with native Spanish speakers, you would have a much harder time practicing, it would not be as easy to learn. In my experience teaching young children how to read, they had to practice because reading tasks came up all day, every day in school. This is not true for adults. Adults with reading problems have constructed their entire lives in a manner that avoids reading at all costs. Therefore, building reading practice into their lives, above and beyond instruction, takes a lot of dedication. Don't let him be too embarrassed to get help. Phonemic awareness issues have absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. Without a doubt, some of the smartest people I have ever met have phonemic awareness weakness. I wish you luck and remember to remind your friend over and over that it is not too late. He can learn to read.

Happy Reading,

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

13) Dear Amy, One of your FAQs mentions Phonemic Awareness and the lack some kids may have which leads to poor reading skills. I'm kinda guessing that this is what my daughter has. I have determined that in 1st grade the ears, eyes and mouth were not synchronized to properly read. She looks at a word and then guesses, hoping that it's the right word. Some of her guesses include words that don't have the same letters as the one she is trying to figure out. She doesn't really sound out words, she just likes to guess or will just skip the word and continue reading. She's not a strong speller either, but doesn't always spell with phonics. Her handwriting is poor as well, which leads me to believe she wasn't taught properly in reading, writing or spelling. What resources would you suggest in order for me to help improve her reading ability? She will be a 3rd grader and I feel that if she's not strong in the early skills, she will continue to fall behind and not want to read. I'm homeschooling her and this is very frustrating for both her and me. This will be our first year of homeschooling. Thanks.

Hello,

Thanks for your email. What you are describing does sound like phonemic awareness weakness. And yes, you are correct, if her weaknesses are not addressed, she may continue to fall behind and will not want to read. Phonemic awareness is a major indicator for reading ability. A person with strong phonemic awareness will usually learn to read with just about any type of reading instruction. A person with poor phonemic awareness may have a very difficult time no matter what type of instruction.

"I have determined that in 1st grade the ears, eyes and mouth were not synchronized to properly read. ...which leads me to believe she wasn't taught properly in reading, writing or spelling." Phonemic awareness is a processing ability. This means that if your daughter had phonemic awareness weakness, she probably had it long before 1st grade. No one could notice it before that because she was not being instructed to read. Poor or inadequate instruction cannot create weak phonemic awareness but it can exacerbate the problem. Poor phonemic awareness will also contribute to a poor spelling performance, as you mentioned. I would expect a student with a profile like your daughter would not always spell phonetically. Some of the kids I worked with wrote letters that seemed to have nothing to do with the sound they were saying even if they said the sound as they wrote it. They would be saying "s" and writing the letter K. As far as poor handwriting goes, phonemic awareness doesn't usually contribute to that. It depends on the kind of handwriting mistakes she is making, but most kids with poor handwriting have some difficulty with visual-spatial processing. This means that they may have a hard time copying a shape, they may approach the task in a very disorganized way. This kind of student may also print their letters a different way every time. Or perhaps your daughter is putting so much concentration into spelling that she is not concentrating on what her letters look like.

I am very impressed that you noticed it was a problem with ears, eyes and mouth. Most people don't automatically understand that those three processing abilities are working together. Not only do you see and hear the sounds, you actually "feel" the motor activity in your mouth. If these three things are not matched up, it can create a struggle. I am sure this situation is very frustrating for you and your daughter. I have known master teachers who had been working with beginning readers for years who wanted to pull their hair out because of this kind of difficulty. Twenty years ago, most people thought that phonemic awareness could not be increased. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore. The first step is to get your daughter tested with a full reading assessment. My company, Let's Go Learn, Inc. is offering an on-line reading assessment on www.homeschool.com. If you decide you want to pursue assessment and would rather have an assessment in person, look for someone in your area who specializes in reading assessment and instruction. Make sure any assessment you choose measures all parts of reading; sounding-out words, memorizing words, spelling, reading in context and vocabulary. Don't despair, increasing phonemic awareness can be hard but it certainly do-able. You are fortunate that you got an early start on the issue. If your daughter were a 5th grader, this would be a more difficult task. I have even worked with adults who could not read for 40 years because of poor phonemic awareness. One older gentleman finally learned to read and it changed his life entirely. "I can read the story to my grandchild for the first time instead of making it up." I will never forget the look in his eyes. You and your daughter can work together to excel in reading, it takes commitment and determination. Keep at it. Contact me with questions any time. Good Luck,

Please keep in touch. Happy Reading,

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

14) My son seems to mix up the sounds he sees and hears. Sometimes he sounds words out with the right sounds and then says the wrong word. Once he read the word "stump." He said each one of the sounds, sounding it out. Then when I prompted him to put it all together, he said, "stank." Why does he do that?

Hi, The trouble you are describing sounds like weak phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to distinguish one sound from another in a word. A reader with fully developed phonemic awareness can think about the separate sounds in the word as well as the sounds blended together. Readers with weak phonemic awareness will have trouble sounding out words correctly and will sometimes have a hard time pronouncing difficult words. However, "phonemic awareness" has become a very trendy term in the reading world so people are starting to use it as a blanket term for reading troubles. Labels are less important than the symptoms he may be experiencing. You may wish to have him assessed so that you can determine his exact strengths and weakness in reading. Regardless of the label for the troubles he is experiencing, he is having a hard time sounding out words and needs support in that area.
Hope this helps.

Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com

15) My daughter's teacher told me that she thinks my daughter has poor phonemic awareness. Does that mean she won't be a good reader?

Hello, Not necessarily. Poor phonemic awareness is an indicator of reading difficulties. Phonemic awareness is the ability to distinguish one sound from another in a word. A reader with good phonemic awareness can think about the separate sounds in the word as well as the sounds blended together. Readers with poor phonemic awareness will have trouble sounding out words correctly and will sometimes have a hard time pronouncing difficult words. However, "phonemic awareness" has become a very trendy term in the reading world so people are starting to use it as a blanket term for reading troubles. Have your daughter assessed to determine her exact strengths and weakness with reading. Whether or not she has a weakness where phonemic awareness is concerned, if she has trouble reading, she should receive help. Treating the symptoms is sometimes much more important than figuring out the label of the problem.

Happy Reading!

Amy Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com