How Systematic Reading Instruction Transforms Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
Table of Contents
Intro
Understanding the Problem: Why So Many Kids Struggle to Read
The Science of Reading: What Systematic Instruction Really Means
Breaking Down the Building Blocks of Reading
The Power of Early and Targeted Assessment
Inside an Effective Reading Program
Working With Schools and IEPs
Key Takeaways for Parents and Educators
Conclusion
How Systematic Reading Instruction Transforms Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
Many children who struggle with reading or writing often carry the weight of thinking they are not smart enough. But the truth is, their struggles usually have nothing to do with intelligence. They simply have not been taught in the way their brains are wired to learn. This is especially true for children with dyslexia or dysgraphia, who need a more structured, step-by-step approach to master reading and spelling.
Daniela Feldhausen understands this deeply. After spending twenty-five years in corporate law, she made a bold decision to change careers and dedicate her life to helping struggling readers. Today, she is a reading specialist and the founder of Kids Up Reading Tutors, where she focuses on transforming how children learn to read and spell through research-based, systematic instruction.
In this post, we’ll explore what makes her approach so effective and how it helps children move from frustration to confidence.
Understanding the Problem: Why So Many Kids Struggle to Read
For many parents, it can be confusing to watch a bright, curious child struggle to read or write. They might wonder why their child can talk endlessly about dinosaurs or build intricate Lego creations, yet feel lost when faced with a simple paragraph. The answer often lies in how reading is taught and how each brain processes language.
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences affecting reading. It is a neurological condition that makes it difficult for a person to connect letters with their corresponding sounds, blend those sounds into words, and recognize words automatically. Children with dyslexia often read slowly, skip words, or reverse letters like “b” and “d.” They might also have trouble spelling, even when they can remember what a word looks like. Dysgraphia, on the other hand, affects a child’s ability to write clearly and organize thoughts on paper. This can show up as poor handwriting, inconsistent spacing, or difficulty putting ideas into written form.
Studies estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of the population shows signs of dyslexia, while dysgraphia is somewhat less common but often overlaps with dyslexia. Despite how widespread these learning differences are, many children go years without proper support simply because of how reading is taught in schools.
One of the biggest misconceptions about reading is that it is a natural skill, like speaking. Children learn to talk by listening to others, so it is easy to assume that reading happens the same way—with enough exposure, they’ll eventually “pick it up.” But reading is not natural. Unlike speech, it does not come automatically to the human brain. It must be taught explicitly, step by step, because reading requires building connections between sounds, letters, and meaning.
Research shows that while some children (about 30 percent) learn to read with minimal instruction, around 40 percent of students need direct, structured teaching to become fluent readers. For those with dyslexia or dysgraphia, the need for this explicit approach is even greater. Traditional classroom settings often cannot provide the level of individualized attention or the systematic instruction these students require. Lessons may move too quickly, focus on memorization instead of sound patterns, or skip essential foundational skills.
As a result, many bright students are left feeling frustrated, anxious, or ashamed, even though the problem lies not within them but in the method of instruction. Understanding this is the first step toward changing how we teach and how we help every child unlock the ability to read with confidence.
The Science of Reading: What Systematic Instruction Really Means
When a child struggles to read, the solution isn’t more memorization or guessing words from pictures. What truly helps is systematic reading instruction—a structured, evidence-based method that teaches reading as a series of interconnected skills. This approach is explicit, sequenced, and cumulative. Each lesson builds upon the last, guiding children step by step toward fluency and comprehension.
At its core, systematic instruction focuses on four essential areas: phonological awareness, phonics, morphology, and fluency. Together, these form the foundation of what researchers call the Science of Reading. It’s not a trend or a teaching fad; it’s decades of research showing how the brain learns to read effectively.
Another key principle behind this approach is the Simple View of Reading, which explains that: Reading Comprehension = Decoding × Language Comprehension.
In other words, a child needs both the ability to recognize and pronounce words (decoding) and the ability to understand what those words mean (language comprehension). When one of these components is weak, reading breaks down. Skilled teachers and tutors begin by identifying which area needs support so they can target instruction precisely where it’s needed.
If this part of reading science fascinates you, take a moment to listen to Daniela Feldhausen’s full podcast episode on “On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories.” She explains how this process works in real classrooms and why it has transformed the way she teaches.
Breaking Down the Building Blocks of Reading
Phonological Awareness
This is the foundation of reading. It’s a child’s ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken words. For example, recognizing that the word cat is made of three separate sounds—/k/, /a/, /t/. Without this skill, decoding words becomes nearly impossible.
Phonics
Once a child understands sounds, phonics connects those sounds to letters and letter combinations. Systematic instruction introduces these patterns one at a time—starting with simple consonant-vowel-consonant words before moving on to complex patterns like vowel teams (ai, ea) or silent e rules.
Morphology
This is where students learn how words are built. They study prefixes, roots, and suffixes to see how word parts carry meaning. For example, knowing that “un-” means “not” helps decode words like unhappy or unknown.
Fluency
Finally, all these skills come together to create fluency—the ability to read smoothly and effortlessly. When decoding becomes automatic, a reader’s focus shifts to understanding and enjoying what they read.
Systematic instruction leaves no gaps. Each concept is taught in a clear, intentional sequence so children don’t get lost or left behind.
If you’re curious to hear Daniela share real stories of how this method changes students’ lives, listen to the full conversation on the podcast. Her insights will give you a new appreciation for how powerful the science of reading can be.
The Power of Early and Targeted Assessment
Before effective instruction can begin, it’s important to understand what a child truly needs. Daniela Feldhausen starts every learning journey with a detailed assessment process that begins by talking with parents. She listens to their concerns, gathers background information, and learns about the child’s experiences with reading and writing. This first conversation often reveals patterns—such as when the child began struggling or what specific tasks seem most frustrating.
After this discussion, Daniela conducts a series of screening activities to evaluate phonological awareness, decoding skills, and spelling ability. These screenings help pinpoint the root of the difficulty. For some children, the issue lies in decoding, they struggle to recognize sounds and turn them into written words. For others, the problem may be with language comprehension, they can read words aloud but have trouble understanding their meaning.
This distinction matters because it determines the next step. If decoding is the main issue, systematic reading instruction can directly address it. But if comprehension is the challenge, a speech-language pathologist may need to step in to strengthen oral language skills.
Early and targeted assessment ensures that no time or effort is wasted. It allows educators and parents to give each child exactly what they need to thrive.
Inside an Effective Reading Program
An effective reading program doesn’t rely on guessing or memorizing words. It focuses on teaching students exactly how the written language works. This is the heart of Daniela Feldhausen’s approach at Kids Up Reading Tutors, where each lesson is structured, cumulative, and tailored to a child’s specific needs.
Instruction begins with the basics and builds step by step. Every concept is explicitly taught, practiced, and reviewed before moving on to the next. For example, a lesson might start by reviewing familiar sound-letter patterns before introducing a new one, such as a vowel team like ai in “rain.” Once mastered, students might move on to silent e rules or more complex word patterns. Each new layer connects to what they have already learned, ensuring understanding and confidence.
Daniela also integrates encoding (spelling) and decoding (reading) in every session. When children learn to spell, they’re reinforcing the same sound and letter relationships they use to read. For instance, they might compare hope → hoping or hop → hopping to understand why some words drop the “e” while others double the consonant. This builds pattern recognition and deepens mastery.
Another hallmark of an effective program is constant review and celebration of progress. Students regularly revisit previous lessons to keep skills sharp and build automaticity. Small achievements—like reading a full sentence smoothly or spelling a new word correctly—are acknowledged as major victories. These moments of success keep motivation high and show both the student and parent that growth is happening.
By teaching in a clear, sequential way, Daniela’s program helps students move from struggling with basic sounds to reading with ease and enjoyment. Over time, their fluency grows, their confidence strengthens, and they begin to see reading not as a source of frustration but as a skill they can master.
Working With Schools and IEPs
For many families, navigating the school system to get help for a struggling reader can be overwhelming. Understanding your rights and how to work with educators makes all the difference. Parents have the legal right to request an evaluation for a learning disability, such as dyslexia, by submitting a written request to their child’s school. This written request is important because it starts the official timeline for the school to respond and begin the assessment process.
Once a child is identified as needing extra support, the school can create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a similar support plan. However, not all IEPs are equally effective. One common challenge is that schools often face limited resources—too few specialized teachers, large groups of students, and not enough hours of instruction. This means that even well-meaning educators might not have the time or structure needed to give each child the focused, systematic instruction they require.
That’s where collaboration becomes essential. When tutors and schools coordinate their teaching approaches, students benefit from consistency. If both use the same phonics patterns, reading strategies, and progress goals, learning is reinforced across environments. Daniela Feldhausen has seen this collaboration double the rate of improvement for many students in her program.
If you want to hear Daniela share practical tips for how parents can work with schools and advocate for their children, listen to the full podcast episode on “On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories.” Her insights offer real-world examples of success and lessons learned from years of experience.
Parents can also take an active role by asking for clear, measurable goals, requesting regular progress updates, and ensuring that evidence-based instruction methods are being used. When families and educators work together, children get the consistent, structured support they need to succeed in reading.
Key Takeaways for Parents and Educators
Struggling readers need explicit, systematic, and individualized teaching. Children with dyslexia or dysgraphia don’t just “catch up” by reading more; they need step-by-step instruction that follows a clear sequence and builds mastery over time.
Strong literacy starts with phonological awareness, phonics, morphology, and fluency. These four pillars work together to help children connect sounds, letters, word meanings, and reading speed. When one is weak, progress slows, but when all are strengthened, reading becomes fluent and meaningful.
Assess before you instruct. A thorough assessment reveals what type of support a child needs. Without it, instruction can miss the mark. Daniela Feldhausen’s method always begins with understanding the learner first.
Collaboration between home, tutors, and schools accelerates progress. When everyone communicates — parents, teachers, and reading specialists — children receive consistent guidance and reinforcement.
Reading success isn’t about intelligence; it’s about instruction. Every child can learn to read with the right approach. Struggles with reading don’t define ability, they reveal how much the teaching method matters.
If you want to dive deeper into how systematic instruction transforms reading for children with dyslexia and dysgraphia, listen to the full podcast episode featuring Daniela Feldhausen on “On the Spectrum Empowerment Stories.”
Conclusion
Systematic reading instruction provides more than just skills—it gives children the structure and confidence they need to succeed. By breaking reading down into clear, manageable steps and teaching each component explicitly, students can move from frustration to achievement. This approach shows them that reading is not an impossible task, but a skill they can master with the right guidance.
The transformation is profound. When a child who once struggled with every word begins to read fluently and confidently, it is a moment of true empowerment. Parents and educators see the joy and pride that comes from conquering challenges that once seemed insurmountable. Every small victory—reading a sentence smoothly, spelling a tricky word correctly, or understanding a new concept—builds momentum and reinforces that progress is possible.
If your child is struggling to read, don’t lose hope. Look for programs that teach in a way that matches how their brain learns best. Systematic, explicit instruction can change the trajectory of a child’s literacy journey.