Why Can't My Son Read?: Success Strategies for Helping Boys With Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties

by Michael Richard Hurst, Michael Richard Hurst

Why Can't My Son Read? offers a practical view of dyslexia written for parents of boys who struggle with reading. Boys are kept back in schools at twice the rate of girls, they get expelled from preschool nearly five times more often than girls, they are diagnosed with learning disorders and attention problems at nearly four times the rate of girls, and they do less homework and get a greater proportion of low grades. This book will teach parents the components of the reading process, along with exploring the intersection of reading, attention, and executive functions. The importance of competition and active engagement for boys with dyslexia is dissected by looking at both sides of the competition debate. Specific checklists and guidelines to support boys' reading improvement are provided, and an additional chapter is included for parents seeking special education services for their sons, with "tricks of the trade" to get and keep the process moving.

187 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the strengths of this book is the authors' ability to translate theory into practice: because the root cause is A, practice B fits the situation, because of reason C. Also helpful and the glossary and suggested books for various ages. Recommended.

[Cynthia Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with fabulous information and techniques. A must read!

[Erik Zweigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because child literacy means the world to me. Growing up as second-oldest in a family with 5 children and being the only one with a passion for reading I attribute many of the benefits gleaned from reading to my personal higher education achievements, financial independence, and employment opportunities, to name a few. When my son's local public school offering suggested that he meets their eligibility criteria for special education specifically related to autism spectrum disorder to say that I was incredulous would be an extreme understatement after watching him develop for the prior 5 years.

So much of this book hits home for me in dealing with the school district and trying to help them see that behavior issues in his case do not mean a learning disability. After their comprehensive initial assessment I knew that I had to go "all-in" and become more heavily involved. While this book does an amazing job explaining the nuts and bolts that boys will need to learn to read while providing great resources for parents to help I found the final chapter "Becoming your Son's Advocate" to be a very accurate description of dealing with your local education authority.

We have begun playing quiz games with the common 200 sight words and my son enjoys it along with the sixty second challenge. At 5 years old we are mostly playing alphabetic principle games but I'm confident the entire chapter of "What Parents Can Do" will be a valuable resource for the next few years. Honestly, many of these games/techniques don't need to be targeted towards children with a learning disability. They are so useful that any parent who wants to be actively involved in their child's literacy can reference this book as a valuable resource. Unfortunately, the title of the book may prevent many parents from picking it up, there is a bit of humility required to keep this on your bookshelf. I have already been party to poorly phrased "is everything alright" inquiries of dubious sincerity. But whatevs, it's a keeper.