My Child has Literacy Difficulties: How Speech Pathologists Help

Published: 19 January 2026

As a parent, watching your child struggle with literacy can be worrying. Maybe they're having trouble sounding out words, understanding what they read, or putting their thoughts into writing. The good news is, our trained speech pathologists are here to help!

When should I seek support from a Speech Pathologist?

It is best to seek help If your child is in school and is:

  • Struggling to learn letters and sounds (letter-sound recognition)

  • Having trouble with phonological awareness skills like blending (e.g., c-a-t = cat) and segmenting (dog = d-o-g)

  • Having trouble reading or writing compared to peers

  • Avoiding reading/writing tasks or expressing frustration

  • Identified as needing extra support with literacy tasks in school

How does a Speech Pathologist help?

Speech pathologists will conduct a literacy assessment with your child to identify strengths and areas for improvement. They will work on the foundational and underlying skills needed for literacy, such as:

  • Phonics & Sound Awareness: Breaking words into sounds and blending them together

  • Letter-sound recognition

  • Reading Comprehension: Understanding what they read

  • Writing Skills: Building sentences and structuring texts

  • Vocabulary: Learning new words and expanding language

How do Speech Pathologists support different ages?

  • Younger Primary School children (5-8 years): Phonological awareness games to learn blending and segmenting, sound-letter matching, simple reading activities

  • Primary School and early High School (9-12 years): Spelling skills and decoding, Reading comprehension strategies, writing short stories or poems

  • Older Children (13+ years): Writing persuasive texts, analysing texts, exam preparation strategies

Did you know? Speech Pathology literacy goals align with the NSW English curriculum, including:

  • Kindergarten to Year 2: Developing phonics, reading simple texts, writing sentences, spelling common words

  • Years 3-6: Understanding texts, creating texts, using language accurately, spelling strategies

  • Years 7-10: Analysing texts, writing persuasive and creative texts, refining language and spelling

How is this different to getting my child a tutor?

Speech pathologists bring a unique set of skills to literacy support that is different from tutoring. Tutors can be great for homework help or content-specific support, but if literacy struggles stem from underlying language skills, evidence shows that speech pathology is beneficial because:

  • Underlying Skills: Speech Pathologists focus on the underlying language skills that impact literacy, such as phonological awareness and decoding skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. This builds a stronger foundation to literacy success.

  • Tailored Approach: Standardised assessments help Speech Pathologists pinpoint specific areas of need, so therapy is tailored to your child's unique profile.

  • Language Expertise: Speech Pathologists are trained in language development and disorders, so understand how spoken and written language connect.

What is an approach used by Speech Pathologists?

A common program employed by Speech Pathologists to support literacy development is the Sounds Write program, requiring specific training. Sounds-Write is a structured, evidence-based phonics program that teaches children how spoken sounds (phonemes) link to written letters and letter groups (graphemes). It supports children to read and spell by understanding how words are built from sounds, rather than guessing or memorising. The program reduces cognitive load by teaching one new skill at a time.

Sounds-Write is effective because it is:

  • Explicit and systematic

  • Focused on strong foundations before more complex reading and spelling

  • Suitable for children with literacy difficulties as well as typically developing learners

  • Designed to develop independent reading and spelling problem-solving skills

  • Supports success, builds confidence, reduces anxiety, and promotes enjoyment of reading and writing.

Do you have specific questions related to your child? Get in touch with our friendly and skilled Leichhardt therapists to support your child’s literacy development and ensure their success!

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Written by Speech Pathologist Dana
Speech and Growth Clinic