📚 Reading Recovery After Stroke: Progressive Exercises for Rebuilding Literacy

Materials needed: Large print alphabet cards, pencil, paper

• Trace each letter with your finger first
• Say the letter name aloud as you trace
• Practice writing the letter on paper
• Start with uppercase letters, then lowercase

Goal: Recognize and name all 26 letters confidently

Week 1: Match identical letters (A with A, B with B)

Week 2: Match uppercase to lowercase (A with a, B with b)

Week 3: Find letters in simple words

• Circle all instances of a target letter in a paragraph
• Use different colored pencils for different letters
• Start with common letters (A, E, I, O, U, S, T, N, R)

Start with personal words:

• Your name and family members' names
• Your address and phone number
• Common words: the, and, is, you, I, it, to, of, a

Practice methods:

• Flash cards with large, clear print
• Word matching games
• Writing words from memory
• Finding words in magazines or newspapers

Sound association activities:

• Practice the sound each letter makes
• Find pictures that start with each letter sound
• Group letters by similar sounds (B, P, M - lip sounds)

Blending practice:

• Start with two-letter sounds: AT, IT, UP, ON
• Add beginning sounds: CAT, SIT, CUP, SON
• Practice three-letter words: DOG, RUN, BIG, HOT

Group words by common patterns:

Practice activities:

• Read word family lists aloud
• Write words from dictation
• Find rhyming words in simple poems

Start with basic sentence patterns:

• "The cat is big."
• "I see a dog."
• "She has a book."
• "We go to the store."

Comprehension practice:

• Answer simple questions: "Who?" "What?" "Where?"
• Draw pictures of what you read
• Act out simple sentences
• Match sentences to pictures

Simple, practical instructions:

• "Pick up the red pen."
• "Put the book on the table."
• "Circle the word 'cat.'"
• "Write your name at the top."

Daily living instructions:

• Simple recipe steps
• Medication labels
• Basic appointment cards
• Shopping list items

Progression through story length:

• Week 11-12: 2-3 sentence stories
• Week 13-14: Short paragraph stories
• Week 15-16: Multi-paragraph stories

Comprehension strategies:

• Summarize in your own words
• Identify main characters and events
• Answer "wh" questions (who, what, when, where, why)
• Predict what might happen next

Real-world reading materials:

• Newspaper headlines and short articles
• Simple recipes with step-by-step instructions
• Appointment cards and medical forms
• Product labels and warning signs
• Email messages and text messages

Practice goals:

• Extract important information quickly
• Follow multi-step instructions
• Understand safety information
• Navigate familiar documents independently

Weekly reading time targets:

• Weeks 1-2: 5-10 minutes of focused reading
• Weeks 3-4: 10-15 minutes of continuous reading
• Weeks 5-8: 15-20 minutes with short breaks
• Weeks 9-12: 20-30 minutes of varied reading
• Weeks 13+: 30-45 minutes including pleasure reading

Signs you're ready to increase time:

• Less fatigue during current reading sessions
• Improved comprehension of material
• Increased interest in continuing beyond current time limit

Keep a reading log noting:

• Daily reading time and materials
• New words learned and recognized
• Comprehension improvements
• Reading speed increases
• Reduction in fatigue during reading

Celebrate achievements like:

• Reading a complete sentence without hesitation
• Understanding a news article summary
• Following a simple recipe successfully
• Reading a children's book from start to finish
• Enjoying reading for pleasure again