Reading

So what is reading?
Reading can be defined simply as making meaning from what has been read (Castles, Rastle & Nation, 2018). In other words, the act of reading is to be able to comprehend. Reading involves multiple processes working at the same time to gain comprehension (Seidenberg, 2017; Kilpatrick D. , 2015; Castles, Rastle, & Nation, 2018; Tumner & Hoover, 2019). A well-known graphic among intervention teachers is Scarborough’s Reading Rope:

(Association, 2021)

Word Recognition

What is Word Recognition?
A skilled reader can recognise words and understand what the words are meant to convey. Word recognition requires decoding words, which put simply is sounding out words. Skilled readers sound out new words efficiently and can retrieve known words using sight recognition.

Problem:
If a reader is unable to sound out words, then comprehension will be affected. Reading may be slow and laborious, and often is avoided at all costs! As you can see from the rope above, Word Recognition has three main components. If there is a problem with any of these components skilled reading comprehension will be affected. 

Solution:
To address this issue, the intervention would involve increasing the frequency and intensity of decoding instruction to accelerate learning. This would be in addition to the best possible instruction in the classroom.

Comprehension

What is comprehension?

As mentioned already, reading comprehension is making meaning from print. To understand reading comprehension, one must also understand that humans comprehend speech first. This is called language comprehension and does not involve print. Reading comprehension involves print (text, books, words, the alphabet etc). A child’s reading comprehension is affected by their language comprehension. It is important to first rule out if there is also a Word Recognition difficulty first. 

Problem:
If a reader is to understand what they are reading, they need to know what the words mean. If they do not, then it is most likely that they have not got the words in their lexicon (put simply, words in their head that they can retrieve and use when needed). When we read, we make connection to the text that we are reading. For example, when reading about German Shepherds, a reader will connect this information to knowledge already known about dogs. This new information will be added to the schema. If there is limited vocabulary and limited background knowledge, a reader will have greater difficulty comprehending texts. 

Solution:
To address this issue, the intervention would involve increasing the frequency and intensity of explicit vocabulary instruction and knowledge building, as well as learning meta-language about texts to accelerate learning. Again, this would be in addition to the best possible instruction in the classroom. 

*Difficulties comprehending are complex to address, and the underlying reasons will determine how well the child will respond. For example, many children with attention difficulties often have a difficulty comprehending. Children with other disabilities, such as a language disability or a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder may also have greater difficulties learning to comprehend. There is no ‘silver bullet’ time-frame on how long it can take to address and support these needs.