Developing Pathways for Reading

Reading is not an innate skill. 

For most of human history, people didn't read or write. The first written words appeared around 3500 BCE, and widespread literacy didn't emerge until the late 19th century.

Reading is a complex skill we must actively learn. Our brains need to build new neural connections to process written language.

Approximately 20% of the population is experiences dyslexia. Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that impacts how the brain processes language, resulting in challenges with reading, writing, and communication.

Even more, recent literacy reports reveal students are not receiving adequate literacy instruction. Approximately 40% of children in the United States cannot read effectively. 

Reading challenges do not have to be a permanent roadblock. With the right support, a struggling reader can transform into confident reader.

The Reading Brain

Imagine learning to drive a car. At first, every movement requires intense concentration. You carefully think about each pedal, how to steer, and check your mirrors. But with practice, driving becomes automatic. Reading works the same way.

Beginning readers typically learn to read through these steps:

1. Recognize each letter as a distinct symbol.

2. Associate letter or letter groups with their sound. 

3. Build automaticity in the recognition of words and letter patterns.

4. Develop fluent reading pathways.

Only once these skills are strongly established, can an individual free the cognitive space to comprehend the information.

Our brains have three key areas involved in reading:

• Broca's area: Responsible for language organization and production

• Parieto-temporal area: Helps analyze words and connect letters to sounds

• Occipito-temporal area: Enables rapid word recognition

Skilled readers don't just develop these areas individually—they build strong connections between them, allowing for fluid, effortless reading.

What causes reading challenges?

Dyslexia

When we look at the brain scans of skilled readers compared to the scans of those identified as having dyslexia there are several functional and structural differences in the brain.

The brain is composed of grey matter (nerve cells) and white matter (connective fibers between nerve cells). Struggling readers show less white matter indicating a lack of neurological connection between different parts of the brain. On the surface, this may look like inconsistent reading performance, disfluency, and lack of effort.

For skilled readers, brain activity occurs in all three areas described above with the most activity in the parieto-temporal region. In the brains of struggling readers, there is only activity in Broca’s area. This indicates that students are stuck in the “sounding out” part of their brain; every time they reach a word on the page it is like the brain is seeing it for the first time.

Other factors that contribute to reading success

Besides dyslexia, many other factors contribute to a child's reading success:

• Socio-economic factors including parental education level, family income, access to books at home, quality of early childhood education, access to learning resources, and parental involvement all contribute to a child’s early reading abilities.

• Processing speed refers to the rate at which an individual can perceive and comprehend information. Slow processing speed can impede comprehension and lead to disfluency.

• Working memory challenges impact reading by making it difficult to hold and manipulate information from a text, learning to struggle with decoding words, understanding complex sentences, and remembering key details, which ultimately limits comprehension.

• Auditory processing disorder makes it difficult for an individual to decode words, affecting phonemic awareness, and hindering reading fluency.

• Visual processing disorder causes difficulty distinguishing between similar letters or words, letter reversals, poor visual tracking across the page, and leads to slow, frustrated readers.

A comprehensive evaluation with an education professional can help determine the underlying cause of a reading challenge. No matter the underlying weakness, the struggle does not have to be permanent. Strengthening the skills related to reading and the neurological connections between different areas of the brain will result in confident, competent readers.

Solving Reading Challenges

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. - Albert Einstein (theoretical physicist with dyslexia) 

Reading challenges are not permanent! Your child's brain has an amazing ability to grow and change throughout their lifetime. With the right support and consistent practice, all children can improve their reading capabilities.

In reading, we can see how targeted interventions literally change the brain. This 2021 meta-analysis reviewed 39 brain imaging studies that show structural changes in the brain following various reading interventions. Interventions targeting decoding resulted in greater activation in Broca’s area, while interventions targeting reading fluency resulted in greater activation in the parietal-temporal area.

When we accurately identify and remediate the underlying deficits present in a struggling reader, their brains will change. They will improve. 

Step 1: Identify underlying weaknesses in cognitive development and academic skills

A comprehensive learning evaluation from a neuropsychologist, school psychologist, or educational therapist can uncover the real reason a student is struggling to read. 

Step 2: Create an accommodation and remediation plan. 

When students are struggling, a 2-pronged approach will help keep them afloat with their current classroom demands and make lasting changes to the way their brains process information.

Accommodations are changes made to the way the content is presented to better suit the student’s current learning abilities. 

Examples of classroom accommodations for reading: 

• Use of audiobooks or text-to-print technology

• Extended time for assignments and tests

• Preferential seating

• Visual aids during lectures

Remediation programs are targeted interventions that aim to make lasting changes to the student’s academic skills.

Examples of reading remediation:

• Multisensory structured literacy programs

• Explicit phonics instruction

• Using decodable texts

• Heart word practice

• Fluency drills

Step 3: Practice consistently. 

Rebuilding neurological pathways takes repeated, consistent practice. Intensity is a cornerstone of effective reading remediation. Parents should collaborate with their student's teachers and education professionals to ensure their child is getting daily reading practice.

Supporting Your Reader at Home

If your child is struggling to learn to read, help is available. Reading challenges are not a life sentence. 

Parents can support their child's reading by:

• Maintaining a daily habit of reading to their student. No matter the age of your student, they would benefit from being read to.

• Collaborating with teachers and educational professionals. Schedule regular progress monitoring meetings and actively participate in their academic achievement.

• Encouraging their child through stories of hope. Struggling readers lack confidence. Tell your child about a time you struggled to learn something and how you overcame it. Read them stories that showcase people overcoming a challenge.

• Seeking a professional evaluation. A comprehensive learning evaluation can identify specific areas where your child needs support, and is the first step to an effective intervention plan.

• Reminding their child reading is a skill, not an innate ability. Just like their favorite basketball star didn’t wake up one day with a perfect 3-point shot, learning to read doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent, repeated practice.

If you're concerned about your child's reading challenges, don't wait. Every moment matters in developing strong reading skills.