WHY PARENTS MATTER PART 1: READING AND WHAT RESEARCH SAYS

Environmental Factors Affecting Children’s Learning: Dyslexia, ADHD and Executive Functioning

Introduction

Reading is a complex skill set with five essential components – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – as identified by the National Reading Panel National Reading Panel. A child labeled “dyslexic” may struggle in one or more of these areas, yet these struggles can also be heavily influenced by environmental factors. Likewise, deficits in executive functioning (e.g., attention, impulse control, and working memory), ADHD or executive functioning are sometimes treated as an inherent condition, but they too can be shaped or worsened by a child’s environment.

I am not discounting neurological factors; however, I wanted to share a number of research-backed environmental influences – from home reading habits to sleep and screen time – that can appear as or worsen reading disorders and executive functioning that affects learning to read. This information can be of benefit to all children.

The real value is that these findings are within the control of parents.

 Home Reading Environment

One major influence on children’s reading development is their home literacy environment. Unfortunately, reading books to children has seen a decline.  A United Kingdom survey in 2023 found that only 41% of parents with children up to age 4 reported reading to their child frequently. This is down from 64% in 2012. (theatlantic.com)

Younger parents, in particular, stated they did not enjoy reading to their children. One parent said, “It’s so boring.”  Other parents said they didn’t have time or they simply didn’t like to read. (theguardian.com) This was also reflected in children’s experiences where about one third of 5–10 year-olds read for fun frequently This is a significant change from survey results of 2012 where over half of the children reported frequent reading for fun. (theguardian.com)

More recent findings of record low enjoyment levels can be found by following these links:  Lowest reading enjoyment by boys. (National Literacy Trust, 2025) Reading enjoyment ages 8-18. (NLT summary)  And, in the U.S., the Kids & Family Reading Report shows a similar change in reading aloud habits and attitudes toward reading.

Simply put, children have much less exposure to books in their free time than they did a little more than a decade ago.

This matters because reading experiences at home give children a long-term academic boost. Being read to, especially from an early age, deepens a child’s vocabulary and expands their general knowledge well before they enter school.

Dawna Duff, an associate professor of speech language pathology at Suny’s Binghamton University, states that “Books are a really rich source of learning new words, and if kids don’t have that experience reading at home, they’re likely to come to school knowing less vocabulary and that makes a big difference in how successful you’re going to be throughout school.” (theguardian.com)

She also noted that children who enter school with a smaller vocabulary and exposure to language often struggle to “catch up” with their classmates. In contrast, parents serving as “reading role models,” reading aloud regularly from books, help build literacy skills and an emotional connection to reading and a desire to want to read. (Scholastic)

A lack of reading at home is one environmental factor that may lead to the appearance of a reading “disorder.”  It’s not that a child cannot learn to read; it’s that they haven’t had enough practice or desire to read that puts them at a disadvantage.

Changing the home reading environment (finding enjoyable books, making story time fun and having a reading routine) can greatly assist children prepare for reading in school and support those who may be struggling with reading at school.

Read Part 2: Examples of how to build a strong home reading environment.