Autism, Neurodiversity and Me
#7 Supporting reading with Angela Charalambous from the Workshop Reading Centre
This episode of the podcast is all about supporting children with reading and my special guest is Angela Charalambous, a reading specilaist from the Workshop Reading Centre in Johannesburg.
A child’s reading ability will have a huge impact on all areas of learning.
Angela discusses different strategies to support a child to enjoy reading and feel more confident!
Classroom strategies to support children who have reading difficulties
Making learning multisensory
Using visual supports such as pictures and objects
Enabling children to present their work in different formats
Using the child's interests
Accommodating sensory needs and ensuring child is comfortable
Breaking down work into manageable chunks
Revisiting learning
Giving an outline of lesson and tasks
Giving explicit instructions
Maintain a love of reading
Read with the child in 3 different areas:
Easy material for the child such as a simple book below age level, in order to boost confidence
Reading age appropriate material
Reading at a challenging or above age level, perhaps in the child’s area of interest to ensure their motivation
Parents and carers, continue reading with your child as long as you can, especially themes that are of interest to the child. Spending time reading with parents supports to manifest a love of reading.
Ensuring children’s confidence in their reading is key
Thank you Angela!
Visit the Workshop Reading Centre website to find out more information about the assessments, dyslexia screening, Cellfield intervention and workshops for parents and teachers that Angela mentioned in the podcast episode.