Reading Comprehension Development and Difficulties: An Overview

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, Kate Cain explores the topic of reading comprehension and how language skills develop. The article explains how vocabulary acquisition, understanding of sentence structure and how sentences work together, the ability to infer and integrate information, and building a mental model of the text’s meaning while you are reading all contribute to reading comprehension. She notes that as students become more automatic in their word reading abilities, more cognitive resources can be used to understand the text’s meaning. At this time, the student’s language development becomes more predictive of their reading comprehension. The article continues to outline possible reading difficulties, their implications, and the need for early intervention.