My Child Is Falling Behind in Reading: What to Do First

Perhaps a reading record has come home with the same book for weeks. Perhaps a teacher has mentioned that your child is below the expected level, or you have noticed friends reading more fluently. However it reached you, the worry is real.

The good news is that there is a sensible order to work through. Most reading difficulties respond to good teaching and the right support, and you do not need to have an answer straight away.

Falling behind does not always mean dyslexia

Children learn to read at different rates. A child may be behind because of missed or disrupted schooling, a late start with phonics, learning English as an additional language, a period of illness, anxiety, attention difficulties, or simply because they are among the youngest in the year. Dyslexia is one possibility, but it is not the only one, and it should not be the first assumption.

Step 1: Talk to the class teacher

Ask for a short, calm conversation rather than raising it at the school gate. Useful questions include:

• •Where is my child with reading compared with what you would expect for their age?
• •Which parts are hardest: sounding out words, recognising common words, reading fluently, or understanding what they read?
• •Is this similar to what you see in writing and spelling?
• •Is there anything you are already doing to help?

Share what you see at home too. Our guide on when school and home see different things explains why both views matter.

Step 2: Check eyesight and hearing

A routine sight test with an optometrist and, where there are concerns, a hearing check through your GP or school nurse are sensible early steps. These checks do not test for dyslexia, but they can rule out something simple that makes reading harder. A sight test is free on the NHS for children under 16.

Step 3: Understand the teaching and support

Ask what reading teaching your child receives day to day, and whether they are getting any extra help. In many primary schools this may include additional phonics sessions, small-group reading or a structured intervention. Find out:

• •what the support is and how often it happens
• •how long it will run before progress is reviewed
• •how progress will be measured and shared with you
• •whether your child is on the school's SEN register and has a support plan

Schools in England use a cycle of assess, plan, do and review for pupils who need additional support. It is reasonable to ask when the next review will be and to be included in it.

Schools in England use a cycle of assess, plan, do and review for pupils who need additional support.

Step 4: Support reading at home, gently

Short, positive reading time helps more than long, tense sessions. Read to your child as well as with them, so they keep enjoying stories and building vocabulary. Our guide to helping your child at home has practical ideas. If reading has become a battle, see My Child Avoids Reading and Why Does Reading Leave My Child Exhausted?.

Step 5: Review progress over time

Give targeted support a fair chance, usually at least a term, then look at what has changed. Some children make rapid progress once the right help is in place. That is useful information in itself.

When to consider a specialist assessment

A specialist assessment may be worth considering when:

• •difficulties persist despite good teaching and well-delivered intervention
• •progress is much slower than expected compared with how your child understands and talks about ideas
• •spelling and writing are also persistently difficult
• •there is a family history of similar difficulties
• •your child's confidence or wellbeing is being affected

An assessment looks at the wider pattern and considers other explanations. It may identify dyslexia, or it may show that something else better explains the difficulties. Both outcomes help plan the right support.

A calm next step

If you would like to think through the pattern you are seeing, try the free child dyslexia indicator check. You can read about dyslexia assessments for children, or book a free 15-minute call to talk it through without obligation.