Your Child Is A Struggling Reader: An Action Plan For Concerned Parents

When a child suddenly struggles with reading, parents become frustrated. The first (and mostly wrong) assumption is that the child is lazy or not trying enough. However, we need to understand that reading is the product of many systems (visual, cognitive, and developmental) working together.

A mismatch or breakdown in any of these systems will make reading unusually hard, even for children who are otherwise capable. Early, targeted assessment is key to identifying and addressing the root causes of reading difficulties. This article helps you spot the signs and understand the likely causes, so that you know how to help struggling readers.

Why some children struggle to read - and it’s not about intelligence

Reading is a complex process that relies on two core skills working together: sounding out words (matching letters to sounds and blending them into whole words) and visual–cognitive processing (recognising letters and interpreting the meaning of the words). When even one of these areas struggles to keep up, learning difficulties set in.

Dyslexia, for instance, is a learning-related condition that affects how the brain processes written language. According to the Cleveland Clinic, dyslexia is not a measure of a child’s intelligence. In fact, many children with dyslexia have average or above-average reasoning and problem-solving abilities; their brain simply approaches written words in a different and less automatic way. The most common form, known as developmental dyslexia, is lifelong, yet children can make meaningful progress and learn to read more comfortably with the right support, teaching strategies, and early intervention.

The other cause of reading difficulty is visual in nature. Inefficiencies in eye tracking, focusing, or eye teaming can disrupt the flow of reading and may mimic dyslexia. That’s why it’s important to rule out common visual factors before assuming a learning disorder.

Sometimes, a routine vision assessment may show results that appear perfectly normal, yet a child still finds reading unusually challenging. In many of these cases, the difficulty lies in how the brain interprets what the eyes see or in how well the body coordinates visual and motor control during reading and learning tasks. In such situations, a detailed functional vision assessment is the next essential step.

Signs that your child may be a struggling reader

Most parents notice subtle signs, such as a reluctance to read at home or skipped words in homework. When these patterns persist, they may point to an underlying visual or cognitive processing challenge. If you spot these early indicators, develop a struggling reader action plan to help determine when to seek proper evaluation.   

Some common signs include:

• Avoidance and frustration during reading

A child who once enjoyed stories may now resist reading altogether, losing interest quickly, or saying things like “I’m just not good at this.” Often, that reaction stems from visual strain or fatigue rather than lack of effort.

• Slower progress than classmates

You may find your child’s friends moving on to chapter books while yours still wrestles with shorter sentences. When effort is present but progress stalls, it’s worth taking a closer look to see if a visual or processing difficulty could be contributing to the issue.

• Difficulty connecting letters to sounds

When a child can’t remember that “b” says /b/, can’t think of rhyming words like “cat” and “hat,” or struggles to split “dog” into /d/ /o/ /g/, it points to challenges with decoding and sound recognition.

• Guessing instead of reading

A child may look at a picture or sentence and guess “light” for “candle” or “pony” for “horse.” This means they rely on context rather than breaking down the word, which signals a decoding gap.

• Good listening but weak aloud reading

Some children understand everything when you read to them, but stumble when reading the same passage themselves. In most cases, it is a sign that the brain is processing meaning well, but it’s struggling to coordinate the visual and phonetic parts of reading.

• Losing place or skipping lines

If your child re-reads lines, loses their spot mid-sentence, or complains of tired eyes, these may be signs of eye-tracking or focus difficulties. When a child skips words while reading, it often indicates a functional vision problem rather than a lack of attention.

What to do next

If you notice these signs, the best course of action is to seek an immediate assessment rather than waiting. Reading disorders require early intervention to help the child build fluency, comfort, and confidence with reading.

What are the deeper causes of reading difficulties?

When reading remains challenging despite the functional vision evaluation results coming  out as normal, there are three main areas to examine: 

Functional vision problems (how the eyes work)

Reading requires smooth coordination between both eyes. When that system struggles, words can seem to jump, blur, or move on the page. Difficulties in tracking (oculomotor control), focusing (accommodation), or eye teaming (convergence) can cause a child to lose their place while reading. 

These are not “eye diseases” in essence, but efficiency problems that make reading physically tiring. A comprehensive functional vision assessment helps uncover these difficulties. When followed by vision therapy, many children begin to read with greater ease and accuracy, as their visual coordination improves over time.

Visual processing weaknesses (how the brain interprets visual input)

Sometimes a child’s eyesight appears perfectly normal, but reading could still be a struggle. In such situations, the issue often lies in how the brain processes what the eyes take in; a condition known as a visual processing weakness. You might notice a child who reads smoothly yet can’t recall what was just read, or one who confuses words that look alike. 

The challenge isn’t with vision itself, but with the brain’s ability to organise and make sense of visual information. Exercises designed to improve memory and visual-spatial skills can make it easier for children to hold on to information and understand what they’re reading for longer.

Developmental coordination challenges (INPP)

Another hidden cause lies in early motor development. Some children retain primitive reflexes that should have been integrated in infancy. These primitive reflexes (movements that should have naturally faded) can affect coordination, posture, and attention as the child grows and could make it difficult to focus during reading. Through INPP-based screening (Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology), practitioners can identify retained primitive reflexes that affect reading performance.  

A targeted movement-based programme helps to support the integration of retained reflexes. This promotes improved physical coordination and readiness to learn. Parents often observe that as these reflexes begin to integrate, fidgeting reduces, and focus becomes more consistent. The child can then engage with reading more comfortably.

When to seek professional help if your child has reading challenges

Parents may first try home-based strategies such as extra reading practice or classroom support. However, if these approaches bring limited progress, it may be time to seek a multidisciplinary functional vision assessment.

You should consider seeking help if:

• Home and school support haven’t made a difference. When tutoring, reading apps, or class adjustments still don’t close the gap, it’s time to look for underlying causes.

• Physical signs appear while reading. Skipping lines, eye rubbing, or headaches often point to functional vision problems that routine school tests may overlook.

•  Reading triggers emotional distress. If your child begins to dread homework or shows anxiety before assignments, this could point to emotional fatigue.

• There’s a clear gap between ability and performance. Some children are articulate and quick thinkers, but struggle to decode text. Such a mismatch often signals a visual or processing challenge.

• Family history suggests risk. Learning conditions such as dyslexia can be inherited. Research shows that children with a parent or sibling affected by dyslexia have a significantly higher likelihood of developing similar reading difficulties. In such instances, early screening is necessary.

If these patterns sound familiar, consider arranging a multidisciplinary assessment that evaluates visual function, visual processing, and developmental coordination. Identifying the actual cause early allows your child to get tailored intervention before the condition worsens.

How Orthovision Singapore can help your child with reading

It can be worrying when your child finds reading unusually hard, but improvement is possible when the root causes are identified early. At Orthovision Singapore, we take a comprehensive approach, beginning with a close look at how your child’s visual and cognitive systems are working together. This helps us understand why reading feels challenging and what can be done to make it more comfortable and efficient.

Step 1: Comprehensive Visual Cognitive Assessment

After an in-depth discussion about your child’s reading challenges, we carry out a Comprehensive Visual Cognitive Assessment. This evaluation examines the functional aspects of vision; how the eyes track, focus, and work together, as well as the perceptual processes that allow the brain to interpret visual information accurately and consistently.

Beyond standard eyesight checks, the evaluation includes measures of visual processing, depth perception, eye-teaming, accommodation, and convergence. These elements clarify whether visual efficiency issues may be contributing to challenges with reading or sustained near-work tasks.

The assessment also incorporates INPP screening for neuro-motor maturity. This combined approach, unique to Orthovision in Southeast Asia, provides a comprehensive understanding of how visual and cognitive, as well as sensory-motor systems, interact during learning. 

Step 2: Personalised Intervention Plan

Based on the results, we design a personalised programme through our Integrated Cognitive Orthoptic Remediation (I-CORE) system. The plan may include vision therapy for reading, guided in-clinic sessions, and practical home activities that strengthen eye coordination and sensory integration. Programmes are usually delivered in focused blocks, followed by progress reviews and simple home routines to help sustain improvement over time.  

For children who present with signs that their primitive reflexes have not fully integrated, we incorporate targeted support through our INPP-based approach. Retained reflexes can contribute to Neuro-Developmental Delay (NDD), making it harder for children to sit still, coordinate movements, stay focused, or manage sensory input.

At Orthovision Singapore, our goal is to improve visual efficiency, coordination, and reading comfort through clinically guided, non-invasive methods rooted in optometric and neuro-developmental principles. Check out our services to learn how personalised therapy programmes can support your child’s visual and learning progress.