Is my child struggling in literacy because of the pandemic, or do they need structured literacy?

If your child was in Kindergarten or Grade 1 at the pandemic's start, you might be wondering the same thing.  Many young children were forced to stay home and take their lessons online during a crucial time of their academic development, at a time when they were supposed to be building foundational skills in phonics and phonemic awareness.  These skills teach kids how to link the sounds they hear in language to the letters that appear on the page. Unfortunately, many teachers struggle to create language-rich environments online, especially with this younger age group.  This has impacted already reluctant readers, even more. Schools across the nation are now finding that these students, who are currently in grades 3 or 4, are significantly missing reading benchmarks - creating an alarming reading emergency.

Students who have not developed these crucial reading skills by the time they reach third or fourth grade will be unable to deal with the numerous word problems and reading comprehension questions that start in these grades.  Transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn is foundational to academic success and serves as a gateway to developing academic skills across all disciplines.

So what’s the solution? Whether your child is struggling due to a learning difference or falling behind in literacy during the pandemic, the solution is the same. They need structured literacy instruction. In fact, any student two or more grades below their grade level would benefit from structured literacy like Orton Gillingham. They don’t need a formal diagnosis of a learning difference like dyslexia to receive structured literacy.

Time is crucial because the later you wait to get help, the further your child will feel behind and the lower their self-esteem.

‍‍However, it’s also never too late to get help. Once your child gets the sense that they can achieve success, their motivation grows, and you will see a remarkable transformation take place. So seek help; I guarantee you won’t regret it. EverfreeTLC's Orton Gillingham based approach to structured literacy could be supportive in building a solid foundation of literacy for your child even if they do not have Dyslexia. Contact us for a consultation if you think this may help your child.