[feider]

Yes, this touches the point that is overlooked. We are eager to assume that the cost of acquiring a (reading) skill is static and low, involving only time. The way I see this is that for toddlers the added value by hour declines rapidly, so instead of investing more time to teach my child to read properly, I prefer to teach/explore other things such as story telling, cutting shapes with scissors, etc.

[DanBC]

The other problem is for children who superficially appear to understand reading. They may not get the help they need to progress because people thing they can read.

[true_religion]

Isn't this a difficulty that any child would face, no matter what time they learned how to read?

I'd think in context---a child taught how to read in a one-on-one interaction with a parent is more likely to have their difficulties noted and receive help from that same parent, than a child taught how to read in a one-on-fifteen classroom setting.