Photo Moment
This photo was taken during a session with a student who had been avoiding reading for months. Blending sounds felt impossible for him. Every attempt ended in frustration, tears, or shutting down. He wasn’t just struggling with reading; he was struggling with the feeling of failure that came with it. So on this day, instead of handing him a worksheet, I placed five picture-word puzzles on the table and quietly jumbled them. No pressure. No “read this.” Just curiosity.
The Task
His task wasn’t “blend the sounds” or “read the word.” His task was to re-enter reading without fear. To try again without the weight of past failures. To feel safe enough to engage with print.
The Key Moment
When he saw the jumbled pieces, something softened. It wasn’t a reading task anymore; it was a fixing task. A game. He matched the picture to the word, and suddenly the letters weren’t intimidating. They were clues. He fixed one. Then another. Then another. By the end of the session, he had successfully completed nine words, and for the first time in weeks, he willingly picked up a pencil to write.
The Technique
This approach came from understanding the deeper issue beneath the behaviour. His avoidance wasn’t laziness or defiance; it was protective. Reading had become a place where he felt “wrong,” so he stayed away. As an SLP, my role was to reduce the emotional load and rebuild his relationship with print. I used linguistic scaffolding through visual anchoring.
The Meaning
This moment taught me that reading isn’t just a cognitive skill; it’s an emotional one. When we remove the pressure and rebuild confidence through meaningful, playful tasks, children rediscover their willingness to try. And once they try, progress follows.