Reading Comprehension and related skills?

[sbgrace]

I am concerned about my son's (3rd grade, PDD-NOS and ADHD) reading comprehension and related skills. I have been using narration type things with him but I see major weaknesses. To be honest I'm not even sure what is the major problem. I know he focuses in on certain things and misses the main ideas (missing the forest for the trees). I think there are issues drawing inferences. He doesn't seem to catch or process why a character might be doing something. Attention though is part of the problem I know.

 

I have been looking at various reading comprehension things but I am just lost. Does anyone have a suggestion for materials that might help a child with weaknesses in these areas?

Edited November 13, 2012 by sbgrace

[merry gardens]

Am I understanding that he has problems with comprehending not only what he reads but also with what is read aloud to him?

 

You might try a program like IdeaChain or Visualizing and Verbalizing. I'd also question if there the underlying problem may be with language comprehension and/or vocabulary.

 

Both IdeaChain and V&V help with visualizing the main idea. IdeaChain goes up to the sentence level and I found it easier to use than v&v, but v&v goes beyond sentences and onto stories. Once we finished with IdeaChain, I moved onto materials from v&v.

 

From what you wrote, it sounds like he's picking up on some things but missing the main point. You didn't mention the specific materials he struggles to comprehend, so it may be at least in part that you are using materials that are above his current comprehension level. Does he comprehend materials from lower grade levels? Third grade materials typically move away from lots of pictures/few words found in lower grades to lots of words and few pictures. Both IdeaChain and V&V work on the principle of teaching children to construct pictures in their heads from the words.

[aaplank]

I also recommend Visualizing and Verbalizing from Lindamood Bell. I've used it for years with kids that have reading and other language comprehension issues. If you go to the website, there is lots of information for you to read to see if it is a fit for your child. Also, you don't have to get the whole V&V kit. Just get the main book and the workbooks for your child's grade level.

[sbgrace]

I think he has issues both reading and being read to. The problem is attention though. I have to read aloud and have him reading over my shoulder if he's really going to pay attention so it's hard to sort where the weakness might be.

 

Is there any way I could tell if he's visualizing? I don't get great answers when I ask questions like "are you picturing the story in your mind" as he says things like "sometimes I am I think but I don't know, maybe" or similar. This is a kid who can't tell me whether he's struggling to breath or he's getting upset reliably so I can't go by what he says. A big issue is he gets hyper-focused on a particular part or idea and then seems to miss everything else. He also has a horrible time thinking about why a character might be doing x or what the character might be thinking. When he tries to narrate with me he often includes whatever detail interested him and then then end. I have to really coach him to recall the beginning, middle, and end.

 

He is particularly bad with no pictures though I don't know if that's an indicator of visualizing difficulty or the pictures focus his attention better.

Edited November 13, 2012 by sbgrace

[LaraH]

An earlier post just a few entries down called "Trying 2 New Things" might have something that will help.

[ElizabethB]

Here is Don Potter's Gonzalez materials. While it was developed for ESL students, the comprehension strategies are also helpful for struggling native english speakers.

 

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/gonzalez_materials.pdf

 

Gradually working through the 1879 McGuffey readers is also helpful. I like to start a bit below current level to build up confidence and practice.

[Guest]

You mentioned PDD-NOS so I will throw this out there and you decide if it fits in any way. I am not sure if he is an early reader but some kids that are early readers and have autistic traits can at times have what is known as Hyperlexia. My son is at and just above level in reading comprehension but since he is an early reader and I have had some comprehension issues with him, I just purchased Linguisystems Hyperlexia Level 2 program. It seems a bit easy for him but we shall see. Not recommending it, since we have not used it yet ;), just saying to look into the Hyperlexia angle also. If you feel it is something that may be a possibility in your case, of course.

 

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_articles/hyperlexia

[CarolineN]

Thanks for the heads up on the Linguisystems product, Marie. That looks really good!

[Guest]

Thanks for the heads up on the Linguisystems product, Marie. That looks really good!

 

You're welcome!

[PeterPan]

I think he has issues both reading and being read to. The problem is attention though. I have to read aloud and have him reading over my shoulder if he's really going to pay attention so it's hard to sort where the weakness might be.

 

Is there any way I could tell if he's visualizing? I don't get great answers when I ask questions like "are you picturing the story in your mind" as he says things like "sometimes I am I think but I don't know, maybe" or similar. This is a kid who can't tell me whether he's struggling to breath or he's getting upset reliably so I can't go by what he says. A big issue is he gets hyper-focused on a particular part or idea and then seems to miss everything else. He also has a horrible time thinking about why a character might be doing x or what the character might be thinking. When he tries to narrate with me he often includes whatever detail interested him and then then end. I have to really coach him to recall the beginning, middle, and end.

 

He is particularly bad with no pictures though I don't know if that's an indicator of visualizing difficulty or the pictures focus his attention better.

 

You can have a mix of things (not visualizing AND attention). And sometimes when they're not visualizing there's a glitch further up the chain in the developmental vision to where the visualizing (that should build upon good basic vision skills) didn't develop. You can even end up with this oddity of a child who, in theory, should be VSL and right-brained but is *functionally* using their auditory processing to carry the weight of what their visual processing isn't doing. That's what happened in our house. So the VT actually unlocked the visualization and ability to let her natural VSL side show through.

 

I can't remember if you've already pursued the vision thing, sorry. Just wanted to bring in that concept of layers, that it might not just be one thing. Our VT place did have her work on visualization, but she had to do VT for basics before she was even ready to work on that. Then you still have the attention stuff. That's just a parallel problem, in our case not affected by the VT.

[sbgrace]

He did have vision therapy. He had major issues in that area and made huge progress. But your comment (the right brain child leaning on auditory) rings really true. I wonder if I should have him seen again by someone else. I didn't think our therapist was that great (though he was a COVD fellow). We also ended the therapy when we didn't feel we were making further progress. This was a financial decision cost/benefit thing. We had fixed the convergence and tracking issues and were working on coordination and similar when we stopped.