All posts by Amy Kessler

[Infographic] Why Your Child Might Be Struggling in School

Australia, Learning Centers, , , , ,

Double-down on homework time? Create incentives for good grades? We encourage families to seek specific answers as to why an individual child is struggling. This infographic, “Why is my child struggling in school?” walks through two primary factors that impact language and literacy.

Getting Answers

If school is hard for your child, you need to know why and that there is help.  

A full Learning Ability Evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses that are affecting school. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss an individualized instruction plan to make school easier.

Our learning centers help students of all ages learn to read, comprehend, and do math to their potential. Please contact your local Learning Center to get started. 

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

Planning Ahead: Prepare Your Child for a Successful Year

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For many students, a new school year comes with the promise of a fresh start. They eagerly fill their backpacks with sharpened pencils and notebooks for each subject. But for students who struggle in school, their bags quickly get weighed down with anxiety, stress, and waning self-confidence as the long year looms on the horizon.

With the end of the first term just a few weeks away, some parents may notice their children starting to fall behind in class. It can be frustrating for both parents and students when conversations about report cards dissolve into tears, or discussions at the dinner table end in arguments as your children insist they don’t need help practicing their spelling words. Does your son constantly leave his math book in his desk? Is your daughter able to give great verbal summaries but freezes when she has to do a written assignment? While these struggles may have been buried under the sand while your family was at the beach this summer, they are likely to surface as the term goes on.

When searching for ways to help support your son or daughter this school year, one of the best things you can do is be proactive about providing the tools they need.

Fill Your Tool Kit

In the age of the Internet and social media, you’ll find a wide variety of free and varied resources to help you best understand, empathize with, and support your student. Take advantage of the lighter homework load in the first weeks of the new term and start gathering information:

  • Join Facebook groups for parents in your area where you can swap tips about the best local tutors or upcoming events.
  • Email may be the easiest way to reach out to your child’s teacher — set up a time to discuss expectations each term. You can also share information about your student’s strengths and strategies that have previously worked well for him or her in the classroom.

The Right Instruction

As the school year continues, it may become clear that your student is struggling to keep up. Choppy reading fluency or trouble recognizing sight words despite seeing them in the previous paragraph may be due to a weakness in symbol imagery (the ability to visualize letters and sounds within words). Weak symbol imagery will cause difficulty in establishing sight words, contextual fluency, and spelling.

A student who has trouble following directions, comprehending what she’s read or organizing her time may have challenges with concept imagery, or the ability to image a gestalt (whole). She may be able to read quickly and accurately but struggle to understand and describe what she’s read or answer critical thinking questions about a given text.

At Lindamood-Bell, we are committed to teaching all children and adults to read and comprehend to their potential. The first step in understanding your child’s individual strengths and weaknesses is scheduling an evaluation, which you can learn more about here.

Watch as Tallulah’s mother describes how Lindamood-Bell instruction changed her family’s life.

To find out more about how Lindamood-Bell can help you best set your son or daughter up for success this fall, please contact your local Learning Center. 

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

Partnering with You in Education

Australia, Learning Centers, ,

Every summer, our intensive instruction results in extraordinary gains for students in just a matter of weeks. Spending part of a summer with us can be one of the most positive learning experiences of a child’s life. So, it’s important to us that the Lindamood-Bell Learning Center experience doesn’t stop on a student’s last day! We help families successfully navigate a child’s educational journey, all year long.

Continuing the Magic of Learning

As a partner in each of our students’ education, we provide opportunities to build on the success they experienced at our learning center.  

√ Collaboration with school, physician, or team

Parents often request that evaluation results be communicated with other professionals on a child’s team; collaborating with a student’s team in this way can be key to a great transition back to school.

√ Parent workshops 

  • Personalized Tips for Home sessions – Parents learn how to reinforce new skills.
  • Imagine a Better School Year events throughout the year – Topics include:
    • How to help your child understand and record assignments
    • Asking questions that create mental images (and boost comprehension!)
    • Using the imagery-language connection for remembering facts for tests
    • Tips for managing homework when decoding is an issue
    • The imagery-language foundation for writing

√ School year checkup

Students return for an updated Learning Ability Evaluation. We are pleased to provide this valuable information at no cost.

√ After-school instruction

Application to Content

Tailored to individual needs, we offer a  bridge between new skills and current schoolwork.  For example, a student who received comprehension instruction may benefit from assistance when applying these new skills to a book report.

Homework Matters

Homework Matters is supervised homework help, 1-4 afternoons per week.  We can answer your child’s questions and assist when necessary. We help motivate and focus students on getting their homework done. Our skilled instructors take the struggle out of homework for families.

√ School break intensive boosts

Students use breaks to boost skills. For example, students can attend for an enrichment program to advance in an area like writing or study skills. Alumni students might attend for help applying their skills to a new task (for example: story problems, or reading fluency). Students who are currently struggling with reading, comprehension, or math can use their school break to jump start a new or ongoing intensive instruction plan. Breaks are an opportunity to focus on the skills that will make school easier.

Watch this video to see the difference our intensive instruction can make in your child’s learning:

Alumni families, please get in touch with the Learning Center to schedule your school year support. We look forward to partnering with you to make this year a great one for your student.

New to Lindamood-Bell?

If school is hard for your child, you need to know why and that there is help. To date, we have helped more than 30,000 individuals learn to their potential. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward helping a child. A learning evaluation will uncover the strengths and weaknesses that are affecting school. In a thorough results consultation, we will discuss an individualized learning plan to make school easier.

Some students come to us with a previous diagnosis such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, or a general learning challenge—and we make a difference for each of them. Some students seek our help to enhance their skills or to just make learning easier—and we do.

Contact your local Learning Center to get started.

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

Back-to-School Tips: Imagine Better Mornings

Australia, Helpful Tips, Instruction, ,

Perhaps your kids just spent the summer at camp. Or they spent long hours in the pool or at the beach. Maybe lazy days were spent reconnecting with friends and family. Regardless, the back-to-school transition may be a big change for your family. Why not take this opportunity to establish new habits that contribute to a successful year?

Below, explore ideas on how to make school-day mornings better. We’ve included tips for how to encourage your child to make mental pictures during everyday tasks.  The imagery-language foundation is key to good thinking and communication.

Imagine a better bedtime

If your kids are like most, they spent their summer evenings watching television or movies, or playing video games, staying up later than they should. School’s physical and mental challenges, paired with an earlier wake-up time, call for most kids needing an earlier bedtime during the year. Transitioning about a week before school begins can be helpful. And, depending on your goal bedtime, about 15 to 30 minutes earlier each night is an easy way to adjust.

Tip: When discussing any new healthy habit, try using language that helps create images. For example, instead of just saying, “It is important to go to bed,” add, “What does it look like when you are in class and you are very tired?”

Tip: Establish a simple bedtime routine to discuss and visualize together. For example, instead of merely saying, “Time to brush your teeth!” ask your child to picture: “What do you see yourself doing after you get your pajamas on?”

Imagine getting organized the night before

Set aside time in the evening to get organized for the next day. Packing lunches the night before and having your kids organize their clothes in a tidy pile they can easily grab in the morning can be big time-savers. And, working with them to get their backpacks organized—homework assignments in order, permission slips signed, and packing needed gear for extracurricular activities—can eliminate a lot of “morning madness.”

Tip: Have your kids create mental pictures for the next day. Ask questions to stimulate imagery, such as, “Tomorrow is Tuesday. Where do you see yourself going after school? What do you see yourself wearing [at ballet, tennis, etc.]? Let’s pack it!” 

Imagine a morning schedule

It might seem like a child’s morning responsibilities are so simple, that a schedule couldn’t possibly be required.  But if you find yourself repeating the same orders morning after morning, why not try something new and set an actual schedule? You can do a quick review of it the night before to ensure that your kids understand what they need to do in the morning. And, have them imagine the order of their morning tasks.

Tip: Some kids will benefit from the schedule being written out and available, along with a clock. For example:

6:45 – Wake Up & Make Bed

7:00 – Eat Breakfast

7:15 – Get Dressed, Brush Hair & Brush Teeth

7:30 – Backpack Check & Out the Door

Rather than just reiterating the schedule (“Remember to check your backpack!”), use language that creates images: “What room do you see yourself going to after breakfast?” Connecting language and imagery is a great way to make sure your child understands what needs to be done.

We hope these tips have you imagining better school-day mornings! If you notice your child struggling to get organized or to remember the morning routine, it may be due to a weakness in concept imagery—the ability to create an imaged gestalt (whole) from language. The imagery-language foundation is necessary for comprehension, following oral directions, and higher order thinking skills. 

Stronger visualization skills and better comprehension can help improve your child’s school experience:

To learn more about concept imagery, contact your local learning center.

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

Imagine Better Reading Comprehension

Comprehension, , ,

Most reading experts agree on one thing: In order to comprehend what they read, students must have strong decoding skills and adequate oral vocabulary. In other words, a child must be able to accurately decode every word on the page, and know what each of the words means. However, better reading comprehension goes beyond understanding words.

Unfortunately, many students who can decode well and understand words still have weak reading comprehension. What is the missing piece for these students?

What is Reading Comprehension?

Clinical research over the last 30 years indicates there is a separate comprehension weakness that is rarely identified. This weakness often undermines the reading process. It is a weakness, based in the sensory system, in creating an imaged gestalt or “whole.”

Students may have difficulty creating mental images for language. This weakness causes individuals to get only “parts” of information that they read or hear, but not the whole.

Nanci Bell first became aware of the connection that underlies comprehension while she was teaching students struggling with literacy, many of whom had been previously diagnosed as dyslexic. Nanci has described that at the time, she was unaware of a separate comprehension dysfunction. Like many others, she thought difficulty with reading comprehension was caused by weak decoding and weak oral vocabulary.

In the following excerpt, from Visualizing and Verbalizing, Nanci Bell describes the incident that sparked her passion to change learning for students struggling with weak comprehension.

Needing a break in the lesson from spelling word after word, I decide to have Allan, [a college student majoring in architecture], read and give me a verbal summary.  Handing him a college level skill book, I ask him to read aloud so I can be certain he is decoding accurately.

He accurately reads the page of material, and I take the book from him, saying, “Good job.  Tell me what you read.”

Allan gives me the very complete summary, beginning with the main idea and then including all the details.  To my amazement, he infers, concludes, predicts, and evaluates the material.  He is confident and involved in the activity – a much different Allan than the one that struggles with spelling.

I stare at him, saying, “That was really an incredible summary.  How are you able to do that?”

Looking at me, surprised and now shy, Allan replies, “I don’t know.”

Realizing that Allan seems embarrassed and unsure of himself because of my question, I reassure him.  “That really was good.  You have very good reading comprehension.  How did you do that?  If I know what you do to remember what you read, perhaps I can teach others to do it.”

Thoughtful, Allan replies, “I don’t know.”  Then, after a pause, he says, “I make movies when I read.”

A little surprised, I ask, “What do you mean, you make movies when you read?”

“I don’t know.  I just see movies in my head when I read.  The words turn into pictures and I just remember the pictures, the images.  Don’t you do that?”

Thinking about the books I’ve read, I finally answer, “Yes.  I do.  I picture what I read.  I guess I’ve just not thought about it.”

“Do other people do that, too?”

“I don’t know … but I’ll find out …”

The statement “I make movies when I read” prompted my twenty-five-year-odyssey exploring the relationship between imagery and language.  Today, twenty years after first writing Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking, I am still passionate about the importance of imagery to comprehension and cognition. (Bell, 2007, pp. 4-8)

Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension

Over the past 30 years, more than 40,000 students have been taught how to learn to their potential at Lindamood-Bell. While some of our students have a previous diagnosis that affects learning, others seek our help to enhance their skills or to just make learning easier—and we make a difference for each one of them.

The Visualizing and Verbalizing program develops concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt from language—as a basis for comprehension and higher-order thinking. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.

A mom describes how Visualizing and Verbalizing improved her daughter’s reading comprehension:

 

If you have concerns about your child’s language comprehension ability, get in touch with your local learning center to get started: 800-300-1818.

 

Tips for Parents | When Your Child Needs Homework Help

Australia, Helpful Tips,

Kids with learning or attention issues can have a tough time with homework, no matter how hard they try. As a parent, you know the importance of completing homework and developing strong study skills, but it can be hard to know how to be supportive without doing too much. Students should get the learning benefit from an assignment even when they need your help getting it done.

What does Lindamood-Bell know about homework?

In our learning center, we apply our expertise in learning and cognition to supporting students after school. During Homework Matters sessions, we help students complete their own homework to the best of their abilities. And in Academic Prep, we help with writing, test-taking, organization skills, and more. We are happy to pass along a few tips that reflect our unique approach. Let’s help your child with homework!

Why homework can be hard

Students who struggle with school may have a weakness that is affecting learning. Students who are poor decoders and spellers, or slow readers, may have weak symbol imagery—the ability to visualize letters in words, while students with poor comprehension, critical thinking, writing or memory may have weak concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined gestalt (whole) from language. These difficulties are not only frustrating for a student but also prevent them from accessing school curriculum. Learn more about how we help students here.

The imagery-language foundation is key to good thinking and communication and can really help with homework. Whether or not a student has poor comprehension, parents can use language that creates imagery. Asking a question like “What are you picturing for colonial?” can open the door to a great homework session.

Your role in homework

Most experts agree that parents should provide the basics for homework: the right environment and needed supplies, the time and opportunity, and an adult resource for answering questions. Of course, some students need additional help. And you may want to take a more active role facilitating their work. Checking out your child’s understanding of a given assignment is a good place to start. Have your child read directions aloud and ask questions that prompt imagery. For example, if the assignment is, “Read chapter 2, and answer questions 1-5” ask,  “How are you picturing yourself ‘answering questions’?” You’ll be making sure your child is visualizing and planning to be writing or typing answers.

Reading time

Most students have to read as part of their homework load. This is a great opportunity to gauge comprehension and keep your child engaged with the text, if that is an issue. Ask questions like, “How did you see that happening?” or “What do you picture happening next?” You’ll be able to see if your child is understanding the language in the reading.

Spend time on vocabulary

If you are helping a student who is having difficulty understanding material, at any grade level, giving some extra attention to vocabulary can be helpful. Before diving into new material, check on your child’s understanding of key terms, using language that stimulates imagery. For example, during a lesson on photosynthesis, ask questions like, “What are you picturing for what the sunlight is doing?” and, “What do you see happening?”

To commit new terms to memory, flashcards are a great tool for practice. Have your child write the word on one side of the card. The other side can include the definition, a hand-drawn picture, and a brief sentence using the word in context. During practice, use language that prompts your child to draw on his or her images. Instead of, “Do you remember the steps of photosynthesis?” ask, “What are you picturing for photosynthesis?” and “What do you see happening next?” If a term is unstable, flip over the card for the definition and drawing to discuss. Create piles of “fast,” “medium,” and “slow” cards to help focus practice sessions.

Planning and organization

Like adults, kids enjoy knowing that there is an end in sight, and what they have to look forward to. It’s no surprise that struggling students will do whatever they can to avoid homework. A simple schedule can help. Work together to write down what needs to happen. Include ongoing skill-building activities like math facts so your student can progress, even when it gets busy. Don’t forget free time!

Example:

Check for understanding ahead of time.  You can ask questions that prompt your student to visualize—the key to good comprehension. For example, on the ride home, ask, “What do you picture us doing when we get home?”

It’s also important to plan for a distraction-free homework zone with all the supplies your child needs. Eliminate the “stops and starts” and you’ll maximize time spent on what matters. 

Here are some tips for creating a homework space for your child:

Contact your local Learning Center by phone or email to discuss how we can help your child with homework.

Double Bay (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood (02) 9410 1006

 

A School Where Dreams Come True!

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At the Lindamood-Bell Academy, we build an academic foundation so that our students can achieve their dreams. The learning needs of each child are addressed so they are ready to learn.

A private K-12 school, the Academy combines evidence-based Lindamood-Bell instruction with curriculum to help each child perform to their potential and experience school success.

The Academy can be the right school choice for all types of students, including: 

  • Accelerated learners
  • Learners who need a flexible environment
  • Students with challenging schedules
  • Homeschool families
  • Students who struggle with reading
  • Students who struggle with comprehension
  • Students who have school anxiety

Students can attend online, in-person, or a combination of both.

Watch now! Parents talk about how the Academy gave their students the confidence to dream big dreams.

Find out about admissions, tuition, curriculum and more. We’d love to talk to you about your student’s learning needs–Get Started.

 

See the Big Dreams our students have for their dream jobs! 

Your Child’s First Year at School: Tips for Parents

Australia, Kindergarten

 

A generation ago, preschool and kindergarten days were filled with activities like coloring, water play, making friends, and learning to be peaceful at nap time.

 

And, while reading and spelling may have been introduced in kindergarten, there was nothing like today’s pressure about school readiness. Sure, there are still art, music, and games, but the specific expectations of teachers—and students—have amplified academic life even for the youngest students.

 

You may be wondering, “Is my child ready for the classroom?” Or, “Will he or she be able to keep up?”

 

What to Expect This School Year

Today, kindergarten classrooms offer more academics than in the past. To some degree, your child will definitely be working on:

✓ Letter names and sounds

✓ Sounding out for reading

✓ Sight word reading

✓ Printing letters and numbers

✓ Listening comprehension

✓ Communication skills

✓ Counting and understanding numbers

✓ Adding and subtracting

✓ Pencil and scissor work

✓ Color and shape recognition

 

Get Comfortable

Whether or not we adults feel great about the “new normal”—now is the time to familiarize your children with school activities—so they can feel great about the new year.  Try activities like reading simple books together and counting. Get started with our guide, The 3 Best Activities for Boosting Kindergarten Learning.

 

The Magic of Learning, Right From the Start!

Want some help giving your child a great start? Check out Kindergarten BOOST™ instruction at Lindamood-Bell, enrichment instruction offered year-round. We develop the imagery-language foundation for reading, spelling, comprehension, and math. In a matter of weeks, we can help your young child feel prepared and excited about school!

An age-appropriate learning evaluation is an integral part of all Lindamood-Bell instruction. Some students may require preliminary intervention to prepare for the Kindergarten BOOST™ format. If a child is already struggling with language and literacy skills compared to other children the same age, addressing the issue early can make a difference.

 

 

Contact us to talk about how we can help your young learner. Find a learning center location near you, including our seasonal learning camps, Locations.

Academic Support for College Students ❘ How to Identify and Improve Comprehension Issues

Comprehension, Instruction, ,

When Students Need Help with Reading Comprehension

Lauren, a college freshman, takes another sip of coffee as she looks at the clock: it’s well past midnight, but she still has more homework to do. She sighs and pulls her history textbook into her lap. “Is it this hard for everyone?” she wonders aloud as she looks down at the heavily-highlighted chapter on the Civil War. She tells herself that she has to read it “just one more time” and she’ll finally be able to remember the dates and places and army generals that are swirling in her mind.

 

Throughout high school, Lauren had to read everything two or three times if she wanted to remember it. Despite her reading problems, she was motivated to keep working, but it was exhausting. She was continually poring over her notes and didn’t understand how her friends could take tests without studying or could write papers the night before they were due. Lauren felt lucky that her school had such a great Writing Center, but she was a little bit embarrassed that she had to bring every assignment there for review. But, she knew she needed the support.

 

Troubles with reading can have a widespread effect on student performance and can impact beyond early childhood into years of higher education. Problems with reading and comprehension can lead to low self-esteem and difficulty succeeding in school, despite the student’s efforts and motivation.
But reading comprehension skills can be improved with consistent practice and the right instructional strategies for reading. Addressing the root cause of language comprehension problems can build the foundation for success in learning and in school.

 

What Causes Reading Comprehension Problems

People—even educators—often assume that being able to read and spell guarantees strong reading comprehension, but for students like Walt and Lauren, reading and comprehension don’t go hand in hand. A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating mental images for language. This is called weak concept imagery. Weakness in concept imagery causes individuals to get only “parts” of the information that they read or hear, but not the whole.

Symptoms of weak concept imagery often include:

– Weak reading comprehension

– Weak listening comprehension

– Difficulty with critical thinking and problem solving

– Difficulty with following directions

– Poor memory

– Difficulty with oral language expression

– Weak written language expression

– Difficulty grasping humor

– Difficulty interpreting social situations

– Difficulty understanding cause and effect

Students like Lauren struggle with written expression, reading comprehension, and poor memory, but these issues are symptoms stemming from weak concept imagery. A weakness in concept imagery can undermine the reading and thinking process. But how can students improve concept imagery, to help with reading comprehension?

 

How to Improve Reading Comprehension

Concept imagery is part of how we comprehend what we read. To improve comprehension, we need to develop the sensory-cognitive process that underlies reading and comprehension: the imagery-language foundation. To address reading comprehension weaknesses and improve reading skills, students like Walt and Lauren can work to develop and strengthen their mental imagery.

 

Activities and specialized instruction can prompt students to create pictures in their minds to represent what they are reading, stimulating their concept imagery and improving comprehension. Strategies to improve comprehension can include:

1. Reading Comprehension

When studying or reading, pause and create an image in your mind for the text you just read. Create mental representations for the characters or activities involved and try to add details like action, color, or sound to solidify the image. For example, when studying a historical event, pause and picture the main individuals or the flags of the countries involved. Create a scene of the event in your mind, and as each action of the historical event unfolds, revisit and build on your mental image. If there are words in the text you do not understand, look up the definitions and create mental representations of these words to solidify the meanings.

2. Following Directions

Whether directions are written or given orally as your professor explains a class assignment, create a picture in your mind for each piece of the task and the steps needed to complete them. Create an image for all materials or resources needed for the assignment. As you complete the tasks, revisit your images and picture what the following steps will be.

3. Problem Solving

Whether it’s an academic problem or one in life, imagery can help assess the problem and evaluate the outcome. Create specific images in your mind that represent each component of the problem. Ask yourself, “If I do this, what might happen? What does that look like?” Use your mental images to play out the possible outcomes of the problem and evaluate the actions.

 

Reading Comprehension Interventions

To create a solid imagery-language foundation for improved comprehension, students can seek support through specialized instruction. The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program develops concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined or imaged gestalt from language—as a basis for comprehension and higher-order thinking. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.

 

Good comprehenders make “a movie in their minds” when they’re reading or listening to a story. Watch the video below to hear how developing Sydney’s concept imagery allowed her to improve her comprehension and find success in her rigorous classes — without needing a tutor to stay afloat. Sydney’s mom explains, “This is the best thing that has happened to her and to our family in that they brought our Sydney back and she’s happy. She’s going to succeed. She knows how smart she is.”

 

 

Lindamood-Bell offers online instruction, which allows students to receive the same quality sensory-cognitive instruction from their dorm rooms or on campus that they’d receive in a Learning Center. Our Learning Ability Evaluation, which offers a comprehensive insight into your student’s strengths and weaknesses, can also be completed online. Watch Online Instruction in Action!
Contact us to schedule your student or to discuss specific concerns about his or her academic path: 800-300-1818. Find a learning center location near you: Locations.

 

[VIDEO] Family Story Time: Your New Snow Day Activity

Comprehension,

let-it-snow-blog-image

After the snowball fights and snowman building, it’s time for the indoor fun. Faced with hours in the house, parents are often on the hunt for activities that provide entertainment and some educational value. Arts and crafts, baking and board games are great choices in this regard.  But if you haven’t already tried audiobooks and read-aloud, you may be in for a new treat!

Listening to stories together is a fun way to pass the time, while bonding over a shared experience. What’s more, this activity also prompts family members to visualize what they are hearing—the key to strong comprehension.

In this short video, we describe how to make the most of audiobooks and family read-aloud time; we give specific tips for helping your child understand stories better, whether it’s a snow day or not!

 

Story Time Develops Reading Comprehension

Many families stop reading aloud when children can decode independently. However, it’s during this time that your child develops reading comprehension skills. Story time gives you the opportunity to ask what the story was about, or what she thinks will happen next, or how she would end the story differently. This is the time to confirm that your child is reading for meaning. By choosing books that are slightly above your child’s decoding skill level, you’ll continue to expose them to new words to add to their vocabulary.

Comprehension Weakness

If an individual has difficulty comprehending language—reading about their favorite activity or listening to audiobooks may not be enjoyable or even beneficial. They may not understand what they are listening to and may be only getting “parts” and not the whole of the story. If this is the case, they aren’t just bored or inattentive.

For many students, a cause of comprehension difficulties is weak concept imagery—the ability to create an imagined gestalt (whole) from language. The development of concept imagery improves reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.

Family story time can be an opportunity to develop the imagery-language connection as a foundation for your child’s learning skills. However, if you have any concerns about your child’s ability to understand stories, we’re here to help. Contact us for ideas at 800.233.1819.