If your child is struggling to read, you already know the clock feels like it’s ticking. New Australian research confirms your instinct is right.
Dyslexia is a lifelong, neurobiological condition affecting an estimated 5–15% of people, with difficulties in reading and spelling that persist even when a child is trying their hardest. Here’s the part every parent needs to hear: those difficulties don’t stay still. The influential Rose Report (2009) found that the gap between children with dyslexia and their peers can widen exponentially over time. Strong readers keep building vocabulary and knowledge, while children who struggle become increasingly disengaged and discouraged. A US study tracked students and found that the reading gap that appeared in Grade 1 was still there in Grade 9.
Why does early support matter so much? Because brain plasticity is at its peak during the early schooling years. When reading difficulties are identified and addressed early, children are far more likely to master decoding and develop fluency. This avoids the anxiety, low self-esteem and loss of confidence that so often follow years of falling behind.
The tragedy the research highlights is children “falling through the cracks” with their struggles masked and the window of opportunity quietly closing. It doesn’t have to be that way for your child.
At Read Well Spell Well, we provide targeted, evidence-based reading and spelling support built around how children with dyslexia actually learn. Early, structured intervention changes outcomes and lives.
Don’t wait for your child to catch up on their own. Book a consultation today at readwellspellwell.com.au and give your child the early support that makes all the difference.
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
Rose, J. (2009). Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties (The Rose Report). Department for Children, Schools and Families (UK).
Ferrer, E., Shaywitz, B. A., Holahan, J. M., Marchione, K., Michaels, R., & Shaywitz, S. E. (2015). Achievement gap in reading is present as early as first grade and persists through adolescence. The Journal of Pediatrics, 167(5), 1121–1125. Prevalence and characteristics of dyslexia (5–15%) as cited in Searle et al. (2026): Harding et al. (2023); Yang et al. (2022); Nevill & Forsey (2023).