You can spot warning signs in a child as young as preschool age that can predict future reading problems. If your preschooler has difficulty coming up with the right word on demand or gets terms like "up and down" and "on and off" confused, he may be showing signs of a language problem that can lead to reading difficulties later on.

Although children usually are not taught to read until first grade, kindergartners need to master certain reading-readiness skills. Watch to see whether your child has trouble in these five areas:

1. Rhyming. Your child should be able to recognize and come up with rhymes. If she sees familiar objects like a cat, bat, hat and fan, can she tell which does not belong?

2. Recognizing letters. Can your child name specific letters and point out words starting with those letters?

3. Identifying sounds at the beginning, middle and end of a word. For example, ask your child, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word desk?"

4. Breaking words into sounds. Can your child say the word cup without the "c" (up) and the word seem without the "m" (see)?

5. Blending sounds. Your kindergartner should be able to put sounds together to make new words (for example, "p" and "an"   make pan).

If your child is struggling with reading or maybe you just want to provide reading enrichment for your child, Success Center can perform a reading diagnostic assessment that will show you exactly where your child is in his or her abilities in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. Contact Success Center to find out more about the reading diagnostic assessment.