Q: How can I help my child with special needs understand what he reads?
A: A student with special needs may lack basic comprehension skills because he misinterprets and fails to grasp concepts. This can be not only frustrating for the student, but for parents as well. When we read, our overall goal is to monitor our understanding and make sure that we are getting meaning from the written word. Here is one reading strategy, below, that will encourage your child to monitor his reading comprehension.
K-W-L Strategy- Specifically, this strategy will help your child activate his background knowledge and set a purpose for reading.
KWL stands for determining “What I Know,” “What I Want to Learn,” and “What I Have Learned” in reading passages or texts. Whereas the average learner may think about these concepts instinctively, special needs learners require that these concepts be specifically discussed and written down. Divide an 8 x 11 piece of paper into three columns and write “What I Know,” “What I Want to Learn,” and What I Have Learned” separately in each of the three columns at the top of the page. In the “What I Know” column, before reading a passage or text, ask your child to list ideas and concepts related to the topic, and then have him organize his ideas into broad categories. In the “What I Want to Learn” column, discuss with your child what he wants to learn from reading a passage or text, and have him write down specific questions that he thinks may be answered in the passage or text. Lastly, in the “What I Learned” column, discuss with your child some facts he learned after reading a passage or text. Have him write down the answers to the questions he posed in the “What I Want to Learn” column. Sometimes, authors will not have the answers to some questions your child posed. Then, this can be a point of discussion for a follow-through task where your child finds the answers to these questions on the internet. If your child is frustrated with writing things down, simply write his answers down for him. The goal is to activate your child’s background knowledge and set a purpose for reading.
