This is just my personal take but I believe that 20% to 25% of the population needs a systematic and direct decoding instruction to obtain fluency but that doesn't mean that everyone else won't benefit from direct instruction and it's helpful for their spelling too.
I disagree. DD entered K reading at a 3rd/4th grade level and DS will surely be reading better than this when he enters. DD was given no instruction; DS watched some reading shows on TV and we had some BOB books, but that was it. Neither needs/needed any instruction in how to read by K and for DD, it was maddening and frustrating. (DS is not in K yet but I'm sure he will also find it so.) She has never missed a word on a spelling test in her life (and never studied for one).
DS appears to be a less natural speller, but even so, I don't think reading instruction is the key. Spelling instruction, sure.
