Ren Allen

">>My middle son (age 10 next month)
is still having a very hard time reading. >>"

Try to see him as "learning to read" not having "a very hard time
reading".
He's in the process, the process just looks very, VERY different from
child to child. I really wish I could back up my next statement with a
link, but I don't even remember where I read it at this point. You'll
just have to trust me;)(scary, I know).

I read once that the "average" ages for children to read are anywhere
between 3 and 12. That's AVERAGE. There were children that were
outside those "normal" parameters, either earlier or later (and
according to this research, it was NOT problematic for a child to be
later at all) but that our society has become so brainwashed by the
school system, most folks think 5-7 is "normal".

My Jared at age 10 was not reading. He was learning to read, but he
asked us to read EVERYTHING to him at that age. Everything.
Once we read his game cards over and over, he would remember them. He
could remember literally hundreds of cards, hundreds of game symbols
but he couldn't decipher the alphabet or written words.

To the world, he was a "non-reader". I could see he was learning more
and more as he asked about words, why they sounded a certain way,
where letters came from etc... He was curious.

Up until very recently (he was 12 in August) he didn't read fluently.
All of the sudden, he's not only reading better than his younger
sister (who has been reading much longer than him) he's writing and
typing.

He was just on the game "Kalonline" (which requires talking to other
players) and when I walked in the room the game was gone and a message
in my search bar said "it's all yours Mom". :)

He types messages all the time now!! He's asking how to spell things
all the time and is reading quickly.

Don't stress. Try to see your child as "learning", not having
"trouble". It will happen, just not on someone elses time table and
NOT nearly as well if you push.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com