Parental Perceptions of Children's Reading Ability

Abstract

Parents play a key role in seeking support when their child is experiencing problems with spoken and/or written language. A key question is whether parents are able to identify the nature and extent of their child's difficulties. Here, we assessed children's text-level reading ability and parents' perceptions of these children's reading ability. Results showed that although the 10 children we assessed presented with a range of spoken and written language difficulties, parents significantly overestimated their child's reading performance (in terms of accuracy, comprehension and fluency). This is a striking finding and, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously in the literature. It suggests the need for a comprehensive assessment of reading ability when children present with suspected spoken and/or written language difficulties; at initial assessment, parents may not be accurate reporters of their child's reading ability. It is likely that parents of children with spoken and written language difficulties will need to be informed of their child's strengths and weaknesses in reading and directed towards effective intervention to ensure that their child reaches his or her potential with regard to literacy. Directions for future research in this area are discussed.