What Is and Is Not Reading
What Is and Is Not Reading
Did you know that reading is not the ability to sound out or identify words in print? That is called word identification skills and is not a difficult or complex process to learn. The ability to comprehend what is being conveyed in print is reading.
Reading is the most complex neurological task a child will take on in the early grades. It is also the most important skill a child will acquire during these grades. A child who is a poor reader will usually be a poor academic learner.
Many skills must be developed appropriately before a child can become a proficient reader. The following three basic processing skills are very important for the mechanical process of reading:
- Attention skills – the ability to focus and concentrate on reading material.
- Oculomotor skills – the ability to move the eyes smoothly and accurately across the page.
- Visual Processing Speed – the ability to see the words and know them automatically without much conscious thought.
This is important because the mechanical process of reading must take place on a subconscious level. The reason for this is that we can do only one thing consciously at a time, and the conscience mind must be available for understanding and thinking.
This is one of the main reasons for poor reading comprehension. that the basic mechanical process of reading is done on a conscious level. The following two skills are vital for comprehending what we are reading:
- Visualization skills – the ability to picture in your mind what is happening.
- Working Memory skills – the ability to hold information in the mind while searching your knowledge base to make connections.
The other basic components that are important for proficient reading are a rich vocabulary and an acceptional knowledge base for their age.
The last thing that helps a child become a proficient reader is practice, practice, practice. If a child has weaknesses in their Foundational Processing System, it will be almost impossible to be a proficient reader.
Visit our free Screening Checklists here to see if your child may have weaknesses in their Foundational Processing System.
Thank you for visiting our site. If you think the information is valuable, please share it with others. When you do, people pay attention. Together we can make a difference.
