Do really bright early readers always stay ahead of the game?

[imaginaryfriend]

I suddenly got curious as there seem to be quite a number of mums on MN who describe their children as reading chapter books before the age of 5.

Equally there seem to be a lot of people who say their child (often boys) are verys low readers in Reception but by Y1 / Y2 are reading anything / everything.

So ... do the early readers stay ahead of the others who are catching up? Does everyone end up on roughly the same level? Or do the early readers 'burn out' and start to slow down at some point?

In my case, yes. I could read when I was two, and I have never had to worry about spelling or anything like that - I've been quite lucky. Definitely haven't burnt out. However, my sister didn't learn to read until she was five or six, and she is very successful academically as well.

I wonder why so many mums are so keen to go on about their Reception child's prowess then? There are some highly pushy mums at dd's school and they try to fish out constantly which child is reading at which level.

That's really helpful cat. I'll definitely take that on board more in future when listening to dd read. I have to say that a lot of her comments are things like 'why does that lady have such horrible hair?' / 'I really don't like her dress in that picture' rather than 'deducing' the story type comments.

Oh yes, and finally, if they all kind of reach the same reading level by Y2, how do they 'stream' groups at that point?

Well i suppose once children have learnt to read, there isn't much further they can go. So I don't think it's so much about slowing down or leveling out, with regards to reading. Of couse some children will never have been taught properly, there will some variety in adults who have.

The first few years at primary school seem to be about writing, reading, basic arithmatic. That's what my sons teachers seem to be obsessed with Once childern have (meant to) learnt these basics of communication, maybe education turns the emphasis to what, and how are they being used? There's many aspects to learning to read and use written information/

So could give the impression that some children level out, some slow down, some late developers blah blah blah

My summer born, year 2 boy, was pretty good with words at 3. Nothing amazing but he could sight read words, picked up letter sounds without much imput. He just seemed to know! Then Reception and Year One he wasn't that interested and was a nightmare. First term of year 2 and he starts trying to tackle chapter books. Next term and suddenly he can pretty much read most words, he doesn't have to think much anymore. Not so much levelling out, or catching up, it was a bumpy ride

I was an early reader and loved reading, but one of my brothers really struggled, not only with reading but many aspects of school. At home he was a bright little boy but the school had a very different opinion. By the time he was 15 he was avidly working his way through my bookshelves. Interested in, and happily tackling books that covered all sorts. I don't think I've turned out better for being an early reader, he hasn't suffered by being a late one.

Some early readers will go on to be very "academic", some later readers may go on to be very "acadmeic".

I used to listen to children read in Infants. My DS 12 didn't click until he was 7 and caught and passed some of those that were reading fluently in reception. He is dyslexic and really doesn't enjoy reading novels. He will listen to story tapes and dipping into non fiction.
His English teacher tells me his comprehension skills are excellent and he is a very deep and abstract thinker(whatever that may mean)

My DD 10 was a fluent reader in reception. In Yr 2 the teacher lost her voice and used to use DD to read to the class because she could put all the right expression in her voice and even use different voices for the different characters.

She is now a very avid reader and usually has 2 or 3 books on the go. Her teacher describes her as "superbly bright"

Haven't read all the replies but my MIL was a teacher for years and she always says that MOST early readers/slow starters tend to catch up around age 6/7.

I think it is a lot to do with the fact that some children are just ready earlier and others are not.

Obv really bright children will excel in areas other than reading also.

I would agree Buda. A lot of posters on here seem to be obsessed with which level their DC is on and which level their friends are on-they are all parents of 5-6 year olds-after that it calms down!

I agree with the catching up. There were some tremendously early pre-school readers in our Mums' group, but dd has more than caught up with them.

I was an early reader, myself, but my brother (fairly late) caught up with me.

Don't agree with the idea that once you have learnt to read there is no further room for improvement. I see vast differences in reading ability between university students; in fact, even between academic colleagues. These are people who can all, technically, read, but there are still huge variations as to speed and ability to get all the sense from a passage. You can always improve your reading.

I think it can be useful to know where your child is in relation to others though. Especially as some schools seem to make it very hard for parents to get any feedback/not change books regularly etc.

I helped out with reading in the class when DS was in reception and I am doing so again this year - Yr 2. I have found it useful to get a broad overview of where he is in relation to others. His best friends are quite a way ahead of him which he notices but as I can point out they are 6 months older. It makes a difference.

The most important thing for me with DS is that he enjoys reading. He loves books - just as well as I do too and already spend a fortune! I think that fostering a love of books and reading is very important. If a child loves to read they will progress.

I wonder if being able to read relatively effortlessly leads to you finding the whole process much more enjoyable. DD wanted to read from a very early age and once she started school she was reading within the first term more or less. She now reads voraciously. DS#1 hated it,found it a chore and even now has only an average reading age and rarely picks up a book for pleasure. Actually I wonder if his being nagged constantly to read when he'd rather have been doing anything else, didn't cause part of that.

Very possibly OrmIrian. Have you tried finding books on topics that your DS is particularly interested in? Or comics even? DS loves his footie comic and discovered a series of books by an Irish publisher that he likes so I have bought him lots of those.

I run book fairs at school and I notice that a lot of boys tend to go for information type books rather than fiction too.

Yes he has a room full of information books buda. On every subject. And there are some he reads for pleasure but not often. He loves stories - we read things together (Philip Pullman, Tolkein) but he'd never (or v rarely) choose to read them alone.

LOL at "On every subject".

Obv just not one of life's readers. We are all different. The world would be very boring if we were all the same!

Buda - what's the series your ds likes? I'm always looking for books for my ds - it's so much easier for girls!

hi seeker

He started on these and has moved on to the 6+ age group - esp the Mad Grandad series - to my Dad's amusement!

He can read them on his own and seems to enjoy them.

I used to listen to readers in school in yr2. These children are now yr7 at the school where I work.

It is very clear that the 'high fliers' now were all reading very fluently in yr2. And again those who were still really struggling in yr2 are still below average now.

yr2 is different from yrR, but IMO as long as keen, early readers are encouraged to develop into lifelong readers, it is inevitable that they will be ahead of the game in many areas, simply because of the wealth of information they have read and absorbed.

Kids can be so quirky though, when it comes to reading.

Ds is on the schools SEN reg (dyspraxia) and he has always been significantly behind the rest of the class in reading. But this year he has 'clicked' and is making huge strides (granted with a lot of SEN support). The SENCO says she has never seen a kid like him. Oddly enough his father was just the same (according to MIL)

I read much earlier (a couple of years) than my sister but at sixteen she was way ahead of me as I had lost interest.

FWIW, ds, now in Yr4, is an example of roisin's observations.
Knew letters but could not read when starting school at just over four, made rapid progress, reading eg Flat Stanley and Martin Jarvis' Just William editions by age of 6.
Is now reading stuff like Watership Down, Edge Chronicles, as well as Anthony Horowitz etc. Reads for pleasure which makes everyone's lives easy.
Am not boasting - I agree with everyone that reading early is not a sign of latent genius, and ds is not a genius, just a bright boy who likes reading.
As others have said, most children have caught up in terms of technique by the age of 8 or so, but a strong motivating factor for keeping reading at this age IMO, is the ability to analyse, comprehend and make enthusiastic and enjoyable connections between types of writing, homages, fiction's historical context and so forth. And IME that does seem to still mostly be the province of a much smaller number of children who were all early readers.

Readers don't all 'level out'. People don't 'level out'. I bet David Beckham was good with a ball at 3.

Readers certainly don't 'level out' by Year 2. They're not all reading Harry Potter or the equivalent; most of them aren't. It's very easy to stream them in Y2 on the basis of fluency, comprehension, expression and stamina.

Most people learn to decode fluently, but they don't all reach the same level of understanding. I agree with Cory about adult readers; they're not all at the same level. My friend is always saying how people in her book group complain that the books are too long and difficult for them. How many adults out of the thousands who bought 'A Brief History of Time' really understood it or even finished it? Most people can read the words, but many can't make sense of them.

I agree with Roisin about the fluent readers in Y2 being the able children in Y5 and Y6.

From my own family archives: DB (very early reader)- Cambridge maths degree; me (early reader) - Cambridge first; DN1 (very early reader) - 10 A* at GCSE, 96% AS level average and Cambridge place offered. DS1 (9, early reader) - described as 'incredibly intelligent' by teacher; DS2 (6, very early reader) - described as 'extraordinarily bright' by teacher. DS2 has an 'outstanding general knowledge' because he's been able to learn so much from reading. They've got a way to go though and none of us are genii.

But singersgirl, your examples are all of v intelligent people. That is all that proves. They are clearly intelligent and you don't need early reading to help prove that. If they failed to read early, they would still be intelligent. Some children, even if they were able to read chapter books by yr 1 would still be less intelligent. I do not see that the simple ability to be able to decipher words on a page makes you more clever than a child who can't. My eldest DS is an average reader, he was a late reader. My DD was an early and is now a fluent reader. If you ask any teacher who is the most intelligent, logical, and well-informed, the 'true mathematician', they will all name my DS. DD is a plodder.

roisin - surely the 'wealth of information' that children absorb is dependent on what they read. A child reading 3 books a week isn't going to absorb a great deal if all the books are Horrid Henry for example.

I was an early reader. I was also an enthusiastic reader. Of those 2 statement I beleive the second is the only important one. And IME the 2 do not always go together.