A new study conducted by Western University shows parents' concerns are often an accurate indicator of a child's reading difficulty.
The study asked parents of school-aged children in 34 schools in Ontario to participate in a questionnaire about their children’s academic development, and their children participated in standardized tests of word reading and an oral sentence recall task.
After cross-referencing the results, researchers found that parents’ concern or lack thereof accurately corresponded with whether or not their child had reading difficulties more than 80 per cent of the time.
“Parents have a pretty good pulse on whether their kids are having reading difficulties or not,” said Katelyn Bryant, assistant director at Western’s Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic and the study’s lead author. “We can identify a lot of kids with reading difficulties just by asking parents about their concerns, and when parents endorse concerns, there is a good chance there is an issue that requires intervention.”
The study authors point out that reading difficulties are extremely common, with over a quarter of students failing to meet provincial standards for reading proficiency.
Bryant said if children are reading books appropriate to their reading level, they should be able to read with at least 95 per cent accuracy.
“If they are reading books that are too challenging, they will end up being frustrated and they aren't going to learn,” said Bryant. “We want to make sure the books they are practicing with are at the right level and that they are getting lots of practice in a way that makes reading enjoyable and fun.”
The study also offers practical advice for professionals to improve children’s reading proficiency.
Firstly, they emphasize the importance of acknowledging parents’ concerns. They also recommend further assessment to determine whether children may have difficulty with word recognition, comprehension, and remembering the content they read.
