A Practical Guide for Parents of Struggling Readers
Help Your Child Understand
How Reading Works—And What
To Do Next
Your child is bright and capable. Yet reading may still feel confusing, tiring, or discouraging.
This practical guide explains what may be holding your child back and helps you understand the evidence-based instruction that supports accurate reading, fluency, and comprehension.
Undertand why capable students can struggle with reading
Identify skills your child may not have been taught clearly
Replace guessing and memorizing with better understanding of how written words work
Learn practical next steps for supporting progress at home and at school.
Get Accelerate Your Child's Reading Success and receive two practical bonus guides at no extra cost.
What You'll Discover Inside
Part 1: Ensuring Your Child is on the Right Track
Understand how children learn to read, how capable students can be left behind, and how to recognize what your child
may need.
Part 2: Unlocking the Code
Learn about phonemic awareness and phonics , and why children need to decode written words rather than rely on memorizing and guessing.
Part 3: Implementing the Secret Key to Reading Success
Discover how the essential reading skills work together to support stronger, more lasting progress.
Bonus Chapter: Advocating for Your Child
Gain practical suggestions and language for working with your child's school and seeking appropriate support.
You've Tried to Help,
But Reading Is Still Hard for Your Child
You spoke with the teacher. Perhaps your child received extra classroom support, an IEP, or help from a tutor.
You bought the readiing app, sat through the homework, and read aloud at bedtime—even when you were
exhausted.
Yet your child may still be guessing at words, avoiding books, or coming home convinced that everyone else is
smart and they are not.
You may even find yourself searching online late at night, trying to find an explanation that finally makes sense.
Here is what parents deserve to hear plainly:
This Is Not Your Fault—and It Is Not Your Child's Fault
Many bright, capable children struggle because they have not been taught clearly and systematially how
written words work.
When children rely on memorizing words by sight and guessing unfamiliar words, they may manage for a while.
But as the words become longer and the books become harder, those strategies stop working for them.
Your child has not failed. They may simply need instruction that better matches how children learn to read.
That is the starting point of this book.
What Changes When Reading Begins to Make Sense
Here is what can begin to change.
The science of reading has given us a much closer undertstanding of how children learn to read, why some
children struggle, and what kind of instruction can help.
We now know that reading does not have to be confusing or frustrating for children. When instruction is
explicit, clear, and structured, children are taught the skills they need in a logical sequence, with each
step building on the one before it.
Instead of guessing at words by looking at the picture or the first letter of the word, they can begin to
understand how the reading code works.
Instead of facing the same struggles year after year, they can make meaningful progress.
And as reading starts to make sense, something else can change too: confidence can begin to grow.
Accelerate Your Child's Reading Success—Plus Two Quick-Start Bonus Guides
The Complete Parent Guide
Understand why your child may be struggling, what effective reading instruction looks like—and how clear, step-by-step instruction that builds the right skills in the right order can help your child make consistent progress.
The book also provides practical ways you can support your child, recognize what may be missing, and help them achieve the steady progress their efforts deserve.
BONUS: Quick-Start Guide 1
Discover seven common fixable mistakes that can be slowing your child's progress—and the practical changes that can begin to get their reading back on track.
BONUS: QUICK-START GUIDE 2
Clear away three common reading myths. Recognize what may be missing from the instruction provided and begin focusing on approaches that better support how children learn to read.
About Ricki
For more than 30 years, I've taught children to read—in classrooms across Canada, Thailand, and New Zealand, from beginning readers sounding out their first words, to older students who had nearly given up on themselves.
Again and again, I've met bright, capable children who believed they simply weren't good at reading. What I often found was something very different: important reading skills had not yet been taught explicitly, clearly, in a way that made sense to them.
I've seen what can happen when the instruction changes.
One Grade 5 student who had struggled severely with reading began decoding (sounding out) words within two weeks when she received systematic phonics instruction. I've also worked with older students who moved from avoiding reading to reading with growing confidence and independence.
These changes are not magic. They come from clear, structured, explicit teaching grounded in the science of reading. I have found that almost every child can learn to read. And once they do, it isn't only their reading that changes—it's how they see themselves.
I wrote Accelerate Your Child's Reading Success because parents deserve to understand what effective reading instruction looks like without needing a teaching degree to make sense of it.
My goal is simple: to help you understand what may be holding your child back, what to look for, and what you can do next.
What Parents Have Seen When Their Children Receive the Right Reading Support
These testimonials come from parents of children I have worked with directly through my science-based reading program: Accelerated Reading Success. They are not testimonials from readers of this book.
Every child is unique and starts at a different place.
We begin with each student at the level where they are now and build from there. Because every child has different strengths, needs, and prior learning experiences, progress will look a little different for each student. The stories below show what was possible for three students who found reading difficult. Their reading gains ranged from approximately two to four grade levels. Most importantly, they developed the skills they needed to become increasingly independent readers.
The same evidence-based principles that guide my instruction are shared throughout Accelerate Your Child’s Reading Success, so you can use them to help your child build the skills they need to become a more confident, independent reader.
"Our daughter now believes in herself and her ability to read."
"We had tried everything, and nothing had made a significant impact until we heard about Ricki.
Her expertise, motivation, and follow-up helped our daughter make steady steps toward reading fluency. Our daughter now believes in herself and her ability to read, which has had a tremendous positive impact on her life."
-Helene, parent of a Grade 5 student
"For the first time ever, he is reading on his own."
"Our son had been a reluctant reader all his life. Since working with Ricki, he has done a 180. He began reading a chapter book for school and we had to pratically pry it out of his hands at night. His literacy teacher later told us that he had gained four reading levels. We are truly grateful for Ricki's work with him."
- Debra, parent of a Grade 6 student
"We saw our daughter's reading skills improve two grade levels."
"Ricki's lessons were interactive, engaging, and carefully prepared. She developed a strong, positive relationship with out daughter, and during the time they worked together we saw our daughter's reading skills improve two grade levels, preparing her for success in Grade 4."
- Brad, parent of a Grade 3 student
Questions You May Be Asking
Who is this book for?
This book is for parents who are concerned about their child’s reading and want to understand what may be getting in the way—and what they can do to help. It is especially helpful for parents of children struggling with decoding, fluency, spelling, or reading confidence.Is this only for students with dyslexia?
No, the ideas in this book can help many children who struggle with reading, whether or not they have been diagnosed with dyslexia. The focus is on the foundational skills children need in order to become more accurate, confident, and independent readers.Do I need teaching experience to use the ideas in this book?
Not at all. The book was written specifically for busy parents. The research and science of reading are explained in practical, easy-to-understand language, with ideas you can use to better understand your child’s needs and support their reading development. If you need clarification on any concepts or skills you are welcome to email me your questions.How will I receive the eBooks?
After you complete your purchase, your three eBooks will be delivered to you electronically by email, so you can begin reading and using them right away.
If you'd like to talk about your child's reading needs before deciding whether this eBook is right for you, visit LiteracyMasteryForKids.com to book a Reading Clarity Call.
Give Your Child a Clearer Path Forward
Get Accelerate Your Child's Reading Success plus both
Quick-Start Bonus Guides.
These three practical guides are designed to help you better understand and
support your child's reading.
All three eBooks will be delivered directly to your email.
Ricki Lane I Literacy Mastery for Kids
Email: [email protected]
LiteracyMasteryForKids.com
Privacy Policy I Terms & Conditions
