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Reading Disability Checklist 6-8 Years
Reading Strategies

by Sue Watson
for About.com

Effective reading strategies and reading comprehension are essential for success in reading. Early diagnosis of learning disabilities is crucial to helping with the skills of reading. Here's a checklist to determine if your child/student is at an expected level of development.

1. ____ The child is now reading increasingly complex early-reader type books.

2. ____ The child is able to recall the events in the book, make predictions and discuss why he/she thinks certain events happen.

3. ____ Self-corrections are becoming more evident as this reader is making sense of the text.

4. ____ The child recognizes many of the high frequency words such as the ones found here.

5. ____ The child uses word patterns and contextual clues to comprehend and decode text.

6. ____ The child is capable of reading independently for longer periods of time. 10 or more minutes.

7. ____ The child is able to follow easy to read directions. For example: Put a square around the number 2.

8. ____ The child is able to identify various genres in writing. Examples include non-fiction, fiction, poems, chants, songs etc.

9. ____ The child will make some meaningful substitutions in uncertain selections - sometimes reading ahead to make sense.

10.____ Takes risks and tries to read unfamiliar words and is beginning to read for pleasure and for information.

If you've checked most of the boxes, there's nothing to worry about. However, if the child isn't displaying many of the readiness for reading characteristics, the child may be showing signs of having language delays or a learning disability. Refer to some of the helpful 'Suggested Reading' links on this page to guide you.

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