How Does a Learning Disability Affect Reading Comprehension?
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Processing Information
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People with learning disabilities frequently have difficulty with short-term memory, which affects the ability to process information and diminishes reading comprehension. This is because people relate what they are currently reading to what they just read, putting the words and subject into context. When short-term memory is not working correctly, readers are unable to put the current words into context by what they just read. Instead of reading the words as part of a sentence or part of a paragraph, the learning disability causes the person to read the words individually, without any context. Because working memory is compromised, the student is unable to answer questions after just reading the information. It sometimes helps the person with the learning disability to improve comprehension by discussing questions before and after reading the information, as well as discussing the context while reading.
Vocabulary
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The English language contains numerous homophones, words that are pronounced alike but have different meanings and sometimes different spellings. Because people with learning disabilities frequently struggle with spelling, these words can be tricky. Homophones confuse readers. When an individual does not picture the correct word while reading, the meaning of the information is unclear and therefore reading comprehension is diminished. For example, if the word "weak" is used repeatedly in a story, and the student pictures "seven days" each time, instead of something that is not strong, the student's comprehension of the reading material is poor.
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Ability Behind Grade Level
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Frequently, students with learning disabilities are not reading at their current grade levels but somewhere below their peers. Therefore, when reading assignments are issued in grade appropriate texts, a student with a disability cannot keep up. It takes much longer or them to complete reading assignments. They often must look up words in a dictionary, ask others, or skip over difficult words. They also need to take more notes than their peers do. They lack the easy flow that experienced readers enjoy, which makes reading cumbersome and difficult and diminishes reading comprehension.
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Resources
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