Sight word flash cards work wonders! You got this momma! And shame on the school for this 
I mean you have know that had you spent any time reading with him in the evening. It’s usually part of there homework in kindergarten and first grade to read for 20 minutes a night. I really don’t see how you don’t realize your 8 year old can’t read.
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Find books that he likes. A genre that interests him.
Ask for a speech and language assessment xx
I don’t think there test for dyslexia. You kind of just find out as they learn to read and write. Have the school test him. An i.e.p will help.
People are quick to judge when they don’t know the full situation or what your day to day life looks like. You are doing the best you can mama and everyone who is bashing on her can get f**ked as if you’re a perfect parent either. We are suppose build each other up not break each other down. Be nice or butt out and scroll past. She is a good mom. Yall are ugly inside. Mama you are doing a good job!
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All sorts of negativity. I’m sorry. My little is three almost four. We started ABC mouse… It’s a subscription, like $8 a month. It has all sorts of tools. There is also Adventure Academy. Good Luck !
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I am shocked by this post!
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Pinterest! Has great fun activities!
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Maybe he can’t read because of his vision? My daughter hated to read grade 3. I had her vision checked…a test that goes beyond 20/20 vision. We found out she has convergence insufficiency. She had to do physical therapy with her eyes. Grade 8 now she loves to read. Her eyes didn’t converge.
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My daughter is only 3 and even though she can’t read, I know everything else she can and can’t do when it comes to counting, shapes, letters, colors,alphabet, etc. idk how you’re getting mad at the fact you didn’t know something super important about your child. They probably didn’t let you know because they probably thought as his mother you would have known this already.
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Have his eyes checked with a behavioural optometrist. My son struggled reading around that grade and when we had his eyes tested with a behavioural optometrist they discovered it was his eye sight. He moved up 3 reading levels in 6 weeks. Unfortunately the run of the mill optometrist said he had 20/20 vision. Stay strong through this. 
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Not trying to be mean. Where have you been this whole time?
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Hooked on phonics helped my kids. I did it with 6 children and one has learning issues
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That’s so hard! 
There is definitely some sort of disability or learning disability that is making this not possible for them.
If flash cards and reading easy books isn’t helping, just keep reading to them. It’ll be okay no matter what happens.
hugs
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Get him tested for dyslexia and adhd. My husband is 44 and was just diagnosed as having these both. As a child he always felt less smart and the kids teased him. Teachers do not believe that dyslexia even exists but he will tell you it does. His sister is a teacher and she says the school will not admit that children have this at all. Good luck with your son.
Some kids brains aren’t fully ready for reading until age 9-10. There’s a book Teach your child to read in 30 simple lessons. We used it with both our kids. My boy didnt start reading until 9, and overnight he just got it. He reads above grade level now. Assess sight, hearing and learning issues.
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So when I was in grade 3 I was also really behind in reading, they thought I was dyslexic, my mum would read to me, her finger under each sentence and simple words started to pick up, and she would ask me which words were what and how they sounded and then I said the sentence, she then bought me my favourite Disney books and told me books take you to another world, everytime there was a word I didnt understand I would ask her what it ment, this really helped me out and in year 5 I was ahead of my classmates in the reading tests the schools do
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My daughter is Dyslexic I held her back in Kindergarten. Her 1st grade teacher said she never pass school. Most school districs do not recgognize dyslexia. Read read and read to him, use a lot of sight words even put flash cards on every day objects, read read read to him, have patience, see it you can find some tutoring at a school for dyslexia it is so help as they teach the kids how to process information differently, read read read to him, a good program is ABC mouse. But do not say to yourself or him that he cannot catch up. That daughter I was speaking about is now 25. Graduated from from High School with Two Years of college under her belt, SumaCumLaude, National Honor Society and is now a teacher herself. It takes a lot of hard work on your part to place the right resourses in front of them and them to put in the hard work but it is so very very possible.
This is why you must start reading to them & with them every night at a very young age… I taught all three of my sons how to read… spell etc… we practiced ABCs…flash cards… reading… spelling every night… they had spelling tests every Friday by age 8 and we started on Monday nights and practiced every night until the test on Friday… 10 or 15 words… I would just let them study for awhile and then call the word out for them to spell… even mk them write it down too… I learned early on that you cannot depend on anyone to teach my child… teachers included… they hv too many students & too much on their plate to focus on each child individually & we as parents need to spend time teaching them every night even if it’s only 30 min it makes a huge difference…
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See if you can find professional.help if you can afford it and don’t ever give up.on his reading as well.as his friends,he may have a sudden breakthrough and start reading like everyone else. I would think that ,since his reading hadn’t improved after 3 years the school should never have let go that long. What they were doing obviously wasn’t working
Definitely get him evaluated for potential learning disabilities. In the mean time, start with simple books (Dr Seuss is a good starting point) and read to him. Then have him read to you, and be supportive and patient when he struggles. Work on sight words with him.
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If he knows the sounds of letters. Try working with him on three letter words by tapping out the sounds of the letters in the word with your finger.
He will catch up on his own. Get his eyes checked out. When I was in grade 3 I was 8 years old. Teachers thought I had ADD. Teachers told my parents to get a learning disability assessment done with family doctor. Seen the family doctor and she said, “has her vision ever been tested?” Long story short. I needed glasses, I can read without glasses on if the book is 4 inches from my eyes. First thing I said when I got my first pair of glasses was, “Wow, the world looks new.”
My child has stuggled as well I knew she was struggling and voiced my concern and was told see is doing great. She didn’t want to go to school bc it was such a stuggle. Get him tested at school to get help. They don’t want to so young but insist. Don’t worry about the rude people on here. It’s hard to see a problem when everyone is saying it’s fine. Good luck and just let him know you love him and are there for help.
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Yes the school is wrong for not informing you, but that is it. It’s the parents job to know these things. I can’t imagine a parent not reading a book together for fun. Or even for homework! I have two kids & from when they started Elementary that is their homework to read with a parent. Not to be rude, but it ain’t the schools fault.
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I had the problem for the longest but with math. I kept telling them that my eldest was having problems learning what they were teaching. She is now in 7th grade and stuck at a 3rd grade level of math. My advice, bring him to a local library there should be a kid section. Read the books to him first. If he likes them then help jim out with reading it. Also get sight word flash cards and go over them with him. My 6 yr old is stubborn and refused to do it with me until she started school. She is now learning to read. Good luck momma.
Try reaching out to your local library and talk with the libraian… They are a wealth of information and can help
Jolly Phonics is a good programme to try. Makes it fun.
You DEFINITELY should be involved in your child’s education enough to know if the kid can read. I honestly can’t understand how you wouldn’t realize that…
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I know someone that got a tutor for her child and it helped them a lot. Try someone that will do 1 on 1 instead of a group setting. They will know where to start. And don’t beat yourself up, kids hide stuff like that if they don’t want mom and dad to know.
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He might have a learning disability too. Ask for him to be tested for an IEP. Put it in writing. He probably needs phonics instruction. Take him to a child psychologist and have him assessed.
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Flash cards and read to and with him. I had trouble learning to read and my mom did that with me. Today I read constantly. You have your work cut out for you and it will be a lot of work…but he will get it
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I taught my son to read before he even started school! I bought books and we read every single night…first I read to him, then he got to choose a book to read to me. I also learned by doing this, that he was having a little trouble, so I took him to get his eyes examined. Turned out he needed glasses. I have done the same with all of my grandchildren.
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And you have only just figured this out?! Wow…just wow!
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I won’t bash you but I don’t want you to bash the school or teachers, they are doing what they can. This is why is important to read with him during the weekends and after school even before going to bed, you can help first with sight words and help him by reading with him.
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My 8yr niece can not read. Sadly it is due to her mother and the existing ODD condition. However myself, my daughters and 1 teacher (online) are starting to get her where she should be but she still has a kindergarten level of reading
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Dyslexia N.i helps kids to read fb page.
…you didnt notice he couldn’t read?
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You can use mobile phone to let him listen more and read more…children are attracted to phone screens
So quit bashing her. She asked for help. Maybe she could have done things differently but she is trying now. No one is perfect. Well at least I know I’m not!!
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I’d get him tested, but someone should have noticed if he was having trouble. My 6 year old told me reading was too hard for him, he would cry and get frustrated at me when I would make him read, I believed him, untill I was watching him read with just his teacher on his computer, he played me, he can read just fine.
Start from scratch. Make sure he knows his letters, the sounds they make, then move onto blends then small words sounding them out. Back to kindergarten steps is starting from scratch. If he cantvread then he won’t b able to spell. U need to figure out what he does know so he can b taught what he doesn’t know
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Usually the problem is the school districts curriculum. Balanced Literacy and Lucy Caulkins do a horrible job teaching children to read and write!!!
Virtual learning this last year has had devastating affects on our children to! He may have missed vital information during this pandemic. You learn 90% of reading and writing in 1st and second grade.
You’ve got to do basic things with your children too. Have easy books in your house, read to him & ask him questions about what you just read, get a journal and have him journal each day, make it fun or he will hate it. You are his advocate. Speak up for him.
I think you should take him to a doctor for testing, and for now if he has hobbies or something he enjoys for example race cars pull up everything you can to do with race cars and have him read that. If you cook have him help you and have him read out the ingredients. Make it as fun as possible because your stress will rub off on him and he won’t know what to do
Also ABC mouse, blippi on YouTube, games, there are curriculum books like Abeka curriculum for homeschool, walmart has stuff too
My son was the same. I found out he has auditory processing problems which meant he got so easily distracted he couldn’t take anything in. We had to make sure the teachers had his full attention before they started talking about anything. He also got really bored easily which we think was because he would lose track of what he was doing and become to distracted. Maybe look at getting him tested then the school can put an action plan in place.
I got told for years “he was just a boy and they sometimes took longer”
My son is now in high school and he’s doing so much better changing classes has really helped him. We still have to meet with the school so they can let all his teachers know. Good luck it’s very frustrating not knowing
I read every night to my kids and I point to the words. After I read they read. And we sound it out together.
I have a hooked on phonics book set with a pen that does all of that too to build confidence in reading by herself.
She is 5 and can read at a 1st grade level.
This is one thing I never slacked on for us to get this far.
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I would suggest Raz Kids, and epic, it’s Typically free threw the school.
This is not all the schools fault. At 8 years old you should know whether or not your son could read, the school should have also brought up their concerns earlier. From here on out , get him the help he needs.
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Ok, this isn’t just on the school. You’re his teacher also.
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Sounding of letters works wonders, my daughter is also 8 but in year 4. She’s under speech and language has been since she was 2. I would get onto the school because he will need referring to speech and language to get you better help and support
Try different coloured perspect sheets to find which one works best for him to read the letters clearer
ABC mouse is great for early readers
Me and my siblings were home educated and once a year we had to have an LEA person come do a check to make sure we were all up to date with the curriculum etc. My brother got to 8yrs old and my mum was really worrying about him because he could still barely read, he just had 0 interest in it! The LEA person reassured my mum that this wasn’t uncommon in boys and that they often started late with reading and writing compared to girls and to perhaps try finding something that really sparks his interest. Later that year the first Jurassic Park film came out and my brother became OBSESSED with learning about dinosaurs! Well, that was it!! He just suddenly took off reading these huge bloody words like Velociraptor and Brachiosaurus 
He’s now one of the most intelligent ppl I know! X
It’s so frustrating when you dont feel like the school is communicating with you about your kid I’m sorry it’s been happening for so long with you. My kids used teach my monster to read to learn phonics it was incredible how fast they took off when they started. Otherwise read everyday with him when my boys didnt want to read themselves I’d read to them and make randomly point at a word for them to read. At his age geronimo stilton books could be good for you to read together. And for him to practice by himself. Bed time stories are a great way to instil a love of books to, Roald Dahl are good just a couple of chapters before they go to sleep
My daughter was behind in reading by a couple grades. They brought us in to tell us and said she was in a program getting help. We said great she is getting help. No sooner had they said that, they turned around and said that help ends in a month. WHAT! We put her in Kumon. She was reading at grade level within the year. We are still doing kumon through zoom classes due to Covid. If Kumon is not affordable, kumon does have work books as well that you could use to help supplement learning. I know they have them for math, so I am assuming they have them for reading.
And yes it is possible to not notice your kid can’t really read. For the first couple years my daughter had memorized the 1 and 2 sentence per page stories they were “reading” and some kids just don’t like reading. So I understand 
Best of luck!
I struggled to read due to hearing problems so my mom had me do hooked on phonics as a kid! If he as a phone/tablet there are app games that teach reading and spelling and maybe he would have fun doing! Good luck! Is his hearing ok if u can’t hear the phonic sounds it’s hard to say it! I’m 49 can read but still struggle with new sounds or if someone has accent.
you bashed him first talking about he would never catch up to other kids. not that other kids matter in his situation, but he is not that far behind. get him some bob books for teaching/learning. limit that time to 10 minutes a session. be sure to read for enjoyment. find out what he likes and read to him nightly until he can read to you, then yall switch off…there may be an SLD, yall still have to work.
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All about Spelling
Explode the Code
Both are very helpful programs
There’s a really great program online called Reading Eggs. You do have go pay for a subscription, but you can also get a free trial. My son loves it- breaks up the traditional methods of learning and teaching 
Maybe a game like this… my kids are much younger but they learn best by fun activities…this is pretty basic back to the beginning but says ages 4-8 and can be a fun way for him to learn without feeling the pressure.
Actually most doctors that diagnose dyslexia will tell you not to force reading on them until you properly understand their diagnoses. My daughter is the same age and from 1st grade on has been struggling with reading. We had private tutors, kumon, school reading programs and nothing was working. Many school districts do not understand dyslexia nor do they test for it. He needs proper diagnoses and testing ASAP. I also do agree with others that either there was a huge disconnect with your teachers or you were not paying attention. I’m not bashing but all my daughters teachers and my daughter informed me from the beginning. I should also say I had to make waves to get her the proper help and didn’t back down. She has severe dyslexia.
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But you’re supposed to be reading with your child atleast 3 times a week. I don’t understand how a parent would miss this
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That’s why you read with your kids. So you know what they can and can’t do. Not the schools fault you were unaware.
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Label things in the house. Flash cards start with the basics. Unless theres a medical condition.its going to be a lot of work but everyday and he’ll get it. Dont give up mom you guys can do this.
Start from the beginning and see if that helps. Good luck mama. I know what you mean,I once had a son struggle for a year and his teacher never said. At home he did well but in school he struggled and never showed me anything to be concerned. There was other kids parents who shared similar stories. I shocked!
It’s not the schools fault, they are probably trying their best. My children read every word they see and also read lots of books. They are 4, 6 and 8. To be honest if you didnt know as a parent how are they supposed to know?
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I don’t know how this slipped by you for so long. Even my Kindergartener has mini books to take home and read to me every school day so this is super weird. Either your son has a really crap school or you should really evaluate the time you spend with him concerning his schoolwork…
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This happened with my now 8 yr old when we started homeschooling in 2019. Found out she was behind by two or three grade levels for reading. She was later diagnosed as adhd/odd/bipolar and shows signs of dyslexia. I didn’t know I was dyslexic until college so I try to teach my kids based on their learning styles. Reading eggs helped my daughter a lot. She also started working with a tutor who uses a method called Barton. She has grown significantly over the past year! Try to implement a program with them and be consistent.
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Where i am they have books in the library esp for dyslecis (soz cant spell) they have the same storys made easier to help them! Are they open in your area? Maybe have a look and choose together
Fry sight words, we do ten at a time until my child gets them. I also got beginning reader books. I feel like in since areas my kids learn better when homeschooling
I’m sorry I’m confused… how did your kid make it to the 3rd grade and not know how to read…? How did you miss this?
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Never too late. Read to him and work on letter sounds as a foundation. Teach and assume he knows nothing.
Ummm… is this a joke? You should teach your child to read before kindergarten
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It could be a learning disability…no fault of the school or yours. But definitely look into it
Check into dyslexia. Start simple. With phonics. Be patient. It can’t have been easy to get this far without being able to read. Bless his little heart. Also, what I did for my son…i put the closed captions on on all my tv’s. It helped my son learn to read by placing the words with the text on the screen. Sounds silly, but it helped him a lot, according to him.
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start with spot the dog
One thing to start with is the kindergarten sight words list(there are couple different to choose from, just ask your school which one they use). Write all of them on a flashcard and work on memorizing those with your son. My son struggled to read and I bought Learning Dynamics 4 Weeks to Read. It helps with learning the basics of letter sounds and how they work together. If you are homeschooling, he should be all good in about a month.
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See if you can find a tutor.
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We follow Waldorf theory in our home. They don’t introduce reading until age 7. Before that it’s all play based learning. Research has consistently shown that reading earlier doesn’t have any impact on future success rates. Please don’t think your son won’t catch up. That’s selling you both short and bringing a defeatist attitude to the situation. That only makes it harder. With support and the right tools, he will be just fine. The important part is that you know where he is now, and that you take the proper steps to get involved and have any underlying hearing or processing issues assessed. Until diagnosis is completed just read to him, ideally we should be reading to our kids every single day anyway. Once diagnoses is completed, start working with him, find a program that fits your needs. Give your son grace and patience in the process and make it fun and positive.
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Please don’t bash this mom schools are putting in new reading programs. Some teachers don’t do spelling anymore. Some principles don’t believe in phonics or spelling tests. He can catch up be positive make fun reading games
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Start reading to him every night while pointing at each word you are reading
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Don’t beat yourself up. Just try to help him get through this. Be supportive and stay positive he will read in no time.
Honestly, find something he likes and is interested in…for my son it was dogman and captain underpants. If he is entertained, he will want to continue. The last thing you want to do is give him books that he is socially advanced past, like spot the dog. I feel like he will be embarrassed that you are giving him baby books and it will make him less likely to try.
Good luck mama!!!
My kids learn to read at age 3 or 4 with subtitles. That’s my go-to.
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I have little to no advice but I will say that I had the problem your son had and was in special reading suddenly in the 4th grade I was reading at a higher level than my classmates, my parents never helped me at home but eventually I figured it out, not saying you don’t need to help him but I wouldn’t be sure that he won’t catch up to his classmates
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Get a tutor. My grandkids had to. The school kept saying they were doing fine. 
Try Reading Eggs it’s a computer reading game.
I started my daughter in French and she didn’t learn how to read English until Grade 3. That year, between Easter and the start of Grade 4, I was able to get her caught up with her grade. You got this Mama. Start slow, celebrate the wins, enjoy reading together and choose reading materials that your child likes.
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Stepsweb is also a good program to use not free but I have seen children progress very well using it
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I would start from square one. Start with the alphabet. Pictures of the letters. Then maybe have a picture of an apple with the spelling of apple under it.
Start with the sounds that letters make, then 2 letter words (is, me, at ) and then move into 3 letters with those words (cat, mel, his)
Get books from dollar store that have very short sentences and start there.
My daughter was behind for reading, and the teachers said the same thing “she’s fine”. I felt she wasn’t so even though she was grade 2 at the time, we started off with kindergarten reading to get the memory going. And to get used to the words we would ask her to write a funny sentence and help her sound out the words. Now in grade 4 she is even with the other kids and feels more comfortable
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My son’s school uses a program called “heggerty” and the lady that teaches on there does it well. My two yr old loves it and my 7 yr old does great!
Find stuff he’s interested in… even comic books. My son was behind on reading and he came across a show on YouTube that’s laid out like a comic book. He has to read it to know what’s going on. He loves it and has improved his reading.
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Don’t give up hope, mama. He can and will catch up to his peers, he just needs to put in the work. Flash cards are a great way to get going on sight words. The name of the game is repetition. Every chance you get have him sound out words…at the grocery store, reading street signs, flipping through a magazine… anywhere you read, he can too. He’ll get some confidence before long and that will help with his desire to read. Have faith, stick to it and stay strong; mama life isn’t easy, but the rewards are priceless!! 
Take him to a psychologist through insuranxe or school to do a full evaluation for learning/reading disabilities.
There is a book you can purchase on Amazon called “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”. It is research-based. I am a reading specialist and recommend it often. The book is designed for parents and it’s easy to follow. If you do the short activities every day it will most definitely help.
Learning dynamics!!! Starts with basics and keeps going
Um, the mom should know that her kid can’t read because she should be reading to him and with him. She is trying to blame teachers for her failure.
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Once he catches on and is diagnosed one way or the other he’ll catch up. Maybe start with basic books with him one on one you read a sentence he reads one. Good catch mom its not too late.