momofmiracles Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 My ds is autistic and reads very well. However, he does not appear to have any comprehension. He has been in ps for early intervention and, most recently, kindergarten. This summer we have been doing our own "story time" and he cannot answer any questions regarding the story. He is anxious to answer, but his answers are not related to the story. I even tried acting out the story as I read but he still cannot remember. Does anyone have any ideas on how to work on comprehension? This will be my first year to hs him. Thanks! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I'm guessing your ds is still fairly young -- what 5 or 6? Most kids -- whether neuro-typical or special needs -- struggle with reading comprehension questions at that age. Even older kids freeze when asked to write a summary or to answer very specific questions. I'd relax about quizzing him on his comprehension and instead just talk about the story: "I really love it when (character name) does this. And then I can't believe it when he does that. Did you like that too?" Talk about what makes you laugh, maybe describe the characters or draw pictures together. Talk about the illustrations and take time exploring those together. In other words keep it light and fun so it is a pleasurable activity rather than schoolish with right and wrong answers to questions. The more the two of you discuss and retell the stories together, the better his comprehension is going to be, and the more confident he will be in discussing what he reads. Encourage him to re-read favorites, or, if he is reading well independently, to come share a favorite sentence or section with you. Really. It doesn't have to be like school in order for it to be educational. The bulk of my Asperger's education came simply through reading and discussion, and he is doing just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofmiracles Posted June 11, 2010 Author Share Posted June 11, 2010 Thank you! Yes, he is 6 yrs old. I was just concerned because I have another 6 yr old nt girl who can answer questions about the story. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 My ds is autistic and reads very well. However, he does not appear to have any comprehension. He has been in ps for early intervention and, most recently, kindergarten. This summer we have been doing our own "story time" and he cannot answer any questions regarding the story. He is anxious to answer, but his answers are not related to the story. I even tried acting out the story as I read but he still cannot remember. Does anyone have any ideas on how to work on comprehension? This will be my first year to hs him. Thanks! :bigear: At that age it is probably developmental. The other kids are just ahead, and that is fine. Long term if it is still and issue you can look into Visualizing and Verbalizing. It helps the child develop mental pictures to go with what they are hearing for comprehension. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 At that age it is probably developmental. The other kids are just ahead, and that is fine. Long term if it is still and issue you can look into Visualizing and Verbalizing. It helps the child develop mental pictures to go with what they are hearing for comprehension. Heather It might be developmental as Heather suggests, but it stood out to me that the op mentioned her child has autism. If I understand autism correctly, language processing can often be a concern. Here's a (long) talk Nanci Bell, (the woman who developed Visualizing and Verbalizing), gave on reading comprehension. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tarroahIHks&feature=channel She mentions a term "hyperlexia", where someone can read at a much higher level than comprehend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjbeach Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) Thank you for this! My son IS hyperlexic and at 9 is having significant comprehension issues. Watching the link now! Edited June 11, 2010 by cjbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.