The Literacy Keys - Dyslexia resources and structured literacy tips by an Orton Gillingham tutor

Do you want to improve your child’s reading motivation? Learn how to motivate kids to read with tips from a dyslexia tutor.

The Literacy Keys - Dyslexia resources and structured literacy tips by an Orton Gillingham tutor

Show Notes

If your middle or high schooler avoids books, argues about homework, or insists they’re just not a reader, this episode is for you. We’re digging into reading motivation for older kids and, most importantly, how to motivate your kids to read without constant battles or guilt trips. In this episode of The Literacy Keys, Tracy breaks down why so many secondary students are still struggling with foundational reading skills and what makes teens’ reading challenges very different from younger kids’. You’ll hear how low confidence, slow fluency, and intimidating multisyllabic words in subjects like science and social studies slowly drain motivation. Best of all, this episodes shares what you can do to rebuild reading motivation at home.

Drawing on a powerful Education Week article about secondary reading struggles and the book Know Better, Do Better by Meredith & David Liben, Tracy explains why it’s never too late to become a better reader, and why age-appropriate materials, targeted fluency work, and mindset shifts matter so much for teens. You’ll walk away with practical, realistic strategies you can start using right away.

Whether your child is barely reading, reading very slowly, or simply refusing to try, this episode on reading motivation shares how to motivate kids to read. If you’ve been feeling stuck, discouraged, or unsure where to start, this conversation will give you a concrete plan to help your older child see themselves as a reader. ⁠transcript of this episode⁠

Resources mentioned in this episode: Education Week article: “Secondary Students Are Struggling With Reading, Too. A Look at the Landscape.”

Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read by Meredith & David Liben

Learn more about dyslexia tutors, resources, and support for struggling readers at The Literacy Keys

More from The Literacy Keys - Dyslexia resources and structured literacy tips by an Orton Gillingham tutor

Oct 22, 2026

You just opened your teens backpack and found three weeks of crumpled math worksheets resting at the bottom. In this episode, you’ll learn how to get organized using simple, realistic routines that turn school chaos into calm consistency without nightly fights. Middle school brings a sudden jump in workload, rotating classes, and digital portals that easily overwhelm a neurodiverse student's executive functioning skills. When kids with dyslexia or ADHD start falling behind, their working memory is simply running on empty after a long day of processing. For parents wondering how to help your teenager get organized, the answer isn't buying fancier planners or nagging them every hour. Instead, it’s about putting frictionless systems in place that lower their daily overwhelm, and bypass fatigue. Here is what you'll walk away with after tuning in: A streamlined paper management system your teen can actually maintain.

Oct 15, 2026

The worksheet has been sitting on the kitchen table since four o'clock, and at 9pm it’s still blank. When a child refuses to do school work night after night it's usually a sign of something. You need to know what that refusal is actually telling you. I've learned from sitting across the table from students of all ages, that when a child refuses to do school work, the refusal is a coded message. It’s usually one of four things. Most parents can only think of one message. The other three are quieter and are easier to miss. But they get louder right as the support at school gets pulled out from underneath your child. Let’s sort out which message is happening in your house. Then I'll walk you through the 5 practical things I share with parents in my practice. One takes about thirty seconds to set up and usually ends the two hour homework night on its own. Another costs you nothing and tells you more about your child's issue than a report card has in three years. Lastly, I’ll share a question to ask, and a place to ask it. You want an honest answer and most parents ask it at the wrong moment. If tonight's battle is still fresh, let's talk. Book a free fifteen minute consultation at The Literacy Keys and bring your questions about your child. Fifteen minutes, and you'll leave knowing what to look at first. If you know another parent sitting at the kitchen table wondering why this is so hard, please share this episode with them. Then hit follow, and leave a rating so more families can find us.

Oct 8, 2026

Books about dyslexia either hand you the key to understand your child, or leave you more confused than when you started your journey. By the end of this episode you'll know which three books about dyslexia are worth your time, and which one to open first if your child is an older student. As part of my Orton Gillingham certification training, I had to read at least ten books on dyslexia. A few were clinical enough to put me to sleep. Three of them are perfect for parents. In fact, one of the three named the exact situation that a reading specialist once told me could not be happening with my daughter. (Spoiler alert: schools don’t know a lot about dyslexia.) What you'll take with you: Language you can use the next time someone says your child just needs more reading practice

Oct 1, 2026

Watching your child stare at a worksheet covered in red ink is exhausting, but this is Dyslexia Awareness Month and we are flipping the script on those correction marks for good. You’ll walk away from this episode with the exact, low-stress script you need to talk to your child about reading struggles without tears or panic. For too long, the color red has meant one thing on your child's schoolwork: wrong, wrong, wrong. But staying silent about "the D-word" to protect them actually backfires. It leaves kids to fill in the blanks alone, where they usually assume the struggle means they aren't smart. They might even think they're stupid! The truth is, dyslexia is simply a difference, not a measure of intelligence. In this episode, host Tracy Young (ALTA-certified Orton-Gillingham Tutor and mom to a dyslexic daughter) shows you how to trade red pen drama for bold confidence.

Sep 24, 2026

If you're raising a neurodivergent adhd learner who struggles with reading, math, or school stress, you don't have to carry the load alone. Discover how to trade overwhelming burnout for a calm, structured plan to build your child’s ultimate support team. When learning differences like dyscalculia or dyslexia overlap with neurodivergent adhd, standard classroom approaches often fall short. Trying to manage school friction, homework battles, and accommodations single-handedly leaves both you and your child exhausted. In this episode, guest Lisa Richer joins host Tracy Young to share how trusting your intuition changes the entire trajectory. We discuss moving away from isolated battles so you can advocate with clarity and confidence. By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to:

See all episodes →