Preschool Literacy Screening

Give your child the advantage of assessing reading skills early and set them on the path to school success.

Why Does Early Reading Development Matter So Much?

Later reading comprehension depends highly on language abilities that have been developing since birth. Strong vocabulary and grammar skills are essential to comprehension because each enables the understanding of words and how they interact in a sentence to bring about meaning. These skills needed for later reading comprehension are developing during the preschool years. Children must develop knowledge in the areas of alphabet, phonological awareness, rapid naming of letters, print conventions, writing letters or names, and expand their repertoire of oral vocabulary to become successful readers. Assessment of these core early literacy skills enables teachers and caregivers to take a proactive role in ensuring that our young children are meeting or exceeding literacy expectations. 

What SKILLS Should You Look for in Your Preschooler’s Early Literacy Development

The future ability of a child’s reading can be predicted by the acquisition of these early core literacy skills:

Approximately 30% of children will have some early difficulty learning to read. Even when effective early literacy programs are in place, 5% to 10% will continue to struggle and will require some form of intervention.

Children’s phonological awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading achievement. By assessing these developing skills during the preschool years, children at risk for reading difficulties can be identified early, treated, and placed on the track for success before entering first grade!

How Early Can We Determine if a Child Will Have Difficulty Learning to Read?

Through early assessment, children at risk of reading failure can be identified as early as age 3 or 4. The use of screening tools in the early years have proven to help in identifying those in need of monitoring, potential intervention, or remediation.  Children as young as 3 years of age already compare themselves to others and realize when peers are more successful at completing a task.  Therefore, it is ever so important to identify and address literacy struggles early so that your child feels competent, and successful entering school.

What are the Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Implications for Struggling Readers?

Early identification is key to remediation and reducing the emotional effects of poor reading skills.

When asked about their school experiences, young struggling readers express how embarrassing and devastating it is to read with difficulty in front of peers and teachers, and to demonstrate this weakness on a daily basis.

These youngsters described the following:

• Poor self-esteem
• Lack of motivation to learn
• Lag behind peers in vocabulary development
• Deprived of the ability to learn about literature, science, mathematics, history, and social studies due to not being able to read grade-level texts

Throughout the school years, many children can experience psychological or social barriers which prevent them from performing at their potential. Parents, teachers, and school professionals know it is difficult to conduct timely educational testing which provides answers about your child's strengths and learning style so we're here to help.

These assessments available through Dr Stephen Barker are often fully or partially covered through extended healthcare benefits.