Parents’ concerns about children’s reading should not be ignored

The study's authors recommend counselling parents on creating a positive climate around reading. (Lina Kivaka/Pexels) - If you have concerns your child is having trouble reading, new research shows it's likely something that needs attention. As children across the country head back to class this week, a new study from Western researchers shows parental concern is often an accurate indicator of children's reading difficulty. Katelyn Bryant, assistant director at Western's Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic "The main takeaway is not to ignore parents' concern about reading. If a parent is concerned, there is often a learning difficulty that needs addressing," said Katelyn Bryant, assistant director at Western's Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic and the study's lead author. In the study of grade two children, the researchers found that parents' concern or lack thereof accurately corresponded with whether or not their children had reading difficulties more than 80 per cent of the time. The study authors point out that reading difficulties are extremely common among school-aged children, with over a quarter of students in many Canadian provinces failing to meet provincial standards for reading proficiency, and that early intervention is crucial to avoiding persistent reading difficulty as children get older.  "Parents have a pretty good pulse on whether their kids are having reading difficulties or not," said Bryant, also an Education professor and school and clinical psychologist who works with children and adolescents with learning, development and mental health difficulties.