Reading Is Delayed

It's typical for homeschooling parents to freak out, get worried when their children show any kind of delays in learning such as reading. I know I have when it comes to my daughter, now 16, and her reading skills, or lack of reading skills in the early years.  We were told many things over the years. One year we were told convergence insufficiency and with some studying up on it I applied some multisensory learning.

While it helped, some we still didn't make any real measurable process at least not process in my eyes. She grew older and I grew even more leary that I wasn't going to find something that would help her learn to read. I remember at one point, I just downright frustrated with the lack of process that I just basically gave up. Well, not really -- seeing I still went in search of yet another program and ways to help her. However, I do remember clearly telling her something along the lines you have to do this, you have to apply yourself, it's on you now.  It was at that point I found sight phonics and basically had her do it daily. She went through the program nearly twice.

Reflection: I wished, looking back, that I had a bit more patience with her. As she has aged and as I have learned from other homeschoolers it's actually not uncommon for children to be delayed in reading. Schools stress reading as early as kindergarten, therefore I erroneously believed that she should have been reading, fluently by 7. Much of my stress and frustration was because I was not aware that it's common for children to read later. I didn't know it was okay.

If I was to go back in time I would have told myself to relax and not stress. I would have told myself it's okay. Truly it's okay! Of course, I would have done and used many of the same programs, but instead of thinking they were failures I would have just put them away and try again later.

I'm choosing to write about this all tonight because of last night and earlier this week.  Last night my daughter decided to get out her copy of the Bible out and read me several passages and earlier this week my daughter read something else to me. Outside of not being able to read and pronounce some city and people names in the Bible, because let's face it many people struggle with that, she read beautifully.  She even commented on how she actually is understanding what she's reading and how far and well her reading has become. -- I know at 16 that shouldn't seem like a big deal, but for someone that has spent the majority for her life struggling it's a huge deal!


The take away is I hope that other parents, homeschooling or not, will realize that's it's okay if your young child is not grasping reading. It's okay if they don't get it until they are older. The point is to just be patient and continue to provide materials and opportunity.

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