Questions to ask about your child's reading intervention

Last week we visited about DIBELS reading screens and what happens after the screening.  Typically some kind of intervention is put into place after it is determined that reading skills are below grade level.  So now you have met with the teachers and discussed the screening.  Then you and the school worked together to put a plan into place to improve reading.  But what if that plan has been in place for a month or so and things don't seem to be getting any better?  Now what?

You aren't alone.  Many parents are asking the same thing.  Here are some questions you can ask about your child's intervention.  These are very basic, but it is a good place to start to make sure things are beginning on the right track.

As with all things, presentation is everything. We want to build a partnership with the school and teachers. Most teachers and schools want to help.  Yes, there are horror stories out there about terrible schools and teachers.  It definitely happens and I have seen it happen.  But mostly there are incredible stories of caring teachers and parents working together to do what's best for kids.  So let's start with the assumption that everybody wants to do the right thing. Keep documentation of every phone call, letter, and conversation you have with anyone at the school.

• Is the reading intervention in addition to regular classroom reading instruction?  Your child should not be pulled out of regular reading instruction to get intervention.  They should get regular reading instruction and then get more reading intervention at a different time. Never allow the school to remove your child's recess, music, gym or other special time to provide academic supports. This turns help into punishment.  Things that your child may be particularly gifted at doing, such as music, are removed to spend more time on things that are very difficult.  Talk about a lack of motivation and a way to create anger issues.  It teaches the child to equate reading with missing out and this is never a good way to build motivation or trust in a child.  

• Who is providing the intervention?  Last week we talked about making sure your child is receiving reading intervention from certified or highly qualified personnel.  An aide or peer tutor should not be providing intervention, even if they are being "supervised" by more qualified personnel.  If the classroom teacher is providing good classroom instruction and your child is still struggling, how would a less qualified person make things better?  Some questions you might politely ask are...
• When was the last time you attended a training for reading instruction?  This gives you a great clue about how up to date their reading approach might be.  If they haven't attended any professional development except what they receive at their school site, they may not be ready to teach your child.
• Do you have any certifications specific to reading?  In Oklahoma a person can be a Title I reading teacher without any additional training.  A regular education teacher is qualified to teach Title I in Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean they have the skills to teach your child.  Ask them.
• Have you worked with children with this severity of reading difficulty before? If your child has a significant reading problem and the teacher doesn't have much experience, she may be unsure of how to best help your child.  Find out.
• Now, let me stress this next point as well.  If you find out that the person assigned to help your child is certified, but may not have a lot of experience or they haven't had tons of professional development, don't count them out quite yet.  If this person is driven to help your child succeed and wants to partner with you to seek out appropriate teaching strategies for  your child, they might turn out to be the best person to have on your side.  However, if they have no experience and they don't seem particularly enthused about getting any support or training, trust your gut and politely inquire whether there are other teachers with specific reading training.  

• Is the intervention frequent enough to be effective?  The more serious the reading difficulty, the more frequent the intervention should be.  So if the reading skills are a year or more behind, they may require interventions 4-5 times a week.  There isn't a rule of thumb for this and it depends on the skills being targeted, but if they don't seem to be improving, consider increasing the number of intervention sessions per week.

• Is the group too big to focus on your child's needs?  Your child may need more individualized help and the more kids in the group, the less likely this is to happen.  Research shows us that often times, instruction with a group of 3 is just as effective as 1 to 1 instruction.  Large groups happen when there aren't enough personnel to see all the children in small groups.  If you aren't seeing progress and your child is in a group larger than 3, consider requesting that your child be seen in a smaller group.

• Are the other children in the group having the same difficulties as your child?  If your child needs help learning the sounds of the alphabet and the other students are simply working on building reading speed, it will be more difficult for the teacher to take on those different needs effectively.  Make sure the other students in the group have similar goals.

• Is the intervention a good match for your child's needs?  This may be the most important question of them all.  For instance, if your child does not know all the letter sounds, the intervention goal shouldn't be to increase fluency (speed).  The goal should be to learn the sounds.  Often, a school has pre-selected programs for children who are struggling.  The problem with a boxed program is that it may or may not meet the needs of your child.  Make sure the program is addressing the specific areas of difficulty you found in the reading assessments.  The program should be phonics based, Orton Gillingham based, or a Structured Literacy program.  The program should not be based in whole language, like a Leveled Literacy or Guided Reading program because these programs do not explicitly teach rules of reading and phonics instruction is the weakest part of these programs.  Working on things that your child doesn't need or that they are not yet ready for will not result in progress.  

These questions make some good starting points for investigating why interventions are not working. If the answers to all of these questions were positive, there are many more reasons why intervention is not working.  There is more to come.  In the meantime, if you are concerned about your child and feel they may have a reading disability, or dyslexia, get help.  If your gut says something is wrong, follow your gut and make a written request for an evaluation by the school.  If you can't get help from your school, look at the possibility of getting a private evaluation.  If you have been patient with your school and your child has participated in at least 6 to 8 weeks of intervention sessions with little to no progress, then don't wait any more.  Seek help.  As always, if you decide to get a private literacy evaluation and are in the Edmond/Oklahoma City area, contact me at Educational Inspiration at www.educationalinspiration.com

Wordless books teach valuable literacy skills

I recently composed a short video about my favorite wordless book, Flora and the Flamingo.  It got me thinking about all the great wordless books out there not being recognized enough as tools for reading.  Most people think that wordless books are for babies.  The truth is, these books are amazing tools for teaching important literacy skills to children of all ages such as vocabulary, sequencing, and comprehension.  Plus, they are super fun.  So let's talk a bit about wordless books and what to do with them.

If you are using wordless books with very young children, these books are a great way to begin modeling correct handling of books and the different parts of a book.  For instance, you can point out and name the cover, the title of the book, and the spine of the book.  Show your child the title of the book and where the author's name is located.  Before you start the book, explain that you will start at the beginning, then read the middle, and finally you will read the end of the book.

Take a picture walk before "reading" the book.  Look at the cover and just a few of the pictures inside the book and consider asking your child what they see in the pictures and what they think the story will be about.  Will this be a happy book?  A funny book?

I love these books because there really isn't a right or wrong way to tell the story.  While the author provides us with picture prompts hinting at what is going on, it is up to the reader to interpret the story and weave the events together.  You can help guide your child through ways we tell a story by using words like, "in the beginning," "next," "and then," "after that," and other words we use to sequence events in a story.  This helps your child build a foundation for understanding the structure of stories and that stories have a clear sequence with a beginning, middle, and an end.

Wordless books also offer an excellent opportunity to build thinking skills.  When we look at wordless picture books we are in charge of building the story and this takes some thought.  Who are the characters?  What are the clues in the pictures telling me?  What do I think will happen next?  These are all very important skills especially as children enter older elementary years and beyond.  As you go through a story make sure to point out some key elements like...

a.  who are the characters or who are the important people in the story?
b.  where the story is happening
c.  what is the problem in the story?  what are the characters trying to accomplish?
d.  how do the characters feel about the problem?
e.  what is the plan for solving the problem?
f.  did they solve the problem in the end?  Was everybody happy with how things worked out?

This is like a checklist for story telling.  As you model these components of a story and explain them to your child, let them take a turn telling the story to you.  Listening to you tell a story and then having your child teach the story to another friend or even stuffed animals is a great way to reinforce these skills.

Older children can get lots of enjoyment from wordless books as well.  There are some great wordless books for this group with complex story plots requiring higher level critical thinking skills and attention to detail.  Children who read these books might be encouraged to write their own story down to go with the pictures.  Kids who are artistically inclined might create their own wordless picture book and then tell you the story.  All of these activities reinforce comprehension skills, word choice and vocabulary, and send the message that reading is important.  Check below for some of my favorite wordless picture books for kids.

The Flower Man by Mark Ludy
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Tuesday by David Wiesner
Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman and Kevin Hawkes
The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang
You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee
Unspoken:  A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The Only Child by Guojing
Bluebird by Bob Staake

Speech-Language Pathologists, Language, and Reading

The field of speech-language pathology has evolved significantly from the traditional picture most people have of a professional helping someone to speak.  The contemporary speech-language pathologist, or SLP, works with children on areas related to listening, comprehension, reading, and spelling, in addition to the traditional roles of speaking, or articulation.

As research continues to build, the important relationship between language and reading becomes more apparent.  Oral language is the foundational skill for learning to read and because SLPs are language experts, seeking the help of an ASHA certified SLP is a great first step if your child is struggling with beginning reading.

Children with reading difficulties typically have some kind of language difficulties as young children.  These can range from very subtle to more severe.  If you are seeing early warning signs of dyslexia such as difficulty with rhyme or trouble learning letter sounds or names, talk to an SLP about language screenings/evaluations that can help identify problems early and begin working to strengthen skills.

Children with reading difficulties often begin to struggle with related areas such as vocabulary and comprehension because they aren't able to read the materials that expose them to grade-level words and complex story structures.  SLPs are experts in areas of vocabulary and comprehension and can offer support, screenings, evaluations, and/or treatment.

Don't wait if you feel your child is struggling with language or literacy.  Seek help from a speech-language pathologist or other qualified professional.  You can find the valuable help of SLPs in your local school districts or in private practices in your area. Your local speech-language pathologist can provide you with information, screenings, evaluations, consultations, and/or treatment.