Reading difficulty is sometimes a part, or the result, of another difficulty. A child may have hearing or sight problems, be physically or intellectually impaired in some way, have a speech and language difficulty, have behavioural problems. Any of these additional difficulties will have an effect on the child's ability to learn to read, write and communicate.

Finding the way through this maze of frustration and lack of confidence can take skilled teaching and care. It means thinking laterally about books and reading. It means understanding that a book is not necessarily print, but could be a sound tape, a video or a CDRom.

Learning how to deal with reading difficulties, learning how to see beyond the poor behaviour, the classroom disruption, the lack of self esteem, takes courage and conviction. A half day or full day course can work wonders for the confidence of the teacher or classroom assistant facing these problems on a daily basis.