The LD Expert

10/07/2026

10/04/2026

The point of fluency is to lift the cognitive burden.

Parents, here’s something I want you to understand about fluency.

When we work on reading and spelling, we’re not chasing speed for its own sake. What we’re really looking for is the moment the cognitive burden lifts.

When a student can read and spell with automaticity, their working memory no longer has to interact with the task. Planning doesn’t have to interact with it. Initiating the task doesn’t have to interact with it. That’s a huge executive function burden lifted.

Think about what that frees up. Instead of spending all their energy sounding out a word or figuring out how to spell it, your child’s brain can finally focus on understanding, thinking, and sharing their ideas.

So when you hear us talk about fluency, this is what we mean. It’s not about racing through a page. It’s about making reading and spelling feel lighter, so your child has room for everything else.