advanced reading but poor undetstanding of book

[sannaville]

Hi all dd is in year 4 had reading assessed and she's at 12 yr old level. However they've said she can't answer questions on what she's read and can't remember what she's just read. Any ideas how to help her? Thanks. Worth mentioning she has ADHD.

[wonderstuff]

There is a thing called hyperlexia - its like the opposite of dyslexia, you can read complex things but not understand them. I would say that the reading assessment the school is using is too narrow - when I assess (I'm an SEN teacher in mainstream secondary) I look at comprehension rather than ability to decode the text.

I would advise lots of talking about the book that she is reading, getting her to really think about what she has just read and choosing books based on her comprehension level rather than her decoding ability.

[Goldmandra]

Another strategy is to cover the words, get her to predict what is going to happen from the picture then dissect the writing line byline to see if she guessed right. It makes it a bit more interesting than just being asked to explain what you've read out.

[sannaville]

Thanks both that's really useful. She was reading by age 2.9 all the key words and when she started nursery at 3 she knew the first 50 words. Sort of taught herself. She seems to remember spellings by rote memory rather than the sounds. She's a lovely reader and a good writer but just doesn't seem to get what's going on when she reads

[Goldmandra]

Does she have a photographic memory do you think?

[ZebraInHiding]

Interesting thread. My DS is in year two and a few years ahead in reading. He can read anything, but recently he has been reading books that he says he doesnt understand. He doesnt like it when they 'dont start at the beginning' or in the middle of the conversation/event. Basically he needs context iyswim? Yet other books, like Wimpy Kid etc he LOVES and will sit and read for hours at a time. He can quote back paragraphs to us if he has really enjoyed it.

Will watch this thread with interest.

[LookingForNewName]

What is she reading? My dd y2 is also advanced reader, she understands context but is finding it difficult to find books that grab her interest due to more grown up themes. I think it is a good idea to go back to some of the classics which have far more simplistic lifestyle subjects. There was a thread a while back about books for advanced readers which did not have complex or grown up story lines. I have purchased a few, such as Enid blyton. Milly Molly Mandy, naughty Amiga Jane and lemony snickers. My dd was interested in Jacqueline Wilson but many of her books are very grown up for a fairly grown up but sheltered 6 or 7 year old.

[LookingForNewName]

Lol at auto correct in my post.

[ZebraInHiding]

Looking - DS has read a few JW. I did ask the teacher to take out books that she thought were too 'old' for him though. He loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Enid BLyton, Famous Five, HH (Which I hate!), Paul Jennings.

The school recently bought the junior versions of Shakespeare classics which he also enjoyed (to my surprise! I thought the school were taking the piss and there was no way he would read them!!)

Another great one is Jeremy Strong. They are hilarious!

[AngelDog]

Info on hyperlexia here from Great Ormond Street. It suggests speech & language therapy to help.

[LookingForNewName]

Wow he sounds like a very proficient reader. School have just taken dd of the reading scheme which has been great but the school don't have many books for her just yet but are purchasing some after Xmas. Since then her reading has really grown, rather than reading her school reading book after school and being disheartened she has either brought home chapter books from school and read all evening or chosen a book from home and read all evening. She read the twits in two evenings this week, where other wise she would have turned her nose up at it after enduring a boring school reading scheme book.

[LookingForNewName]

Help that is a good idea, my dd is in a literacy group at school for advanced readers. It's called magpies and they steal vocabulary from each other and other stories to build their own.

It has helped my dd consider context more. Where she can swap words around for different ones so it not only helps use complex to replace simple words but could also help swap simplistic words To help understand more complex ones.

In the group the children deconstruct simple stories like humpty dumpty and build on the stories. So they set the scene, add location, develop character relationships. So he don't simply sit on the wall and have a great fall, the built a whole more complex story about humpty.

Maybe its worth adopting some of these strategies to help ds build his own imagination through telling his own stories based on more simplistic stories he is already familiar with and them move on to more complex books. Where he can make better predictions and understanding the characters.

[ZebraInHiding]

Looking - our school has loads of chapter books but they are banded according to the big cat scheme (I think? Topaz, ruby etc) so they never really come 'off' the reading scheme. Try books such as the Magic Faraway tree, the Wishing Chair. Ds really enjoyed them.

OP - that link about hyperlexia looks interesting. It definitely fits in with the info you have given here.

[ZebraInHiding]

I like that magpies and humpty dumpty idea! I will steal that for my DS to help him develop his stories!

[LookingForNewName]

Dd read wishing chair and far away tree with me a few years ago, she loved them they really pushed her reading skills but where simple and imaginative enough to keep her interest. She has just finished most of Roahl Dahl we have have at home to so I have invested in some different books for Xmas some classics and some more modern authors.

The magpie thing has really helped re inspire my dd, they use a lot of expression and movement, she is singing and projecting her ideas all around the house, its a real treat to hear her playing. She was singing room on the broom in opera style earlier today.

[ZebraInHiding]

I really need to get ds into more classical and theatre stuff.

Have you seen the naughty little sister series? Also very funny!

(Sorry op!)

[LookingForNewName]

Sign him up for drama classes.

[chipmonkey]

Behavioural optometrist here. It might also be worth while getting her checked by an optometrist with a special interest in developmental vision. List here Some children have difficulty with focussing, eye tracking and convergence and they have to put so much effort in keeping their eyes on task that they lose the meaning of what they are reading. To be fair, I wouldn't have expected your dd to be able to read as well as she does if she had any of these problems but it's certainly well worth checking out.

[sannaville]

Woe thanks for all responses guys. She's reading stuff like The Witches, The BFG, The Faraway Tree, Flat Stanley, Horrible Histories, Horrible Science at home as she enjoys them. At school Shes reading longer more complex chapter books.

She does have a photographic memory I think. Will check out hyperlexia thank you and try all the suggestions in here.

[PorridgeBrain]

My friends' ds was the same as this and I believe was diagnosed with something called 'auditory processing disorder'. May be worth checking out too.

[sannaville]

Thanks porridge I will check it out