Reading and Comprehension

A friend of ours had asked DW re some of what she does with DS on Reading comprehension and if she had tips on those.

Here's her response.

• It is better to start with reading comprehension with simple stories which are direct, doesn't involve tricks, actions/reactions of a character based on their feelings. (Theory of mind skills...intentions/perspectives etc)
• Make use small strips of paper where both (DM/DS) draws the characters, places/objects. sometimes when they find drawing to be difficult they just write the words. As DM reads, DS moves around these papers. for eg..a bird flies up in the sky and sat on branch of the tree... he takes the bird makes flying action....make it go up till the sky, make it sit on the branch of the tree..This kind of worked for DS.
• If the kid is good in drawing, then the parent can read the sentences the kid can draw ..starting with 2-3 sentences per day. These kids have difficulty to make pictures in their mind or imagine as they are reading. This is a concept from Lindamood Bell where they have methods/strategies to make movies in the head as they are reading.
• Comprehension is better when DS reads some passage where he could relate/understand the experience. since he could connect with his own experience. He could understand a book about visit to supermarket than a book about aliens in space.
• DW first tells the story for him to understand and then read the story.
• DS/DW act out the stories and read it again. The character names in the story would be DS's favourite movie characters (Ashok etc from Agni Natchithiram)
  
• Other strategies which we use subconsciously: DW has to explicitly work with him: When they come across a new word..finding the meaning...how it relates or connects to something he already knows or experienced......Some abstract terms, idioms and phrase needs to be worked on separately

Hope this helps...