Not all reading help is equal. If your child has dyslexia, the type of support they receive matters enormously and the research is clear about what works.
Dyslexia is characterised by difficulties in phonological processing which is the cognitive ability to perceive, remember, and manipulate the sounds of spoken language. That’s why generic reading practice often isn’t enough. What genuinely helps is structured, explicit, evidence-based instruction, delivered systematically and consistently. A meta-analysis of students aged 6–17 found reading comprehension difficulties were driven primarily by weaknesses in decoding and oral language which are the exact foundations that targeted intervention is designed to strengthen.
Best practice internationally follows a tiered model (MTSS): high-quality instruction for every child, targeted small-group support for those who need more, and intensive, individualised intervention for children with persistent difficulties. The problem? Research shows many children with dyslexia never receive that intensive third tier. Recommended accommodations, including assistive technology, are frequently viewed as “unnecessary” and left unimplemented, even when a child clearly needs them.
This is exactly the gap that specialist, one-to-one support is designed to fill. Children with dyslexia can and do learn to read and spell well but they need instruction matched to how their brains process language, delivered by someone who understands the condition.
At Read Well Spell Well, that’s what we do. Our support is structured, explicit and evidence-based, tailored to your child’s specific needs, and focused on the decoding and spelling skills that unlock confident reading and confidence itself.
Give your child support that’s proven to work. Book an assessment and start your child on a path to reading and spelling with confidence.
References
Searle, E., Daniel, R., & Hart, K. J. (2026). “Falling through the cracks”: parents’ perceptions of a dyslexia diagnosis and support in Australian primary schools. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2026.2666754
Georgiou, G. K., et al. (2022). A meta-analytic review of comprehension deficits in students with dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-021-00244-y
Miciak, J., & Fletcher, J. M. (2020). The critical role of instructional response for identifying dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and Australian structured-literacy recommendations as cited in Searle et al. (2026): Hunter et al. (2024, Grattan Institute); Leslie (2025).
Note: References marked “as cited in Searle et al. (2026)” are secondary sources drawn from the primary article; consult the original for full citation details.