It’s All Greek to Me! Understanding Specific Reading Comprehension Deficits (S-RCD) in Children

Specific Reading Comprehension Deficits (S-RCD) is like being able to reada foreign language — because you know how the words are pronounced— but having no idea what the words mean. Research shows that there’seven a difference in the brain of someone with S-RCD, which can be seenwith neuroimaging. A recent study found that while children with dyslexiashowed abnormalities in the occipital temporal cortex (the area of thebrain associated with recognizing words on a page), children with S-RCDhad abnormalities in the region associated with memory.

There’s a lot of research on dyslexia, which simply means “troublewith words.” But there’s not a lot about S-RCD, or SpecificReading Comprehension Deficits. Where dyslexia is about reading the words,S-RCD is about understanding them. It’s like being able to reada foreign language— because you know how the words are pronounced—buthaving no idea what the words mean.

S-RCD and a child’s brain

Research shows that there’s even a difference in the brain of someonewith S-RCD, which can be seen with neuroimaging. According to a recentstudy collaboration between Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Collegeof Education and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine/Kennedy Krieger Institute,children with dyslexia showed abnormalities in the occipital temporalcortex (the area associated with recognizing words on a page). But inchildren with S-RCD, the abnormalities are instead in the region associatedwith memory.

In a previous study, neuroscientists found that, compared to children withword recognition deficits, those with S-RCD performed more poorly on testsof planning and spatial memory.

This is the reason it is common for S-RCD not to be recognized until aboutthird or fourth grade, when teaching shifts from decoding to comprehension.

An exercise to improve reading comprehension

Obviously, poor reading comprehension can spill over into many aspectsof life, including homework, testing, college prep exams, leisure readingand, and more. And comprehension struggles affect not only grades in Englishclass, but in all subjects. Just imagine reading written math problems(or answers) but not understanding the question or directions on how toarrive at the correct answer!

For anyone who is looking to help a child or students increase readingcomprehension, try this fun approach called “Somebody Wanted ButSo” (SWBS). Label four columns with the following: Somebody (characterization),Wanted (plot events), But (problem/conflict) and So (resolution). Havethe child or student fill out the columns as they read. Here’s asimple example:

Somebody:Wanted:But:So:Cinderellawanted to stay at thebut her carriageso she ran out ball with the princewould turn into apumpkin at midnight

Brain training improves memory, logic, and more

Another way to improve reading comprehension is through a form of cognitivetraining call one-on-one brain training. LearningRx specializes in one-on-onebrain training as a way of strengthening cognitive skills such as: memory,attention, logic & reasoning, and more.

LearningRx trains cognitive skills through game-like exercises that areboth fun and challenging—and we do it with a unique personal trainer approach.