Reading Challenges and Difficulties

Readers have different needs at each developmental stage of reading. The table below briefly explains these stages and the needs of the reader, and is based on the work of J.S. Chall (1996). Related documents list common issues for children in stages one and two, and for children after stage two, along with tips for parents on how to help their child get past each type of difficulty.

• Stage 0. Prereading This is the "reading readiness" stage - Learners gain familiarity with the language and its sounds. A person in this stage becomes aware of sound similarities between words, learns to predict the next part in a familiar story, and may start to recognize a few familiar written words. Typically, readers achieve this level by age 6.
• Stage 1. Initial reading stage, or decoding stage - The learner becomes aware of the relationship between sounds and letters and begins applying the knowledge to text. This demonstrates the reader has achieved understanding of the critical concept that sounds are represented by letters and is learning sound-symbol correspondences and the alphabetic code. Typically developing readers reach this stage by the age of 6 or 7.
• Stage 2. Confirmation - The learner applies previous knowledge, developing speed and accuracy in word recognition while reading and thinking. At this point, the reader gives attention both to meaning and to the print, using them interactively to build their skills and fluency. Developing readers usually reach this stage around the age of 8.
• Stage 3. Reading to learn - At this stage, the motivation for reading changes. The reader has enough reading skills to begin to read text in order to gain information. A reader's vocabulary development accelerates at this point, resulting from an increased exposure to the written word. Typically developing readers reach this stage around the age of 9.
• Stage 4. Multiple viewpoints - The reader at this stage begins to analyze what they read, understand different points of view, and react critically to what they read. Typical readers are developing this skill set during the high school years, ages 14 to 19.
• Stage 5. Construction and judgment - At this stage, readers have learned to read selectively and form their own opinions about what they read; they construct their knowledge from that of others. This highest level of reading development is not usually reached until college age or later, and may, in fact, be achieved only by those who have an intellectual inclination to reach it.

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