Dyslexia and Reading Comprehension

Abstract

In the previous chapters, we have shown that the primary problems connected with dyslexia are at the word level. Decoding in reading and spelling are the big stumbling blocks. However, this does not mean that dyslexics have good reading comprehension. Most dyslexics do in fact have difficulty in understanding what they read. But these comprehension difficulties are usually secondary, a consequence of the poor word decoding. The slow, energy-demanding and deficient decoding makes such high demands on the reader’s mental resources that there is no room left to carry out interpretation. If the dyslexic could be relieved of having to decode, for example by listening to a text being read aloud, one would expect good comprehension.