“Are We Doing This Wrong?”
We’ve all been there. You have planned and prepped an engaging shared reading lesson and activity, and as soon as you start, you feel like you have failed. The child won’t look at the book, they walk away, they don’t imitate your models on their device, nothing.
I took the time to plan this lesson, and they aren’t even interested? Maybe I should stop trying shared reading.
WAIT! Before you let that false thought take over, think about this. Who said that kids have to sit still during reading? Why is that something we look for to prove attention? Do you always sit still and “look” like you are paying attention when you are listening? My guess is, especially if you are like me, the answer is “no”.
There are unwritten and unspoken (and unproven) “rules” out there telling us what shared reading “should” look like or what a successful lesson “looks” like, but I’m here to bust these myths, shoulds, and rules. I’m going to bust five of the most common myths about shared reading and help us all focus on what matters most: connection.
The 5 Myths
- Myth #1: The “Sitting Still” Requirement
- Truth: Movement is sensory regulation and often helps neurodivergent learners process information.
- Remember: If they are in the room, they are participating. Focus on the connection instead of the movement. We took a deep dive into why movement is so important in our Sensory Supports guide.
- Myth #2: The “Adapted Book” Necessity
- Truth: AAC devices provide the symbols; books provide the stories.
- Remember: Don’t limit their library to books with icons. All books are fair game for shared reading.
- Myth #3: The “Reading as a Test” Habit
- Truth: Questions create pressure; comments create conversation.
- Remember: Switch from “What’s that?” to “I love that part!” When we focus on creating connection, we decrease pressure and increase engagement. If you aren’t sure what to say instead of a question, check out my post on What to Model During Shared Reading
- Myth #4: The “Prerequisite Skills” Barrier
- Truth: Literacy is a right, not a reward.
- Remember: You don’t get “ready” for reading by waiting; you get ready by reading. Engaging in shared reading builds emergent literacy skills, waiting does not.
- Myth #5: The “Button Press” Metric of Success
- Truth: Multi-modal communication (eyes, smiles, gestures) counts.
- Remember: Success is joint attention, not just a data point on a device. Communication comes in many forms; don’t pigeonhole it into needing to look one specific way.
The Mindset Shift: Engagement > Compliance
Do these myths sound familiar? Do they sound like something you have heard before?
You might be thinking, if these are all myths and there are better ways of doing shared reading, then why are these myths still being shared? That’s a really good question.
Myths are often rooted in “old-school” trains of thought and compliance-based therapy techniques. Things we used to think worked well. However, as we have continued to grow as a field and hopefully as professionals, listening to AAC users and learning from their experiences, we have learned to do better.
When we look at the world through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, our mindset quickly changes, and we see the importance of following the learner’s lead instead of the “rules” of society or a textbook.
Next steps
If these myths have been holding you back, you aren’t alone. After reading this, I encourage you to continue learning and asking questions if something doesn’t feel or seem “right”. Most of all, use these myths as motivation to start doing shared reading in a new way, a way that works and is fun for everyone! If you’re interested, I wrote a guide to help you navigate the ‘real life’ side of shared reading that you can check out here.
Before you go: Which of these myths was the hardest for you to unlearn? Let’s talk in the comments.
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