Here is a comment on LinkedIn by Dr. Richard Selznick, my mentor.
Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz") 1st-degree connection 1st Psychologist/Author: "The Shut-Down Learner," "Dyslexia Screening," "School Struggles"
1d
Hey Luq....just saw this thread come up in my email. Hope you are doing well. I agree that there has been an industry behind the whole phonological awareness thing.
However, I go to your question. In my experience - and I've probably assessed thousands of kids at this point - there never is "the reason" why kids struggle with reading, spelling and writing.
As I explain to parents, there almost always is a "pie chart" of variables, not just one reason why kids don't read well.
Frankly, I find the biggest predictor above all is whether one or the other parent (I usually find it to be the male line) struggled with reading.
If I knew that a parent struggled with reading as a kid, that is a strong predictor that one of their children will also struggle. That is a much more powerful predictor of reading difficulty in reading than "phonological awareness," IMHO. Take care and be well.
My response:
Dr.Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz"), thinking a little further on your comment here is my response:
I am sure you know the varied reasons why kids struggle with reading. However, in my limited experience in having taught, observed, and interviewed kids over 15 years I have learned that the main cause of them shutting down from learning to read is due to confusion.
The confusion is caused by three main factors:
1. Teachers teaching them consonants with extraneous sounds.
2. Teachers not telling them on the on-set that almost all letters in the English language represent more than one sound.
3. Some schools not teaching letter names. (Many words are sounded out using letter names).
All my students were able to read after their confusion was cleared. Getting them to unlearn what they had been taught wrongly was the most difficult part of teaching them.
I am pretty sure you had observed this in the parents of your patients. My only concern was to get the kids to read. As you know, I am not a trained teacher and perhaps that has worked to my advantage over teachers. I questioned myself using the training I had received in the audit field. Questions such as:
i. why are these kids able to read in Malay but not in English when both languages use the same letters?
ii. how were the scientists who did research at the University of Florida able to bring kids who were unable to read to grade level and maintain them at grade level with a short period of intervention? Etc.
The question I would ask myself is why does the kid, as well as the father, has this problem in reading. I know next to nothing about genes, DNA to delve into this aspect.
What makes this father and son different from the others are what I would ask myself if I was a researcher, which I am not.
Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz") 1st-degree connection 1st Psychologist/Author: "The Shut-Down Learner," "Dyslexia Screening," "School Struggles"
16h
Luq: I think you are spot on. Much of it came about in the late 1970s when the "Whole Language" movement took hold. We're still feeling the effects.
Note: Dr. Selz, has recently published an e-book which you may find at:
Here are comments I have copied from the article above posted on LinkedIn:
Graeme Wadlow 1st degree connection 1st Volunteer
In light of international research regarding auditory processing, and visual processing skills and abilities, phonological awareness is more of a dyslexia industry marketing terminology
My response:
I have believed this since my research on why many kids can read in languages other than English. You are one of a few experts in this field to confirm this. Thank you.
Here is a comment on LinkedIn by Dr. Richard Selznick, my mentor.
Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz") 1st-degree connection 1st Psychologist/Author: "The Shut-Down Learner," "Dyslexia Screening," "School Struggles"
1d
Hey Luq....just saw this thread come up in my email. Hope you are doing well. I agree that there has been an industry behind the whole phonological awareness thing.
However, I go to your question. In my experience - and I've probably assessed thousands of kids at this point - there never is "the reason" why kids struggle with reading, spelling and writing.
As I explain to parents, there almost always is a "pie chart" of variables, not just one reason why kids don't read well.
Frankly, I find the biggest predictor above all is whether one or the other parent (I usually find it to be the male line) struggled with reading.
If I knew that a parent struggled with reading as a kid, that is a strong predictor that one of their children will also struggle. That is a much more powerful predictor of reading difficulty in reading than "phonological awareness," IMHO. Take care and be well.
My response:
Dr.Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz"), thinking a little further on your comment here is my response:
I am sure you know the varied reasons why kids struggle with reading. However, in my limited experience in having taught, observed, and interviewed kids over 15 years I have learned that the main cause of them shutting down from learning to read is due to confusion.
The confusion is caused by three main factors:
1. Teachers teaching them consonants with extraneous sounds.
2. Teachers not telling them on the on-set that almost all letters in the English language represent more than one sound.
3. Some schools not teaching letter names. (Many words are sounded out using letter names).
All my students were able to read after their confusion was cleared. Getting them to unlearn what they had been taught wrongly was the most difficult part of teaching them.
I am pretty sure you had observed this in the parents of your patients. My only concern was to get the kids to read. As you know, I am not a trained teacher and perhaps that has worked to my advantage over teachers. I questioned myself using the training I had received in the audit field. Questions such as:
i. why are these kids able to read in Malay but not in English when both languages use the same letters?
ii. how were the scientists who did research at the University of Florida able to bring kids who were unable to read to grade level and maintain them at grade level with a short period of intervention? Etc.
The question I would ask myself is why does the kid, as well as the father, has this problem in reading. I know next to nothing about genes, DNA to delve into this aspect.
What makes this father and son different from the others are what I would ask myself if I was a researcher, which I am not.
Richard Selznick, Ph.D. ("Dr. Selz") 1st-degree connection 1st Psychologist/Author: "The Shut-Down Learner," "Dyslexia Screening," "School Struggles"
16h
Luq: I think you are spot on. Much of it came about in the late 1970s when the "Whole Language" movement took hold. We're still feeling the effects.
Note: Dr. Selz, has recently published an e-book which you may find at:
https://www.amazon.com/Helping-Dyslexic-Struggling-Reader-Guidebook-ebook/dp/B097Z2SCB6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1628520947&refinements=p_27%3ARichard+Selznick+PhD&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
Here are comments I have copied from the article above posted on LinkedIn:
Graeme Wadlow 1st degree connection 1st Volunteer
In light of international research regarding auditory processing, and visual processing skills and abilities, phonological awareness is more of a dyslexia industry marketing terminology
My response:
I have believed this since my research on why many kids can read in languages other than English. You are one of a few experts in this field to confirm this. Thank you.