PARENT NEWS

Vol. 15 No. 1 January 2026

Reading Disabilities

 
IN THIS ISSUE

Devotion: Promises Kept


Special Education Article


Apps


Strategies/Tips/ Materials


Worthy Websites

 

Join us, as members of one body in Christ, and donate to help children with learning needs find success in Christian schools.

DEVOTION

Promises Kept


When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. – Hebrews 6:13-15


Abraham was promised by God to be the father of a great and mighty nation. This is an amazing promise made more amazing when you look at the facts of the situation. God made this promise to Abraham when he was a 100-year-old man. His wife Sarah was a spry and youthful 90 years old when she finally became pregnant, giving birth to the couple’s one and only son. We add to this amazing story when God tested Abraham’s faith by instructing him to sacrifice his long-awaited heir. But as I meditate on this passage, I am convinced that the most amazing thing about God’s promise was the fact that Abraham died without ever seeing it.


Abraham fathered Isaac who fathered Jacob. Jacob was the father of twelve sons. God used Joseph, one of the twelve sons, to lead Jacob’s entire family to Egypt to survive a severe famine. While there, Jacob’s family could have easily been interspersed into the population of Egypt. 

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION ARTICLE

 

Reading Disabilities

Reading disabilities can impact students in all grades and across the curriculum. Having an understanding of the different types of reading interventions available can allow parents to more effectively help their child at home. Let's Go Learn provides an overview and definition of the most commonly used reading intervention strategies and the importance of each one. Some of the strategies covered are phonemic and phonological awareness and instruction, foundational skills, explicit instruction, and oral reading. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and how it addresses individualized learning needs is also discussed. Click here to learn more.

APPS

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Teach Your Monster to Read is a literacy game that offers extra practice for students that struggle with phonics and decoding skills. The activities cover reading skills from letter identification and sounds to reading complete sentences. It is completely free if played on a computer, but there is a cost for playing on an app (Apple, Google Play, Amazon). Click here to learn more or get started.


The Reading Machine app is a free educational tool to help beginning and struggling readers learn to sound out words by modeling phonics and letter sounds. Features such as word lists from popular children's books, games, and a text-to-speech feature for words not in the app's dictionary are all included. Available on Apple for iPhone or iPad. Click here to learn more or here to download the app.

 

STRATEGIES/TIPS/MATERIALS

The National Center on Improving Literacy provides multiple resources and links for parents to access information on helping their child with literacy skills and getting them the help they need. Information on understanding dyslexia policy in specific states, screening for emergent literacy, dyslexia myths and facts, and how parents can partner with schools are topics covered on the site. Click here to learn more.


"10 Ways to Support Your Child's Literacy at Home", also by the National Center on Improving Literacy, is a short article that gives ten easy ways to help boost literary experiences with everyday activities. Learn more here.


Understood.org offers information on reading that may be helpful:


Types of Reading Disabilities


Signs of Dyslexia at Different Ages (Includes an option to watch a video of the article.)


Dyslexia Testing Results: What They Mean for Instruction and Supports

WORTHY WEBSITE

The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) has a parent section on it's website offering information on the many aspects of learning disabilities. In addition to reading disabilities and dyslexia, other learning disabilities, special education terms and definitions, help for parents on how to go about determining if a learning disability exists, and more, is covered. Click here to visit the site.

 
LUTHERAN SPECIAL EDUCATION MINISTRIES
 
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