If your child is in school and reading feels harder than it should, you're not alone in this. Many parents are surprised to learn that speech and reading are closely connected, and that support for one can make the other easier.
Here's why. Before a child can read the word "cat," they need to hear that it has three sounds: /k/, /a/, /t/. This skill is called phonological awareness. It's the ability to hear, notice and play with the sounds inside words. When a child has trouble saying certain sounds clearly, they may also have trouble hearing the differences between them. That can make sounding out words, spelling and rhyming feel like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Some signs worth noticing:
- Your child mixes up sounds in words, even after years of practice.
- Rhyming or clapping out syllables feels tricky.
- Reading out loud is tiring or full of guessing.
- Spelling doesn't match how words sound.
- Your child avoids reading, or says it's "boring."
None of these mean something is wrong with your child or with your parenting. They simply tell us where a little extra support could help.
Here are a few easy ways to try at home:
- Play sound games in the car. "What word starts like moon?" or "What rhymes with sun?"
- Clap out the beats in names and favorite words.
- Swap sounds for silly results. "What if cat started with /b/?"
- Read together, and let your child point to the words as you go.
- Celebrate effort. A tried sound is a win.
A speech-language pathologist can look at how your child hears and produces sounds, and how that connects to reading. We meet every child where they are, with individualized, evidence-based care from birth through 20, so older kids and teens are just as welcome as the little ones.