What Is Literacy?
Literacy isn’t just about knowing the alphabet or memorising sight words. It’s the ability to read, spell, write, and understand written language, and it draws on a wide range of skills that develop over time.
Children aren’t born knowing how to read and spell. These are complex skills that need to be taught, and some children need more support than others to build them successfully. When reading or spelling doesn’t come easily, it can affect more than just schoolwork, it can impact confidence, motivation, and self-esteem.
The good news? With the right support, children with literacy difficulties can go on to read, spell, and learn with confidence.
What Are the Signs of a Literacy Difficulty?
Every child is different, but some signs of reading and spelling difficulties might include:
- Avoiding or disliking reading and writing
- Guessing words based on the first letter
- Confusing letters or sounds (e.g. b/d, f/th)
- Trouble sounding out new or longer words
- Forgetting spelling words soon after learning them
- Spelling that’s inconsistent or doesn’t follow patterns
- Mispronouncing words when reading aloud
- Difficulty understanding or remembering what they’ve read
- Slow or tiring written work, even when ideas are strong
What Causes Literacy Difficulties?
There’s no single cause of literacy difficulties, but here’s what we do know:
- It’s often linked to how the brain processes information.
Reading, spelling, and writing rely on a mix of skills like hearing and breaking apart sounds, remembering patterns, understanding language, and matching letters to sounds. When one or more of these skills develops differently, literacy can be much harder to learn. - It can run in families.
If reading was hard for you or other family members, your child may be more likely to need extra support too. - Early experiences help, but they’re not everything.
Exposure to books, language, and play builds strong foundations, but even children with lots of support at home can still struggle. That doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong, it just means they might need a different kind of help.
What it’s not caused by
It’s not about laziness or lack of motivation
Kids with reading difficulties often try really hard. But without the right approach, progress can be slow or frustrating.
It’s not caused by poor teaching or parenting
Even with great support at home and school, some kids need more explicit, targeted help to build strong literacy skills.
It won’t usually improve on its own
While some children catch up over time, most benefit from early, structured intervention. The sooner we act, the easier it is to close the gap.
How Will Working on Literacy Help My Child?
Reading and writing are more than school skills, they’re essential for independence and confidence in everyday life. With the right support, children with literacy difficulties can:
- Strengthen the foundations of reading and spelling
- Improve confidence with sounding out and writing words
- Build strategies for reading comprehension
- Learn to use tools that support learning in school and at home
- Participate more fully in class and enjoy learning again
Your speech pathologist will assess your child’s strengths and needs, then tailor a therapy plan to build their literacy skills over time. Therapy is practical, engaging, and designed to help children succeed where it matters most, day to day, in real life.
Literacy Skills We Support
Literacy therapy can help children develop all the underlying skills needed for successful reading and spelling:
- Phonemic Awareness– hearing and manipulating sounds in words
- Phonics– connecting letters with their sounds
- Vocabulary– understanding and using a broad range of words
- Comprehension– understanding and thinking about what they read
- Fluency– reading and spelling with accuracy and ease
- Confidence & Motivation– engaging with literacy in a positive way
Literacy:
Facts vs Myths
Myth:
“Shouldn’t kids just pick up reading naturally, like they do with talking?”
Fact:
While spoken language develops through exposure, reading and spelling are learned skills. Children need explicit teaching to build the foundations of literacy, especially if any of the underlying skills are developing differently.
Myth:
“Can’t they just memorise sight words? That’s how I learned.”
Fact:
Rote memorisation can help with a few tricky words, but it’s not a long-term solution. Around 80% of English words are decodable, meaning they follow rules and can be sounded out. That’s why strong phonics instruction is key. It gives children the tools to read new words independently, not just repeat what they’ve memorised.
Myth:
“My child just doesn’t like reading, so why push them to do something they don’t enjoy?”
Fact:
Avoiding reading can be a sign it’s harder than it should be. Many children who “don’t like reading” are actually struggling with the skills that make it feel manageable and enjoyable. With the right support, reading can become less frustrating, and even fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child have dyslexia?
Some children with ongoing difficulties may meet criteria for dyslexia. A speech pathologist can assess whether your child’s reading and spelling skills are on track, and whether further investigation or referral is needed.
Will they grow out of it?
Sometimes, but not always. Many children need consistent, explicit support to build literacy skills. The earlier we support them, the more likely they are to catch up and feel confident.
Shouldn’t the school be helping with this?
Schools play an important role, but some children need more targeted support than what’s available in the classroom. Speech therapy can fill those gaps and help children build the specific skills they’re missing.
Is it too late to help my child?
Never. Whether your child is in Kindy, Year 6, or high school, it’s always worth supporting literacy. It’s never too late to build skills, confidence, and a love of learning.
Our therapy services focus on
Your speech pathologist can help guide you with strategies that suit your child’s needs and fit easily into your daily life.
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