{"id":11202,"date":"2021-05-11T10:46:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T10:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=11202"},"modified":"2021-07-20T09:21:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T09:21:44","slug":"what-is-reading-fluency","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Reading Fluency?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Is your child\u2019s reading below grade level? If so, it could be a reading fluency problem.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction, it can hinder their academic performance and affect their reading fluency.<\/p>\n<p><b>Children who struggle with reading fluency are often intelligent and bright, but somehow they have difficulty reading.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If your child avoids reading or is not reading to their potential,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"> <b>contact an eye doctor near you<\/b><\/a>, as they may have an undetected visual problem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/how-does-vision-therapy-boost-self-confidence\/\">How Does Vision Therapy Boost Self Confidence?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>What is reading fluency?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Reading fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately, clearly and with expression. Children must be able to read fluently, whether aloud or quietly to themselves, in order to comprehend what they read. While reading aloud, the words should sound natural, with proper intonation.<\/p>\n<p><b>Reading fluency is an essential classroom skill as it connects the child\u2019s word recognition to their comprehension.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Reading fluency gives students the opportunity to concentrate on the meaning of text and to draw correlations between what they are reading and their own prior knowledge. Reading fluency enables students to develop an accurate comprehension.<\/p>\n<p>Non-fluent readers read slowly and sound choppy. They spend more time decoding, so they have less time and energy to understand what they are reading.\u00a0 Oftentimes, they have to read the same passage many times in order to comprehend it.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Reading fluency and vision<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Reading fluency is dependent on the strength of visual skills such as convergence, binocular vision, accommodation, visual fixation and saccades.<\/p>\n<p><b>A deficiency in any of these crucial visual skills can lead to reading problems, which can have a negative effect on a child&#8217;s ability to learn.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Which visual skills are necessary for reading?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Convergence<\/b> &#8211; the ability of the eyes to retain a single image by turning inward, while at the same time focusing on a near object, such as a book or computer screen.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Binocular fusion<\/b> &#8211; the ability of the brain to create a single image using distinct visual information received from each eye.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accommodation<\/b> &#8211; the ability of the eyes to switch focus between two distances while maintaining clear vision.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Visual fixation<\/b> &#8211; the ability of the eyes to accurately focus on a target image, such as a word on a page.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Saccades<\/b> &#8211; rapid eye movements across two or more focus points, such as when reading a sentence across a page or moving from one word to the next.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Could my child have a vision problem?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>As children may not be able to verbally express themselves it can be difficult to identify a vision problem.<\/p>\n<p>Common signs of a vision problem may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Covering one eye<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Behavioral problems<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Frequent blinking<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Excessive fidgeting<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Limited attention span<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Tilting head to one side<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">School avoidance<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Reading comprehension difficulties<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Reading below school grade level<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Reading avoidance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If your child shows signs of a visual impairment, it is important to <b>visit an eye doctor<\/b> near you for a comprehensive evaluation of your child\u2019s vision and visual skills.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can vision therapy help?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Vision is a learned skill that can be trained and strengthened.<\/p>\n<p><b>If a vision problem is at the root of your child\u2019s reading difficulty, a vision therapy program can improve your child\u2019s reading grades.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>A vision therapy program may help to improve your child\u2019s visual skills and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in learning and reading.<\/p>\n<p>Each vision therapy program is created to the needs of the individual child, and may include prisms, filters, specialized lenses and eye exercises to help retrain the brain-eye connection and improve visual skills.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\">Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you think a vision problem may be affecting your child\u2019s reading success, <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">schedule an evaluation<\/a> <\/b>with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is your child\u2019s reading below grade level? If so, it could be a reading fluency problem. If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11203,"parent":278,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[87,108,107,112,151,490,153,83,527,101],"class_list":["post-11202","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-adhd","tag-attention","tag-concentration","tag-dyslexia","tag-eyestrain","tag-reading-and-learning","tag-school","tag-vision-therapy","tag-visual-information-processing","tag-visual-skills"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is your child\u2019s reading below grade level? If so, it could be a reading fluency problem. If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-20T09:21:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/\",\"name\":\"What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-11T10:46:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-20T09:21:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Vision Therapy\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"The 17 Key Visual Skills\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"What is Reading Fluency?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\",\"name\":\"Optometrists.org\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org","og_description":"Is your child\u2019s reading below grade level? If so, it could be a reading fluency problem. If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/","og_site_name":"Optometrists.org","article_modified_time":"2021-07-20T09:21:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":682,"url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/","name":"What is Reading Fluency? - Optometrists.org","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-11T10:46:12+00:00","dateModified":"2021-07-20T09:21:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/readflu.jpg","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/what-is-reading-fluency\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Vision Therapy","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The 17 Key Visual Skills","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"What is Reading Fluency?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/","name":"Optometrists.org","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11202"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15956,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11202\/revisions\/15956"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}