Reading troubles aged 9

[Hoopsadazy]

Last weekend I spent some time with a boy in our extended family who is 9yrs old. I knew he wasn't doing so well at school, but we were actually in a situation for once where I got to see just how little he can read. I was shocked.

Earlier in the day he was telling me about going to secondary school in 3 years but I see how he can be managing at junior school at all when he couldn't make it through a book belonging to my DS (3 yrs).

Due to family circumstances we are not close to the parent he lives with (who we believe has dyslexia) but feel like it is a real concern. So, essentially, just wondering if the school would definitely know it is such a problem and are actively doing something about it? Or, if it is up to the parent to tell the school he needs help. What happens in these situations? I am sorry but I assumed that in this day and age that he would not slip through to this point without someone in school making sure he could read?!?!?

Can anyone help me understand how it works? I am not sure whether I should get involved, but would like to know what the situation might be.

Pretty sure the school will be aware and be involved! I teach Year 4, and shocking as it might sound, I do teach children who have a reading ability more akin to a reception child. All those children are SEN and have IEP's.

We work as hard as we can to get these children reading by the time they leave primary school. However, there are genuinely children who do not have the intellectual capacity to be able to read fluently and efficiently. Or, more commonly, they suffer from some kind of disorder which affects their ability to process written words on a page. Why is this so hard to comprehend?

Either way, I wouldn't worry that the school doesn't know. Of course they know! We are totally in tune with exactly where all 30+ of our children are on the reading scale! When you say, get involved, the best way to 'get involved' would be simply to offer support to hear him read. :)

I am not sure how I can help as I don't really know how to teach a child to read. However, I would like to spend more time with him to see if it is possible to help give confidence or something. He doesn't seem to be worried about it and there is some dyslexia in the family, so I am well versed in what can be the difficulty in reading.

He doesn't seem to have any issues with intellectual capacity.

If the school is aware, then I feel much happier. At least the professionals are on the case.

Hearing him read is all we ask of parents/carers - of course you don't know how to teach him to read, unless you've been taught yourself. Giving him confidence would be super! Sounds like he does have some kind of Irlams/dyslexia if his intellectual capacity seems ok!

Rest assured, school will definitely be aware. :) It's lovely that you're concerned. :)

Sorry to disagree but it is highly unlikely that his teacher will identify dyslexia.

I've been tutoring/teaching dyslexics for over 20 yrs, in and out of school. Out of school, 9 out of 10 children were first picked up as having a problem by family- not school.

Trainee teachers have no training- or about half a day- in dyslexia. Unless there is someone in school who has been on a training course, they won't spot it.

The other point is that most schools do not teach dyslexic children in the way they need to be taught in order to improve. The children are sometimes put in a small group with a TA but all they do is give them more of the same kind of teaching which has not worked in the first place.

I've even taught teenagers from very expensive private schools who have " slipped through the net" as the SEN provision fell short of the mark. I first assessed a 15 year old as dyslexic after she had been educated at a very good private school all her life!

Most parents I've had contact with have had to pay for an assessment from an ed psych or specialist teacher , and then maybe fund tutoring. It shouldn't be like this, but until all schools have dyslexia qualified teachers, this is how it often it.

If the parents are worried they ought to contact either the BDA or PATOSS for details of assessment and teachers, as well as talking to the school and seeing what they can offer.

School will know he struggles, but don't know how to help him.

Sometimes specialist dyslexia tutors help - sometimes they don't. They are always expensive. Also depends how you define 'help'. (it is of course possible to define it broadly enough that they always help)

Many, many, many children leave primary school every year unable to read.

But it is naive to blame school. And naive to think all he needs is a bit / lot of extra 1:1 tutoring.