Is Your Child’s Reading Intervention Intensive Enough
By: Dr. Gabrielle Baker, President & Advocate
When a child is struggling to read, schools often reassure parents that an intervention is in place. But having an intervention is not the same as having an effective or intensive one. One of the most important questions parents can ask is whether the reading intervention their child is receiving is actually intensive enough to close the gap.
Under IDEA, students with disabilities are entitled to specially designed instruction that is reasonably calculated to enable progress. That standard applies to reading just as much as any other skill area.
What “intensive” really means
An intensive reading intervention is not defined by the name of a program alone. Intensity is determined by how the intervention is delivered and whether it matches the student’s specific needs.
Key components of an intensive reading intervention include:
Explicit instruction that directly teaches skills rather than assuming transfer
Systematic, structured lessons that follow a clear sequence
Frequent sessions, typically multiple times per week
Small group or one-to-one instruction
Instruction delivered by a trained provider
Regular progress monitoring tied to the skills being taught
If one or more of these elements is missing, the intervention may not be intensive enough, even if it sounds appropriate on paper.
Signs the intervention may not be working
Parents often sense when something is off long before a school acknowledges it. Common red flags include:
Little to no improvement in decoding, fluency, or comprehension over time
Progress reports that rely on general statements instead of data
The same intervention being repeated year after year with minimal growth
Reading difficulties that continue to affect writing, spelling, and confidence
A widening gap between the child and peers despite ongoing services
When progress stalls, the response should be to adjust intensity, not to wait.
Questions parents should ask the IEP team
If your child has an IEP or is receiving reading intervention, consider asking:
What specific reading skills are being targeted
How often is the intervention provided and for how long each session
Who is delivering the intervention and what training do they have
What data is being collected and how often it is reviewed
What the plan is if the child does not make expected progress
These questions help shift the conversation from program names to outcomes.
Using data to guide decisions
Progress monitoring data should drive instructional decisions. Data should be collected frequently and reflect the skills being taught, such as phonemic awareness, decoding, or fluency. If data shows limited progress, the team should respond by increasing frequency, reducing group size, or changing instructional approach.
Waiting without adjusting instruction can result in lost time that is difficult to recover.
When to request changes
If your child is not making meaningful progress, you may request an IEP meeting at any time. You can also request additional assessments, changes to service minutes, or a different intervention approach.
If the school believes the current intervention is sufficient, they should be able to support that position with data.
Final thoughts
Reading difficulties do not resolve on their own. Effective reading intervention requires the right intensity, delivered consistently, and adjusted based on data. Asking whether your child’s reading intervention is intensive enough is not being difficult. It is advocating for meaningful progress.
