Adult reading classes

Children who read and write just well enough to escape special attention at school are at risk of becoming adults with a permanent fear of the written word.

Teacher Ann Cook says many people who finish school without overcoming reading and writing difficulties believe they will never have another chance to change their circumstances.

Ms Cook has been helping people with reading difficulties since 2007. For two years she worked mostly with children aged six to 15, with adult students comprising less than 10 percent of her clientele. This year, the number of adults she is working with has increased dramatically, to around 40 percent of her business. She wants people to know that it is never too late to seek help.

“There’s a mentality that once you’re out of school, you’re finished with learning. I often speak to people in their 20s who think they have ‘missed the boat’, and more sadly I talk to a lot of 40-something adults who think it is too late for them to do anything about their issues relating to reading and writing.

“Nine times out of 10 they are bright, intelligent and articulate, but living in fear that someone will ask them to do something they can’t do. The saddest story I heard lately was a six-year-old telling his dad not to bother reading a book at bedtime any more, as the words he said weren't on the page.”

It is generally considered that one in 10 people will have problems with reading, but Ms Cook points out that the problems do not need to be severe to be significant.

“Generally speaking, the people I work with haven’t been through reading programmes in school because they don’t read badly enough. They may be a year or two behind their age group but they’re never bad enough to get help.

For a seven-year-old, reading a year behind their age is not too serious. For a 13-year-old reading two years behind, the difficulties really kick in.

“If I sat you in a Russian class for seven hours, how would you feel about going home and doing Russian homework?”

Such students may start thinking “It’s too hard”, or “I don’t care”, teachers may label them lazy, easily distracted or too interested in their friends, and the parents tend to accept the teacher’s view.

“I call it the learning gap, and that gap becomes more apparent after students leave school. The hands-on careers that used to be those students’ dream jobs – plumber, police officer, fireman – are now out of their reach because they all require a written test.”

Although the official view is that girls and boys are equally prone to reading difficulties, Ms Cook says anyone dealing with the problem first hand would say they see more boys than girls at about a 60:40 ratio.

She believes girls may have an advantage because they socialise in supportive groups where they can talk about problems and receive help. Boys’ relationships tend to revolve around what they are doing or planning, rather than discussing issues that bother them.