Happy World Reading Day 2017!

Happy World Reading Day! While every day should be a reading day, today we get to celebrate the amazing invention of the story. Books are such an incredible tool when it comes to children’s success, development, and creativity. Books have enabled children all around the world to engage one another in a common language. They teach us how to be good people. Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree teaches the importance of sharing and appreciating your loved ones (and has been translated into more than 30 languages). Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax shows us the value of taking care of the world around you. Crockett Johnsons’ Harold and the Purple Crayon is a perfect illustration of just how far your imagination can take you.

Reading is crucial to children’s success, development and creativity. Early on, children learn to break down words into their most basic sounds in a process called decoding. Reading Horizons identifies decoding as “the process of translating print into speech by rapidly matching a letter or combination of letters to their sounds and recognizing the patterns that make syllables and words.” Horizons goes on to state there is an area in the brain that deals with language processing and does this process automatically. However, about 30% of students do not access this part of their brain and therefore must be taught decoding strategies very explicitly.

Recognizing and addressing a reading challenge early on is crucial to a child’s development. Early Intervention services, like those provided by Northwest Center, can be integral to a child’s reading development. PBS* reports:
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• Roughly 85% of children diagnosed with learning difficulties have a primary problem with reading and related language skills.
• Most reading disabilities are neurodevelopmental in nature.
• Neurodevelopmental problems don’t go away, but they can be managed.
• Most children with reading disabilities can become proficient readers and can learn strategies for success in school.
• When a child’s reading disability is identified early, that child is more likely to learn strategies that will raise his or her reading to grade level.

​Everyone deserves to learn to read, no matter how long it takes.
*http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/learning-disabilities/types/reading/the-importance-of-reading/