November 30, 2025

I assessed a 5-year-old for reading the other day, and what I saw was heartbreaking and frighteningly common.

She sat there with her book, doing everything she had been taught to do.

Sounding out. Stretching sounds. Breaking words apart into tiny fragments.

Her little brow was furrowed with effort. Her voice was tight and mechanical. Her finger jabbed at each letter as if she were deciphering a code rather than reading a story.

By the time she reached the end of the sentence, the meaning had completely vanished.

No comprehension. No flow. No confidence. No joy.

Just effort. Just confusion. Just survival.

And the most alarming part? This wasn’t unexpected. This wasn’t rare. This is becoming the new normal for far too many children.

Let’s say it clearly. This is not reading. This is a child doing exactly what they were taught, yet understanding absolutely nothing.

Sounding Out Is Not Reading! It Never Has Been

Reading is about meaning. It is about understanding, connection, and the ability to see a story unfold in your mind.

If a child can read every word aloud but cannot tell you what they have just read, they are not reading. They are simply producing sounds.

We would never call this reading for an adult. We should not call it reading for a child.

And yet this is exactly how many children are being taught. Endless sounding out. Stretching sounds. Breaking words into pieces. Guessing from pictures. Guessing from the first letter. Working far too hard for very little return.

This is not reading. It is confusion disguised as instruction.

The Real Problem Starts Before Reading Even Begins

Children are being asked to read before they have something essential: certainty with the alphabet.

Not partial knowledge. Not sometimes knowing. Not “I know it if I’m feeling confident.”

They need absolute, automatic certainty. Without it, reading becomes unpredictable and overwhelming.

Instead of giving them that clarity, they’re pushed into strategies that create instability, stress, and guesswork.

No wonder so many children say, “I can’t read.” They are trying to read without the foundation they need.

How I Teach Reading And Why It Works

When I work with children, we begin with absolute clarity and certainty around the alphabet.

Once that foundation is secure, reading becomes calm, predictable, and meaningful.

The child slides their finger over the word, revealing each letter. If they know the word, they say it. If they do not know it, I tell them straight away.

There is no sounding out. No breaking apart. No blending. No tricks. No guesswork.

Only clarity, certainty, and understanding.

Children learn words as whole units, just as they learn to recognise objects in the world.

You do not teach a child to recognise a cat by showing them the whiskers on Monday, the ears on Wednesday, and the tail on Friday. You show them the whole cat.

Words work the same way. Whole. Consistent. Meaningful.

And Then There’s Spelling. Where the Unfairness Really Shows

If children are taught to break words into little bits when reading, why are we surprised when they spell words in exactly the same fragmented way?

I often see children spell the same word three different ways on one page.

Not because they are careless. Not because they are lazy. Not because they are not trying.

But because they are spelling exactly the way they were taught to process words: bit by bit, fragment by fragment.

Then they are corrected or told to “sound it out better.”

But how can they? They are already doing what they were taught.

This is contradictory. This is confusing. This is deeply unfair.

Children are expected to break words apart to read them, yet magically know the whole word when spelling.

Where is the consistency? Where is the clarity? Where is the certainty for kids?

This is not a child problem. It is an instructional problem.

Children deserve a reading and spelling approach that aligns with how they learn best.

What Children Actually Need Is Beautifully Simple

Children need certainty around the alphabet. A simple, reliable reading process. Whole-word learning. Immediate clarity when they don’t know a word. Reading that prioritises meaning, not mechanics. An approach that reduces stress rather than increases it.

Reading should not be exhausting. Reading should never be guesswork. Reading should not be fragmented.

Reading should be understanding. Reading should be connection. Reading should be meaning.

And children deserve an approach that honours this from the very beginning.

About the Author

Nikki Palamountain is an expert consultant specialising in dyslexia, ADHD and dyscalculia. She works with neurodiverse children, teens and adults who need clarity, confidence and meaningful progress in their learning. Nikki supports families who are searching for real answers, offering expert insight, practical tools and reliable guidance throughout the entire learning journey.

Through her highly individualised one-to-one programmes, Nikki delivers intensive, strengths-based, hands-on learning that builds strong foundations and genuine understanding. She works closely with parents and support people to ensure they know exactly how to continue supporting learning long after the programme ends.

Her clients finish with specialised strategies, renewed confidence and a sense of certainty that grows rapidly over the time they work together. Nikki’s mission is to help neurodiverse learners feel capable, supported and genuinely successful — not just for now, but for life.

Learn more at dyslexiaunpuzzled.com.