My Son Is Having Reading Comprehensive Troubles.

My family has comprehension problems. I can read a chapter 3 or 4 times and still not know what was in the chapter. We all have different ways of learning. The best thing for my family is to read aloud so we can hear what is being read or we listen to tapes of books. Hearing the book is more comprehensible, instead of trying to learn through reading helps.

LearningRx has awesome programs. They are 100% guaranteed. To get him tested is very affordable. You'll probably notice too that reading comprehension is not his only weakness...Also the programs are fun, and he will enjoy going there. He'd work one on one with a trainer. I'd give it a shot. Do something before junior high starts!

I am having the same problem with my 10 year old daughter. I found that if she reads her book out loud she understands it better or if I read the book to her. She has also made it very clear that she does not like reading either. I just keep after her everyday to finish her novel or start a new one. If you get some good advice, could please let me know.

hello S. L
my daughter has the samething it has take time for her over come it she has hard time in spelling but she done fine in read there is time that she she is the three grade now and it will take time if you help he out do't yell at him dones help him out you can work with it like help him have him
read it to himself then you have have him read to you
then ask want happend in the storie For my daughter i make up my q for the stoire she has read to me or her dad dad is
a big help he all way tell me that each kid learn differt wich is ture so keep help he out it will get it
I hope i help you out if you would like you can e-mail-me At ____@____.com if you would like to have me help you out you can have him tested for his read or keep help him out
J. Married 4 yr and have 3 kids daughter 13.jessica Daughter 9. boy allen 13

We had a doctor come in and do a visiograph on all the children in our school of reading age. It tested how the eyes work together (or not together) while reading for a minute. Then the students were asked about what they read. It was very interesting to find out that with some of the students their eyes were able to read everything out loud okay, but the goggles they had on during the test showed that their eyes were not together while they read. With some of the kids one eye would jump from line to line or go right to left, etc. This cause problems with comprehension. This may be your son's problem and can be fixed with some training of the eyes. My friend's son did this for 12 weeks and his reading and comprehen. went up a great deal. Hope this helps. Check out www.139education.com(???) They were the ones that brought the test into our school. They can help you further just by emailing them.

Forget about all of the fancy tests and doctor visits. Google search "reading comprehension tools" and you will find access to free help on reading comprehension. There is a site called "Reading Workshop" supported by the Florida schools. (www.manatee.k12.fl.us) Finding reading materials he is interested in helps also. Not all kids learn at the same speed. Thus the biggest problem with our educational system-trying to put every kid in the same mold.

I have problems myself comprehending what I read, but I do know it helps if I read out loud. Even if it is to myself. It might sound stupid, but your mind doesn't tend to,wonder as much when you read out loud. You could see if that helps your son.

First of all - You are not alone in this. I have a son with the same problem. He does have some other problems, but with the help of the teachers and administration at the school, we are working to overcome it.
Secondly, if you ask the school to please test him for a reading problem - they are required to do so. All schools have some sort of reading program, and if he is tested at that much of a lower comp. level, he should qualify for the reading help.
Along with that, if there is any LD there, you qualify for a "504" for your son. THis will not take him out of any classes and into special education classes, it will just give him extra helps within the classroom. We have one for my 13 yr old who is now in 7th grade and doing well there. The 504 will help put into place things like, giving him written instructions, having someone read with him (a peer or another adult in the building) and things like that. It sounds like he needs to "hear" the information as well as see it to learn it - alot like my son.
Your first step is to call the school. If you don't get the action you feel you need, call the Dr's office, explain your situation and ask for a referal for testing. If outside testing is done, the school will really have to act as now there are more people involved - not just a "worried parent" as I was called at one point.
Whatever you do - STICK TO YOUR GUNS - and don't give up on your son, he will see the importance through your actions.

Good Luck!!

I am a special eductaion teacher who has worked in the area of Learning disabilities. First of all, let me tell you that there is no shame in having a learning disability. In order to have a learning disability your have to have average to above average intelligence. A learning disability is a processing disorder--you just process information differently that soem others. alrge number of people are LD and have adapted to the needs and have never been diagnosed.It is possible to have a learning disability in the area of reading comprehension. If it were me, I would ask the school to evaluate your child. If you are not comfortable with the school staff, you can have an evaluation done outside of the school and give the school the results. Your family doctor can give you the names of qualified people. If it turns out that he doesn't have a disability, places like Sylvan Learning center can work on these skills directly or possibly Title 1 at the school.If you do go ahead with a school evaluation. I would also recommend have his receptive and expressive langauge evaluated by the Speech and Language pathologist. This will tell you if he is taking in the information correctly or at all, has difficulty with vocabulary, if he is geting the info,but is just struggling to express it or "get it out". I wish you the best!

A bit about me: a mom of three kids 6yrs with learning difficulties, 4 yrs and 9 mo. Took a leave from teaching to be at home with my kids and help my son in school.

If you decide to get him checked for a learning disability make sure you go to a pediatric optometrist (not ophthalmologist). Many reading disorders are really eye problems that can be fixed with glasses or vision therapy. A pediatric optometrist will know how to determine if there is a problem and will know how to treat it. Be aware that ophthalmologists prefer surgical fixes as opposed to therapy.

Hi S.! YES! Have him tested for a learning disability! If a smart kid has trouble reading, there is surely some problem. I'm thinking that if reading is difficult for him he probably has to put so much effort into just saying (or mentally "saying") the words that he doesn't have much mental energy left to really comprehend the story that the words are telling him.

When our son was in kindergarten his teacher told us that he had a reading problem, but he was obviously so smart that we assumed he'd outgrow it. Instead, the problem got worse every year as the discrepancy between his ability and his peers' ability grew and as he fell further and further short of his teacher's expectations. In 2nd grade he was tested for a learning disability and diagnosed with dyslexia. We tried everything special ed teachers and well-meaning friends suggested but nothing worked til he was in the 4th grade, when I read a book -- "Smart but Feeling Dumb," by Dr. Harold Levinson -- that had a completely different take on dyslexia that turned out to be very helpful for our son (and also for a dyslexic adult friend).

I don't mean to say that your son is dyslexic, but I bet he has some kind of disability, and the sooner you find a way to help him the better. It's not just that he's going to need reading more and more, but his self-esteem is probably taking quite a hit. The more his friends are able to use reading to attain their goals and he isn't, the more he will feel defective. When our son realized that his problem had a name and wasn't just an indication that he was stupid he felt much better. The whole family felt better, because we could appreciate the challenges he was facing and became much more supportive of his efforts.

Good luck!

I think in your son's situation, I'd get him tested and look into what resources his school has that you might take advantage of. Reading is key to so many other things in school.

One of my friend's daughters had comprehension issues with reading when she was in third grade, and came to loathe it. It is hard to address a reading problem when the child has decided that he/she does not want to do it. Her solution? Captain Underpants! My friend hates Captain Underpants, but since her daughter was motivated to try reading it (possibly because her mom hated it, but that's another story...) she got her the books, and her daughter became willing to work on her reading, and because she was willing, she made progress. Could motivation be part of the problem? With your son's strong interest in history, perhaps having some good, age-appropriate history books on his shelf would help give him a reason to work on his reading. DK, Usborne, and Scholastic all have some good, well-illustrated, engaging history titles.

Another thought - when is the last time his vision was tested? Sometimes, discomfort with reading can be because focusing on the words is difficult. Have you asked your son whether he has trouble seeing words or if his eyes skip lines when he reads?

S.,

it is never too late to get help.
If your son is doing well with reading when there is one-on-one teaching option, then it could be great if you find some help at school, and definitely help him also at home.

I can give some suggestions, as I am an English Language teacher myself, and I also volunteered for the program that covers such issues. There is "America Counts * America Reads" Program. In Universities, they have college students volunteering, who come to schools and help kids like Your son. It is not a disaster, let's say - it's a bummer, but it definitely needs to be paid a lot of attention to, as reading is one of the main sources of learning in every single class: be it science, or social studies, or even technology (computers).

So, do please talk to the teachers in school, and you can even call the nearest University (I do not know where you live), and ask them about this program, America Counts * America Reads. You can also google, and look for info about the help they provide those students who have difficulties. It is a GOOD way to get help, it takes place right in the school, during the school time, at no cost to you; it is very supportive for your son, AND your teacher also. Your son will feel more confident, if he will be succeeding during these hours of reading with the 'helper'. It also has a psychological part to it: see, if he fails in class, he starts thinking that he cannot do it, and quits doing and trying altogether. You do not want it to happen. In every way, support him and say he can do it well, it only takes a little more effort for him, as brain is like computers: oh, tell him this: some computers work slowly, and some are very fast. the slow computer can perform the same task as efficiently as the fast one, it only takes a little more time. His brain is set on the slower mode than some other students' brain, and nothing at all is wrong about it. Many professors and geniuses did not fit into the regular classroom. Do you know that Einstein did not do well is school at all? Please, support him morally a lot, while he will learn reading more efficiently, this is a very important part of the issue, especially at this age, when he starts getting into this teenagers' rebellious time. You can prevent many problems ahead, if You will manage keeping him on the positive side, not all frustrated and drawn back!!!

Now, by the information you shared about your problem, it is obvious that Your son is a VISUAL LEARNER: he sees the picture, and he remembers, and he knows what it is all about, and he is capable of retelling the story, and eliciting meaning of it.
SO, my first advice to you at home is:
let him draw what he reads.
read together one paragraph. Then, take a piece of paper, a pencil (or colored pencils), and do a little drawing. Do not spend much time on it, just stick-figures, some symbolic objects, but so that he has a PICTURE of the paragraph, of what was going on there. Then, move to the next paragraph, and do not read any more, unless the next little doodle-drawing is completed. Do it for every paragraph.
Thus, he will have a set of pictures, maybe comics, and in order to remember, all he needs to do, is to go through his drawings.
Similarly, you can help him even learning-memorizing poems by heart, if needed, drawing pictures for every single word. It takes a little bit more time, but it teaches him to start VISUALIZING the text inside his head.

With time, he will not need to draw anymore, but he will be able to put this picture together inside his brain (mind), as if he actually painted it on the inner screen of his memory-part of his mind...

Do you see what I am saying? This is a little trick I used myself, and helped my own kids, and many kids in class with it.
I am a visual person myself. I have difficulties with math, as numbers are some lifeless creatures that I cannot imagine. In order to count right, I need to see that these are the sheep I count, and better if they are black for odd numbers, and white for even numbers, and even better, if they are soft and cozy, so I could touch them and pet them while counting... then only numbers start making sense to me, Interestingly enough, I loved geometry. Guess why? It is VISUAL! You see what you measure, here are solids, or graphs, or lines and triangles and rectangles and so on.
I do hope you will find a good supportive volunteering teacher's helper in school, and do start drawing at home, please!
It will take time, but you will make it, dear ones!!!
YOU ARE VERY RIGHT TO PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM!!!
It is important, it needs to be taken care of.
Good luck, a lot of patience, and - go for it!!!
M.

It sounds like your son may be an auditory learner. If he can get alot of information from a TV program, it means that he learns better by hearing the material. When reading at night, read from his school books that he needs to read. You can also have him read aloud to himself, you or a tape recorder. You can also tape yourself reading his school books. If he tapes it, he can listen to it as many times as needed.

You might want to consider having him tested for a learning disability. There are many opportunities for learning disabled children to get help through their school, state and/or federal government. Talk to his school asap.

Reading is crucial in upper grades since many of their subjects will be dealing with having to read from books, reference guides, computers, etc. The sooner you help him overcome this reading problem the better. The main reason he does not like to read is it is difficult for him. If he does not comprehend what he is reading, he doesn't see any point to it. This is a common reaction in students having difficulty with reading or any other subject.

I taught school for 23 years in grades 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Good luck, all your work will be well worth it.

S. in Wyoming

I am a part-time teacher and have seen kids in the same situation as your son. My advice would be to cut down the amount of time you are reading at night to 20 minutes. Also try to find some books that he is interested in. Have you tried books by Matt Christopher? They are fictional sports books that a lot of boys like. Also, try the Chronicals of Narnia, Harry Potter, or Series of Unfortunate Events. Otherwise check with your school librarian for some suggestions for good historical fiction books since he likes the History Channel. You will probably need to read these with him. Take turns reading by page, and stop at the end of a page or two and discuss what has happened to make sure he is comprehending it. Also try to get him to slow down his reading a bit. It's not a race. When reading out loud he should sound as if he is talking (pausing at punctuation, etc). He is lucky to have a mom who is interested in helping him!! Good luck!!

My son has reading problems in school as well & would love to hear advise given concerning this issue. His problems are very different from yours but a great concern to us as he is labeled by the school system as being "Below grade level" even though he is smart in every subject other then reading. He is reading at a 1st grade level & is in the 3rd grade. If someone reads to him .. he understands the story, can repeat what he heard & can even correct you if you say something was in the story that was not. He is smart .. even the teachers can not claim that he isn't a smart child. He just can not get the reading mastered. We have thought about testing him as well but are hesitant because it is horrible expensive and odds are they will not find anything wrong. There are home test that you can do to test for learning problems .. we are doing some of them to see what we come up with on our own before putting out a bunch of money for testing fee's. You might be able to look up on the internet to find ways to test at home first or ask you family doctor what they think. I know how hard he struggles in school so I know how you feel as a parent. I feel helpless. Everything I have found leads me to believe that he will eventually catch up. He is just going to learn to read on his own time schedule not the school's. The no child left behind testing should be removed or changed because not every child learns on the governments time schedule. Again , I await hearing other parents stories and advice.

S.:

Absolutely you should have him tested. If he is tested and diagnosed with a disability, then he may qualify for extra help and accommodations at school like having books on tape or having tests read to him. It's one thing in 5th grade when teachers are still willing to give one-on-one help, but if you wait until he's in high school where they are not nearly as willing, you may be sorry. I have a 16 year old son who was diagnosed with very similar disability in 2nd grade and has flourished under the extra help that he qualifies for.

A word of caution, too: If you don't establish his need at the school, you will find YOURSELF with way too much homework as he gets older. It is obvious that you are actively helping him to succeed, and all that will fall on your shoulders at home if they don't recognize his need for help at the school. Imagine helping him with his 30 page research papers when you worked late and didn't even finish dinner dishes until after 8pm!!

I have the same problem with my 7 year old daughter. Her teachers brought it to my attention about her comprehension problems but didn't suggest anything. Plus she hates reading and is not interested in learning. I read to her and try to make it fun but that still doesn't persuade her that its important she learn how to read. I had heard reading comprehension goes along with ADHD or ADD and had her tested. Not just the comprehension problem but she also has others things that falls under ADHD so I had her tested by a Pediatrician. I filled out the paperwork and so did her teacher. The Pediatrician said the teacher that told me many times about my daughters problems filled out the paperwork and said everything with my daughter was fine. Made me really confused. The Pediatrician said we would keep an eye on her and to let it go for now. So I really haven't found a solution but if you do or anyone else has any suggestions let me know please.

It wouldn't hurt to get him tested. There are free resources out there to help out through your local school district (I was a special education teacher for 7 years, reg 5th grade teacher 1 year). Talk to your sons teacher and ask them to connect you to the proper people to get it started. It can be intimidating to consider the idea that your child has a challenge, but if you can get past that and ask for help anyway the benefits to him could be very good. If you go through the process and he doesn't qualify, you could consider Huntington or Sylvan learning center too (probably the most expensive), or SRA or Hooked on phonics curriculum. He may dislike reading because it's too challenging for what he gets from it. Hope this helps!

S.,
Believe it or not this is a VERY common problem! I have worked for the last 7 years with kids just like him at Sylvan Learning Center. What it sounds like to me is that there may be several things going on. First of all he may not be interested in the material being presented, where as he is the History Channel subject. As for the One on One he may read more carefully/or have more confidence in his abilities when he knows that he is going to talk about it in this manner. Secondly he may be an auditory learner, meaning that he understands things better when done orally. Thus he understands the History Channel material and has no problem reciting details orally, just not on paper. I would suggest having him use a notetaking strategy, such as SQ3R, when reading whole chapters of a book/text. Finally I would suggest having him assessed at Sylvan. i know it sounds like a business push, but I have seen how it helps kids just like him. They often offer studyskills camps in the summer to teach him how to read chapters more throughly and how to remember info etc at a very low cost if you feel an entire program is too expensive. I think you will find it worthwhile, so you know the whole picture of what is going on with him.

It sounds to me like your son is "word calling." This is what kids do when they are able to sound out words really well, but they do not understand what the words are actually saying. Reading comprehension is a skill that can be taught--I'd talk to your child's teacher to see if he can work one on one with a volunteer on comprehension, or if they have any other suggestions for you--should he be tested? What is the process? In the mean time, when you are using the computer, do a search for elementary level reading comprehesion and you'll get a million sites with great resources for you. Good luck!

Hi,
I'm 36 & feel like I have this same problem. I'm a "speed" reader so I can read quickly but I feel like I often have to read & re-read the same thing over & over to remember what it said. I've noticed it helps a little bit if I read out loud. Reading outloud means I have to slow down & can't skim ahead to the next paragraph. I hope your child gets the help he needs now so he doesn't end up like me later!
T.

If it turns out he doesn't have vision or learning problems, it could be simply that he hasn't found books that he WANTS to read. My 3rd grader thought reading was boring and a waste of his time until he found out there are Transformer and Bionicle books. Perhaps there's a kind of book out there that would captivate your boy and help him see the joy, not just the work.

Yes, I would recommend that he get evaluated. It is better sooner than later because the curriculum will continue to advance and you don't want him to have to experience more failure and frustration and then not be willing to try. I am a speech language pathololgist but not currently working. I stay home with our daughter. I would suggest contacting the Southern Idaho Learning Center in Twin Falls at ###-###-#### to find out what they may recommend. I hope that helps! J.

Hi S.~

I haven't read any one else's responses so hopefully I am not repeating what anyone else has to say.

I would first have your son tested through the school, my 16 year old has what is know as a speech/language/comprehension disorder, the speech part is almost perfect but language and comprehension is still very bad, he is the 11th grade but only comprehends at about 7-8th grade level and depending on certian conditions it can be even lower, my son is extreme and I don't believe your son is as bad as mine, but I am telling you this because I don't believe we would have gotten him this far if it wasn't for the school and all the resource they offer to him, they plan his education around his abilities but don't limit his education they just make it work for him, with early intervention most kids get up to grade level, my son was one who didn't but we are OK with that, like I said he is the extreme. So PLEASE have the school test him, read alot, but don't read long stories repeat the same "chapter" help him pick out key sentences and discuss them as you go, these are little things I have learned along the way, feel free to right and good luck follow your mommy instinct!

I want to add something, Lisa D also offered a good cause and why I didn't think of it is beyond me, my 15 year old daughter has bad eyes, and in her ninth grade year she really struggled she went from an A-B student to barely passing and I fought all year with her telling her she wasn't trying hard enough, the school was saying it wasn't uncommon in 9th graders ect, come the start of summer we took her to the eye Dr and found her eyes were'nt aligned that her brain spent all it's time on focusing on the words and had no energy left to comprehend what she was reading, I felt SO bad because that is what she had been saying all along, so start with his eyes if that isn't it go straight to the school!

I'm an SLP (now a SAHM!), in my graduate training I really appreciated a book by Dr. Mel Levine called All Kinds of Minds. There's a website, www.allkindsofminds.org, which offers many resources for parents and teachers. I like his approach, because he recognizes that every mind is different and that strengths and strategies can be used to compensate for what are viewed as "weaknesses" by our educational system. He empowers kids to learn how their own minds work, and use their own unique minds successfully in the school setting, and to prepare for work. Best of luck, and I'm glad your son has a perceptive and supportive mom!

It sounds as though you should consider having him tested for a variety of things. Obviously, in 5th grade reading comprehension is very important and his frustration is evident when he tells you he doesn't like to read. Talk to his teachers, even your school special education teachers, to see what they recommend you do from here. If there is a problem it will just make school that much worse for him. You are your child's best advocate, you need to puruse this, no one else will until you tell them what you want to do. Teachers are very limited on what they can recommend, it's frustrating for them, but if you begin the conversation they are more than willing to work with you to help your son in whatever way they can.

I have a nephew in Idaho that had simmilar problems. My sister took him to her eye doctor to have him checked out. They found that he had a hard time focusing on words. When he would look at you he couldn't keep his his from wandering. They gave her a book with "exercises" in it for his eyes, copying patterns and stuff. It might be worth looking into. She is a piano teacher and has started to teach him how to play the piano. She said that is helping a lot also. Good Luck!

Although my son is only a first grader he has had some of the same challenges and qualifies for special services in school. I encourage you to use your school's services--they have worked great wonders for our son. And reading is so integral in today's world--get him whatever help he needs before he gets to junior high! C. M

I think talking with a doctor is always a good idea, even if only to rule things out. My son has something called dyspraxia and it causes very similar issues with his reading and ability to retain/relay information that he has read. I am by no means an expert and certainly don't want to suggest that your son may have this. Your post just caught my attention. Good Luck!

Hi, I have a son who is 10 and has a learning challenge-reading comprehension. Have you had an IEP with your school for this? We did last year and because of this he is allowed to have someone to read his tests to him. However, he has ask for the help. He has a great resource room teacher who is helping him not be shy and to ask questions when he doesn't understand and have things read to him. My son is also someone who can watch and movie and tell you in detail everything...even sing the songs and speak the words. After my son reads 20-30 minutes a night I will question him and we will talk about what he reads to help him remember. Does your son write well? When my son sits down to write he will write small choppy sentences and only a few for a paragraph. The way we do it now is he will speak and I will type it on the computer. I am going to get him help with computer typing so he eventually can type his own. I hope this helps....if you want you can email me at ____@____.com
Have a great day!

Hi S.,
My son was also having reading problems. Turned out his eyes weren't working well for reading and he was seeing halos around the letters. He got vision therapy and it did help. He still doesn't sit and read a book for fun but he can read and his comprehension is good. Also some children just learn more visually, such as watching videos rather than reading. There are different learning styles.
best of luck,
S.
http://www.YesToSucces.net/S.
Helping families with health and wealth for over 11 years.

Hi S.,
I had the same problem is school, I couldn't understand what I was reading. They thought that I had Dislexa, but then as an adult I found out that wasn't my problem. I was ADD. My daughter also has the same problem, she can only contrate on what she wants to, a puzzle, TV, but when it comes to school work she doesn't listen because she is to worried about everyone else around her. Once we took her to the Doctors and got her on some meds for it (a very low dose only once a day) it really turned her school work around. We only give it to her in during the school year and every year I let her start school and see if maybe this year will be different, but it never is. She hasn't had any problems with her meds and is the same kid. Just more organized and happier that she is doing better in school. You may want to talk to his doctor about something like that. It maybe more then just school related. When I was in school, my parents had paid for the best for me to get help, it just never did. Having to strugle through school was hard and just made the matter worse. I'd talk to his doctor and see what they think. Good luck