Reading Comprehension

How to Take in Written Information More Effectively

Reading comprehension is about your ability to pay attention to

written information. This can sometimes be a difficult process for
dyslexic people. Below is a method that will help you take in the
information one piece at a time. This will aid your retention and
understanding of text.
1. Be aware of the clauses in sentences:
A sentence is generally made up of two or three clauses, for
example:
“The man is going to the shops to buy some apples.”
In this example you have a sentence that is made up of two clauses.
Clause 1
The man is going to the shops
Clause 2
To buy some apples.
Each clause is a unit of information and you need to take them in one at a time. If you were
reading the example sentence you would first imagine a man walking to the shops, and then
picture him buying some apples. By doing this your brain is taking in one unit of information at a
time.

2. Think about the point being made in each sentence:

Full stops are there for a reason. Always pause for a second at the end of each sentence. This will
help your brain to digest each piece of information.
When you pause at a full stop just take a split second to think about the point of that sentence. If
we apply this to the example sentence from above:
“The man is going to the shops to buy some apples”.
The point being made in our example sentence is simply about 'a man buying apples'. By doing
this your reading comprehension should improve. If you ignore the full stops the information
will simply wash-over you.
3. Sum up the main idea from each paragraph:
When you get to the end of a paragraph you should sum up the
overall meaning or message. All you have to do is think 'what
was the main point of that paragraph?' This will give you a
bird’s eye view of what you have just read.

4. Sum up the main ideas from the whole piece of writing:

Again when you get to the end of a piece of writing you want to think about the main ideas that
were covered. Just think about the general overview don’t worry about all the details, no one can
remember everything. If you are reading a book you can also sum up the ideas at the end of
every page, chapter and at the end of the book itself.

Conclusion:
At the end of the day every piece of writing is simply made up of units of information. All you
need to do is take them in one at a time. This should improve your reading comprehension and
stop the information from simply washing over you.
Simple Preparation
Can Improve Reading Comprehension

To improve reading comprehension it is important to build up

information before you start, like creating a mental picture. This
will help you put the information into context. It will not only help
you to have a clearer understanding of the text, but it will also
mean you retain more relevant information.
Reading Preparation:
Let's say for example you have to read a book for school,
university or work. You can start to consider the material before
you’ve even looked at the first page.

Simply start by asking yourself questions.

 What does the title of the book tell you about the topic?
 Is the title broad? For example: ‘A Study of the Universe and Time.'
 Or is it narrow and specific? For example: ‘The Anatomy of the human eye.’
Basically what guesses can you make about the book from its title?
Obviously you can also do this with any sub-titles. Again just ask yourself questions.
 What extra information does it tell you about the book?
These may seem like obvious questions that don’t need to be asked. However the process of
asking yourself questions will really make you think about the book. By doing this you are
processing the information and creating a foundation for reading comprehension.

Read the Contents Page:

Logically following on from what we have just talked about the next step is to take the time to
read the contents page, and, yes you’ve guessed it, ask yourself questions.
 What are the main sections of the book about?
 How do they relate to the title of the book?
 What are the chapters about?
 What do you already know about what is going to be covered in the
chapters?
 From the title of the chapters what do you think they will be about?
By doing this your brain will have a broad understanding of the book before you start. This
means you will be building on the information you already have. Rather than jumping into the
book cold and having to build up this general information as you go. This will, of course, greatly
improve your reading comprehension.
Conclusion:
Reading comprehension depends on how well
written information is taken in and processed. You
can improve reading comprehension by investing
a little thought and consideration before you start.
The best way to get yourself thinking is to ask
yourself questions. This gets your brain working.
Reading Aloud
A Key Tool for Beating Dyslexia

If you’re looking at this page thinking you hate reading aloud please don’t click away yet.
Reading out loud is one of the best things ever. I can tell you are not convinced, but please stay
with me on this one. Let me explain why it’s so beneficial for developing general reading skills.
Reading out loud has helped me develop control, timing and focus of attention. At the same time
I’ve developed natural reading rhythm.
However by far the most important factor is the confidence reading in front of other people has
given me. It’s made me feel like I’ve beaten Dyslexia.

Please, Please Give It A Go:

Regular out loud reading practice will put you on the fast track to beating Dyslexia. I find it more
challenging than reading silently. You may be thinking you’d rather flush your computer down
the toilet than listen to my gibber, jabber. However please, please, give it a go.

Reading Development:
Normal readers do most of their basic practice by reading aloud. It almost seems like a natural
stepping stone to start reading out loud and then move on to silent practice.
Most dyslexics struggle to read during childhood. Literacy skills are developed over a longer
period of time. If you’ve learnt most of your reading skills through silent practice then please,
please, please, start practicing out loud as well!

The Benefits I’ve Got From Reading Out Loud:

It focuses me on one word at a time. When reading in my head I sometimes make unintentional
word predictions. My eyes will also be jumping about on the text. Reading aloud helps discipline
focus and timing.
It’s also helped me develop natural reading rhythm. This makes the information in the text
clearer. As a result I remember more of the content. This may be linked to the idea of rhythm
development being beneficial for overcoming dyslexia.
After a while you’re out loud reading will start to sound like a person giving a speech rather than
a continuous string of words.

Fluency and Decoding:

Decoding unfamiliar words is the hardest part of reading. Reading out loud helps you decode
words concisely. Therefore fluency grows as a result. 
Reading aloud is done under real time conditions. It puts you under pressure to avoid long
pauses. This makes the relationship between fluency and decoding more succinct.
For Building Confidence:
The most important point is the confidence reading aloud has given me. Once I was able to read
in front of another person it made me feel like I wasn’t Dyslexic any more. I felt like I didn’t
have anything to hide.
Once I was able to read clearly to another person it change the way I felt about myself. Reading
clearly in front of another person made me feel like I’d beaten Dyslexia. 

Conclusion:
Reading out loud is a great way to challenge and build reading skills. If you feel you’ve done
less than the average amount of out loud practice then please give it a go. I promise if you get
into the habit of doing some you will find it so rewarding.
If you are thinking to yourself you can’t read out loud, you can you are just not very good at it
yet. I really don’t want to get in to boring or cheesy catch phrases but if it’s really hard to do now
it will be really rewarding when you improve.