We Tried Everything to help our child’s reading… Until This Finally Worked
Last April, a mom reached out about her son, Thomas. He was in 3rd grade. Bright, curious, great with people and conversations. The kind of kid who seemed mature for his age, and could explain things in great detail. Despite this, reading was still really hard.
Thomas’ mom shared that in 1st grade, he was just a little behind, but the teacher assured them that he would catch up, and they weren’t too worried about it.. With some extra support at school, he had made some encouraging progress by the end of 2nd grade, but was still reading below grade level. Once he hit 3rd grade, he was expected to read and respond to longer, more complex texts. He was still struggling to get through text and expending most of his energy on sounding out the words, which made it really hard for him to comprehend what he was reading.
He would get stuck on words that he had seen before. Reading out loud was slow and frustrating. Homework that should have taken 20 minutes often stretched much longer and turned into a meltdown. And the hardest part?
He was trying.
“We’ve tried everything.”
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That was one of the first things she said.
His parents were diligent and involved. They had Thomas read aloud to them every night before bed.
They had practiced sight words and reviewed material that had come home from school, and they even sent him to Kumon for reading practice for a few months.
Sometimes his reading would improve slightly… and then plateau again.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t making ANY progress, but the process was discouraging and slow, and didn’t seem to match his high verbal intelligence and overall potential.
“He’s working so hard,” she said. “I just don’t understand why it’s not clicking.”
Looking a Little Closer
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When we started working together, one of the first things we did was slow things down and really look at how he was reading.
What became clear pretty quickly was this:
He didn’t have a reliable way to figure out unfamiliar words.
So instead, he was:
● guessing based on the first letter
● using pictures and context to fill in gaps
● relying on memory when he could
This worked… until it didn’t.
As he got older and texts got more complex, those strategies stopped being enough. It was clear that something had changed. He had always been a little behind, but now he was fumbling through 3rd grade books with a lot more difficulty and frustration than they had ever seen.
Even worse, it was affecting his confidence. This bright, curious 9-year-old, who loved learning and was a total delight to talk to, was getting discouraged about school.
A Different Starting Point
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Instead of continuing with more practice in the same way, we shifted the focus.
We started working on the underlying structure of reading:
● How sounds connect to letters and letter teams
● When each letter team makes its different sounds.
● How to approach unfamiliar words step-by-step
● How to understand spelling rules and morphology (word origins).
Everything was taught explicitly, in a clear sequence, with lots of support along the way.
At first, it felt slower.
But it was also more solid.
The Early Changes
The first noticeable shift wasn’t speed.
It was how he approached words.
Instead of guessing, he started pausing and trying to work them out.
Sometimes he got them right. Sometimes he didn’t. But the process was changing.
And that mattered.
Because for the first time, he had a strategy that didn’t depend on memorizing or guessing.
A Few Weeks In
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Thomas started looking forward to his reading sessions. After a few weeks of consistent work, his mom mentioned something small but meaningful.
“He didn’t get upset during reading last night.”
Before, reading had often come with frustration, avoidance, and sometimes shutdown.
Now it felt… more manageable.
Why Summer Made a Difference
As we moved into a more consistent summer schedule, things started to build more quickly.
Without the fatigue and schedule of the school day, Thomas was able to do more frequent sessions, and he had more capacity to learn. He was able to:
● Show up to his sessions energized and ready to learn
● Get 1-1 instruction tailored to his exact needs
● Build and keep momentum from one session to the next, making much faster progress
● Spend most of his summer playing and being a kid, with just a few hours of reading a week that skyrocketed his progress.
That consistency made a noticeable difference.
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Where Things Landed
By the end of the summer, he wasn’t a “perfect” reader.
But he was a different reader.
He started the summer reading at a mid-second-grade level, and ended the summer reading at a mid-3rd-grade level. In such a short time, especially compared to the results they had gotten with other approaches - this was a huge win!
He could approach unfamiliar words with more confidence.
He relied less on guessing.
Reading felt less overwhelming, and more doable.
And maybe most importantly, he was excited to go back to school in the fall. He was proud of himself and felt confident entering the classroom.
His mom said,
“It finally feels like we’re on the right track.”
What Was Different
For this student, the shift didn’t come from trying harder.
It came from:
● Reinforcing the foundations of reading
● Using a research proven, step-by-step approach
● Having consistent, targeted instruction over time
● Working with an expert reading specialist who could tailor the lessons to his exact needs.
That combination is what allowed things to start clicking.
A Note for Other Parents
If this story feels familiar in any way, you’re not alone.
A lot of families we talk to have had similar experiences—putting in time and effort, and getting extra help at school but not seeing the progress they expected.
Sometimes it’s not about doing more.
It’s about doing something different.
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If You’re Thinking About Summer Support
For families in the Boulder area, there are a few options that focus on this type of structured, individualized reading instruction.
At Spectrum School for Individualized Learning, summer sessions provide:
● 1-1 support from expertly trained reading specialists
● A research proven, structured literacy approach (Orton-Gillingham)
● Consistent instruction to build momentum and maximize progress
If you’re curious about whether something like this might be a fit, you can learn more here:
👉 https://www.spectrumschoolcolorado.com
Want to download our free parent guide? Click here.
Want to schedule a free call with us? Click here.
You are welcome to simply reach out with questions - we are happy to provide resources and point you in the right direction. Sometimes just talking through your child’s situation can help clarify next steps.
Sponsored By: Spectrum School For Reading and Dyslexia
