I would have written the "Our 8 year old son can't read" essay, if it wasn't done already, minus the required math-at-the-table part. YoungSon is 8.5, and really doesn't read at all. My other 2 taught themselves to read early. I put reading in the catagory of walking and talking, which by the way are much more complex skills. Babies look around, see others walking, and eventually, in their own time, try to do it themselves. We might purchase a walker, or hold their hand when they first try to take steps. But it really doesn't matter - they will figure it out. Same with speech. For some it comes early, some later, but really the only teaching is being around people who speak. As parents, we may correct grammar or suggest a different word, but generally kids figure out how to communicate on their own.
My late-reading dumpling was also very late to speak; he has only become easy to understand in the last year or so, since we quit speech therapy. He also cannot write. He recognizes the letters, but it is very difficult for him to make the pencil obey. He enjoys coloring and drawing, so my guess is that there is some neurological thing happening that makes reading and writing difficult for him. I really believe that his brain will mature in its own time, and reading will just happen, like clear speech did. No ammount of practicing sounds (therapy from age 3-7) had any effect at all. He is the deepest thinker of my kids, often coming up with insightful comments that would startle me from even an adult. I trust that his perception will carry him well in life, even if he never feels comfortable reading. This comes from me, a dedicated nerd, ex-bookstore owner, perpetual student. Never thought I'd say this, but reading isn't everything.
I recently had an eyeopening experience, trying to learn to read written Hebrew. I pick up languages fairly easily, and didn't anticipate this would be so difficult. But I really had a hard time trying to force my brain to associate these unfamiliar sqiggles with phonetic sounds. My motivation was high, the teacher was good, and I really put in the time and effort. But whichever synapses are supposed to make those connections must simply be absent. I learned a whole new appriciation for my son's struggles.
My late-reading dumpling was also very late to speak; he has only become easy to understand in the last year or so, since we quit speech therapy. He also cannot write. He recognizes the letters, but it is very difficult for him to make the pencil obey. He enjoys coloring and drawing, so my guess is that there is some neurological thing happening that makes reading and writing difficult for him. I really believe that his brain will mature in its own time, and reading will just happen, like clear speech did. No ammount of practicing sounds (therapy from age 3-7) had any effect at all. He is the deepest thinker of my kids, often coming up with insightful comments that would startle me from even an adult. I trust that his perception will carry him well in life, even if he never feels comfortable reading. This comes from me, a dedicated nerd, ex-bookstore owner, perpetual student. Never thought I'd say this, but reading isn't everything.
I recently had an eyeopening experience, trying to learn to read written Hebrew. I pick up languages fairly easily, and didn't anticipate this would be so difficult. But I really had a hard time trying to force my brain to associate these unfamiliar sqiggles with phonetic sounds. My motivation was high, the teacher was good, and I really put in the time and effort. But whichever synapses are supposed to make those connections must simply be absent. I learned a whole new appriciation for my son's struggles.
