Carly Axani SLP, 6105 Currents Drive NW, Southwest Edmonton, AB (2026)

I offer fun, functional and family-centered SLP services for children in the Edmonton area.

03/24/2026

BIGGEST mistakes I STILL see being made with struggling readers 👇

1️⃣ Teaching kids to GUESS words2️⃣ Skipping structured phonics instruction

Let’s talk about it…

If your child is being encouraged to “look at the picture,” “think about what makes sense,” or “just try something that sounds right”… that’s not reading. That’s guessing.

And here’s the problem: guessing might work for simple, predictable books… but it completely falls apart the second texts get more complex (hello grade 2+ 📉).

Strong readers don’t guess.They decode.

That means they:✔️ Look all the way through the word✔️ Map sounds to letters✔️ Blend the sounds together

This is what actually builds a brain that can read ANY word — not just memorize a few.

Now let’s talk about the second mistake…A lack of structured, explicit phonics instruction.

Reading is NOT something most kids just “pick up.”It needs to be:✨ explicit✨ systematic✨ cumulative

We have decades of research showing that structured literacy (including phonics) is the most effective way to teach children to read — especially for those who are struggling.

And yet… I still see kids every single week who are being sent home with leveled readers and guessing strategies — and parents are left wondering why reading feels so hard and their child isn’t ‘moving up in their levels’.

This is the stuff I wish more parents knew (and honestly… what I had to learn the hard way too).

If your child is struggling, it is NOT because they aren’t trying hard enough.They likely just haven’t been taught in the way their brain learns best.

📌 Follow along for evidence-based, real-life strategies you can actually use at home

03/21/2026

Okay don’t hate me… but we need to talk about “leveled readers.” 👀

I’m a speech-language pathologist… and also a mom of four. And these are the things I wish someone had told me earlier—because I learned them the hard way.

Every single week, I see children—smart, capable kids—who are being sent home with “leveled books.”
And their parents are doing everything right… reading every night, practicing, encouraging…

…and still asking me:
“Why is my child struggling to read in Grade 2?”

Here’s the truth:

👉 Leveled readers are based on the idea that children can use pictures, context, and “guessing strategies” to figure out words.
👉 But reading is not a guessing game.

We have known for decades that skilled reading depends on:
• phoneme–grapheme mapping
• decoding skills
• automatic word recognition through orthographic mapping

Not guessing from pictures or memorizing patterns.

Research has consistently shown that explicit, systematic phonics instruction is the most effective way to teach children to read—especially for those who struggle (National Reading Panel, 2000; Ehri, 2014; Castles, Rastle, & Nation, 2018).

So when I hear “they’re a Level L reader,” it doesn’t actually tell me:
❌ Can they decode unfamiliar words?
❌ Do they have strong phonological awareness?
❌ Are they building a robust word-reading system?

And those are the skills that matter.

If your child is struggling, it is not because you didn’t read enough with them.
It is not because they aren’t trying hard enough.

It’s because they may not have been taught in a way that aligns with how the brain learns to read.

And you deserve to know that.

🤍

Save this if you’ve ever felt confused about your child’s reading.
And tell me in the comments—has your child been sent home with leveled readers?

Address

6105 Currents Drive NW
Southwest Edmonton, AB
T6W2Z4

Telephone

+17808504327

Website

http://www.carlyaxani.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Carly Axani SLP posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Carly Axani SLP:

Carly Axani SLP