Was your late talker also a late reader?

[SarahBear]

Violet wasn't a particularly early talker, but once she started, language quickly became a strength. She's 4 now and not reading, but has some really strong pre-literacy skills. She can also recognize a few words and when pushed, can sound out some simple words. I generally don't push her, but suspect that she'll learn to read with relative ease.

My son is 22 months and while he has said possibly more than 20 words, he really isn't talking yet. He has a few words he says on a regular basis, but mostly communicates with non-verbal means and signs. I wonder if reading for him will be a bit more of a challenge as well.

What's your experience with language development compared to reading development with your own kids?

 

[lau86]

I know my ds1 was a late talker, he was non verbal at two and picked up around 2.5. I'd say he caught up by 3 though. I don't know how other children are doing compared to him but his teacher said he was reading well at parents evening. He is nearly 5.5 and one of the oldest in his class

 

[CaptainMummy]

Paige wasn't early to start talking but she picked it up really quickly from about 18/19 months and was ahead of most of her peers by 2.
She is right where she should be with her reading, which is great as she is one of the youngest in her class. She isn't in the top group for reading (some in her class are ridiculously good readers!) but she is at the same stage as the majority and the teacher is happy with no concerns.

eta both of my youngest were extremely quick talkers, especially dd3, so who knows how they will fare when they start school!

 

[sabby52]

Declan had words but didnt really develop his talking until he was about 3, he had to have speech therapy for a few months when he was 3-4 years old, his school dont start reading until half way through primary one, age 5 (reception in england) by December the same year, age 6 (so about 7-8 months) he was a free reader and could read anything. Now at 9 he has a reading level of 140 (the average for his age being 98).
Daniel was exactly the same as Declan, he had words but didnt develop his talking until about 3-4 year old, Daniel had intense speech therapy, one 1 hour session once a week for 6 months but his reading was average, he didnt read as quickly as Declan, but the difference between my two is that Declan loves reading Daniel didnt. Tbh I think reading is like marmite, they either love it or loathe it and how quickly reading skills develop depends on how much they enjoy it x

 

[Eleanor ace]

My DS had some speech delay and is a bit behind his peers with his reading in comparison to his peers, though he is one of the youngest in his class (but others who have birthdays around the same time are further ahead on reading levels). He was reading simple books mid way through Reception, so when he was about 4.5.
DD1 (3 years 9 months) was verbal earlier (not early but earlier than DS) and isn't reading yet but recognizes some words and quite a few letters and is getting along with simple decoding.

 

[jd83]

Both of my boys started talking after 18+ months, and didn't really pick up a lot of words until 20+ months.

Jaxon also had 2 yrs of speech therapy, preschool and kindergarten. His reading skills are phenomenal. He and 2 other kids in the 1st grade are pulled out of their classes for a special reading group because they are so far above where the rest of the 1st graders are.

Colton is 4, so reading isn't something I expect from him. I read to him. We do letter and number recognition exercises, since he's learning letters right now. Honestly, I don't think he will excel as much with reading as his brother. He'll probably be an average reader, just from the differences I can see in them as far as how easily Jaxon picked up some of these skills vs how much longer it's taking Colton. Which is perfectly fine. Everyone has their own skills.

 

[embo216]

My youngest is 4 next month and has extreme speech and language delay, he attends a specially funded nursery where he receives daily therapy to help him. I also had extreme speech delay and really didn't catch on with talking till nearly 7! I got some speech therapy but not a scrape on what he's lucky enough to receive and my reading and writing didn't struggle. I struggled on being able to convey what I meant but not understanding and picking it up.

I have 2 older children who's speech was relatively on track and they haven't picked up reading quickly but now a few years down the line they're finally where they should be pretty much.

What I'm trying to say it's a mixed bag I think and really depends on the child.

 

[lindseymw]

Joshus was a late talker, he didn't start speaking until he was 2.5 years old. He had speech therapy for around a year.

His reading level is very high. He was reading before he started school and was put in the gifted list within a few weeks of starting Reception.

Jacob was a 'normal' talker and his reading level is very good (not as high as Joshua, he couldn't read when he got to school but has picked it up very quickly)

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

My son has hyperlexia so hard to tell. My daughter was slower at reading but early talker x

 

[sequeena]

Thomas started to talk at 18 months but only started talking more in the last year so 4/5. He can't yet read at 5.5 but can recognise certain words like his name, police etc. He will be a later reader as my cousins 4.5 year old has her first reading books from school and can read them.

 

[SarahBear]

It amazes me how early the UK expects kids to read. Here in the US, reading instruction doesn't start until 5 and even then, that's early for what research indicates is best. It amazes me that the UK starts it at 4! That's crazy!

 

[sequeena]

I'd never thought much of it as I've been completely fine starting that early but watching my little cousins learn that curriculum it worries how much they're expected to do. They have homework pretty much every night. Thomas is learning from a different curriculum so he's not expected to do anything near what they do. At home we barely do anything school related. He has no homework, and he won't even tell me what he does at school. I read to him and we do colouring and crafts but it's all focused on play and I much prefer it that way.

 

[SarahBear]

I'd never thought much of it as I've been completely fine starting that early but watching my little cousins learn that curriculum it worries how much they're expected to do. They have homework pretty much every night. Thomas is learning from a different curriculum so he's not expected to do anything near what they do. At home we barely do anything school related. He has no homework, and he won't even tell me what he does at school. I read to him and we do colouring and crafts but it's all focused on play and I much prefer it that way.

That's the way it should be for ALL kids, not just those with special needs. While there are some kids who can learn and pick it up fine, it's not developmentally appropriate to expect it at that age. I wish the school system could provide an individualized education for every student that focuses on what those students are developmentally ready to learn regardless of age. Yeah, I know it's idealistic, but that's a large part of why I plan to homeschool my kids. Right now, Violet is in preschool because that school is in line with my educational philosophy. She'll go there next school year as well and after that she'll be kindergarten age (In the US, Kindergarten is just the first year of regular public school). I think Violet would actually do OK in school, but we're going to at least skip kinder since it's become very developmentally inappropriate.

 

[Natsku]

Maria was a late talker (no words at all until 19 months) but caught up fairly quickly from by about two and a half. She's nearly 6 now and can't read at all except to recognise her name but that's not surprising as she hasn't started school yet. I've been trying to teach her to read in English using 'The ordinary parents' guide to teaching reading' but haven't got beyond the first two lessons yet. She wants to read (desperately!) but isn't ready to learn yet I think.

I think UK children learn far too young but English is a more complex language so its going to take longer to learn it compared to Finnish for example (they start learning in the 1st grade and most are fluent readers and writers by the end of the first term)

 

[SarahBear]

An older study was carried out by Carleton Washburn, the famed Evanston, Illinois, educator. He introduced children to formal instruction in reading at different grade levels from kindergarten to 2nd grade. The children who were introduced to reading at these three levels were then retested in junior high school. The assessors didn’t know the grade at which each child had learned to read. Washburn found little difference in reading achievement among the groups. The children who had been introduced to formal instruction in reading later than the others, however, were more motivated and spontaneous readers than those who had begun early. Similar findings were reported in the Plowden Report in England, which compared children from the informal schools of rural areas with children who attended the more formal schools of urban centers.

https://educationnext.org/much-too-early/

 

[SarahBear]

Maria was a late talker (no words at all until 19 months) but caught up fairly quickly from by about two and a half. She's nearly 6 now and can't read at all except to recognise her name but that's not surprising as she hasn't started school yet. I've been trying to teach her to read in English using 'The ordinary parents' guide to teaching reading' but haven't got beyond the first two lessons yet. She wants to read (desperately!) but isn't ready to learn yet I think.

I think UK children learn far too young but English is a more complex language so its going to take longer to learn it compared to Finnish for example (they start learning in the 1st grade and most are fluent readers and writers by the end of the first term)

I think it being more complex is an argument to start later. It requires higher cognitive skills than a simpler language. I remembered some country starting formal instruction around 7 and having better results. Was that Finland that starts formal instruction around 7? I encourage reading with Violet and she goes to preschool, but I never put too much pressure on her. I do tell her that I think she's ready to learn to read if she wants to and I've had her decode simple words with help. However, we're missing that last piece of her feeling ready. And that's OK! She's only 4. I plan to go on like this until she's actually ready to learn to read... Well actually, I think she is learning to read. Learning pre-literacy skills IS learning to read. It's just the early stages. But anyway, I will not be putting her in kindergarten, so we can continue with this until she's 6, nearly 7. At that point, we can either continue as we are, or she can go to school. I would like to homeschool, but I have a feeling that Violet will want to go to school and would probably do well there. If not, then we'll just home school and she'll learn at her own rate.

(On a completely separate note, but linked by the country of Finland, I'm getting a Finnish Spitz this year and I'm excited about it!)

 

[lau86]

It's like with swimming, I started my son swimming at three and a year later he was still going up and down with his float. Now he is 5 he is making much better progress, I think more because he is older rather than his earlier experience. I might be wrong. They'll all catch up in the end, the older starters will get it quicker. It doesn't seem to be harming my son at the moment but he only gets one book twice a week. My friends daughter gets a new book each night and more homework on top. I wouldn't be happy to do all that

 

[Zephram]

It really depends on the child, to be honest, how early or late is appropriate for them to start reading and writing. My son is 4 and quite precocious and he would absolutely drink up learning to read and write at school right now. In NZ school doesn't start until 5 so he doesn't have the opportunity yet. We learn casually at home but he's very motivated by his peers and he would do well in school already. They are proposing to allow 4 year olds to start school if appropriate here instead of waiting until 5 and I would absolutely send him at 4 (they are proposing to leave it up to the parent whether they start at 4 or 5. I hope it goes through). He can't start school until his 5th birthday at the end of October and I think it's a total waste as he is ready now.

 

[SarahBear]

It really depends on the child, to be honest, how early or late is appropriate for them to start reading and writing. My son is 4 and quite precocious and he would absolutely drink up learning to read and write at school right now. In NZ school doesn't start until 5 so he doesn't have the opportunity yet. We learn casually at home but he's very motivated by his peers and he would do well in school already. They are proposing to allow 4 year olds to start school if appropriate here instead of waiting until 5 and I would absolutely send him at 4 (they are proposing to leave it up to the parent whether they start at 4 or 5. I hope it goes through). He can't start school until his 5th birthday at the end of October and I think it's a total waste as he is ready now.

I'm all for letting kids learn when they're ready. My issue is with forcing them to start when they're not ready.

 

[Natsku]

Maria was a late talker (no words at all until 19 months) but caught up fairly quickly from by about two and a half. She's nearly 6 now and can't read at all except to recognise her name but that's not surprising as she hasn't started school yet. I've been trying to teach her to read in English using 'The ordinary parents' guide to teaching reading' but haven't got beyond the first two lessons yet. She wants to read (desperately!) but isn't ready to learn yet I think.

I think UK children learn far too young but English is a more complex language so its going to take longer to learn it compared to Finnish for example (they start learning in the 1st grade and most are fluent readers and writers by the end of the first term)

I think it being more complex is an argument to start later. It requires higher cognitive skills than a simpler language. I remembered some country starting formal instruction around 7 and having better results. Was that Finland that starts formal instruction around 7? I encourage reading with Violet and she goes to preschool, but I never put too much pressure on her. I do tell her that I think she's ready to learn to read if she wants to and I've had her decode simple words with help. However, we're missing that last piece of her feeling ready. And that's OK! She's only 4. I plan to go on like this until she's actually ready to learn to read... Well actually, I think she is learning to read. Learning pre-literacy skills IS learning to read. It's just the early stages. But anyway, I will not be putting her in kindergarten, so we can continue with this until she's 6, nearly 7. At that point, we can either continue as we are, or she can go to school. I would like to homeschool, but I have a feeling that Violet will want to go to school and would probably do well there. If not, then we'll just home school and she'll learn at her own rate.

(On a completely separate note, but linked by the country of Finland, I'm getting a Finnish Spitz this year and I'm excited about it!)

Good point, but that does mean that children will miss out on reading for longer, but if it makes them better and more willing readers then that's better.

Yeah they start teaching reading at 7 here (1st grade), there will be pre-literacy things in preschool the year before (Maria starts this autumn - she's very excited!)

I love Finnish Spitzs, they are freaking adorable!