The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a B次元官网网址渟erious public health concernB次元官网网址� that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.
New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner B次元官网网址� when itB次元官网网址檚 more effective B次元官网网址� as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.
The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.
Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.
Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the societyB次元官网网址檚 mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.
B次元官网网址淐ollaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,B次元官网网址� McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Hospital.
B次元官网网址淩eading, yes, itB次元官网网址檚 education, but itB次元官网网址檚 also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.B次元官网网址�
McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.
But he said questions about reading could be B次元官网网址渁 standing itemB次元官网网址� in checkups and he hoped the societyB次元官网网址檚 statement to medical professionals who care for children B次元官网网址渆nhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the childB次元官网网址� while spurring partnerships with others involved in a childB次元官网网址檚 life such as teachers and psychologists.
The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.
He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.
B次元官网网址淓vidence-based reading instruction shouldnB次元官网网址檛 have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淢y hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,B次元官网网址� he said.
McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is B次元官网网址渄efinitely beneficial and advantageousB次元官网网址� to know where a child is at, B次元官网网址渂ut having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be a barrier to intervention starting.B次元官网网址�
McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ight to Read Inquiry ReportB次元官网网址� from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.
He called the new guidelines B次元官网网址渁 big reminderB次元官网网址� to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.
B次元官网网址淓arly identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a childB次元官网网址檚 life.B次元官网网址�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
