What Is the Importance of Reading Comprehension After School?

Reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Those have been the educational focal points for centuries. They are the building blocks of all that we learn and all that we do in our lives.

However, there is a misconception that the importance of reading comprehension ends after we finish our schooling.

That’s definitely not true.

Being able to read, and being able to understand what we read, becomes a monumental part of our lives.

As adults, we must be able to read contracts for work. We need to read documents when buying a new home or car. We need to be able to understand forms and applications when we sign our names.

Reading comprehension goes far beyond schooling. If you or a loved one is experiencing challenges due to reading comprehension, it’s important to get the professional assistance you need. Click here to schedule a free introductory call with Great Speech. This way, you will know you are addressing reading comprehension problems in the most practical way possible.

Here are a few of the biggest reasons that reading comprehension will remain one of the most important skills to develop and practice in our lives.

Why Reading Is So Important

Learning how to read is an amazing feeling. Learning how to comprehend what we read is an empowering feeling.

However, the importance of reading comprehension is never really understood until we are faced with a real world situation.

There are a number of things that can occur in our lives to make us backslide in our abilities to read and understand. Disability, injury, and disease can be huge deterrents or obstacles.

Our team of licensed, specialized therapists are skilled and experienced working with reading comprehension challenges. If you don’t feel confident when reading, you may need help. Schedule your free introductory call with us today to get the support you need through our virtual speech therapy program.

These obstacles can immediately answer the question of “why is comprehension important?”

Importance of Reading Comprehension?

Under normal circumstances, we learn how to read when we begin school as kids.

We learn the alphabet. We learn words. We string these words together so that we can learn how to understand sentences and paragraphs.

Student and teacher reading comprehension activities are part of our daily academic lives. We are immersed in reading and it becomes like second nature.

But what happens when something goes wrong? What happens when our brains suffer injury or disease causes harm to our health? Many times, our reading comprehension is directly affected and altered.

Here are a few instances when the ability to learn is compromised and the importance of reading comprehension becomes paramount.

Traumatic Brain Injury

The brain is one of the most important parts of our body. Without it, we can’t breathe, we can’t function, and we surely can’t live.

Our brains are the epicenter of our ability to learn. We cannot speak without the brain helping us out. We can’t read and understand without the brain connecting the information.

Brain injury can have an immense effect on our reading comprehension abilities. An injury involving the temporal lobe can immediately damage our ability to remember things. Also, this type of injury can make it near impossible to string together sounds, words, and phrases.

Brain injuries resulting from loss of oxygen to the brain (i.e. post drowning), motor accidents, and concussions can have devastating effects. These types of injuries can inhibit the ability to speak, understand, or comprehend.

When a brain injury occurs, the importance of reading comprehension becomes a primary goal for therapists.

Reading can help rehabilitate the brain, in some instances. A great place to start is speech therapy, which is a great option for how to teach reading skills after a brain injury.

Stroke

Another medical issue that can have a debilitating effect on reading comprehension is a stroke.

During a stroke, oxygen is cut off from the brain. This affects many parts of the brain and can cause issues with speaking, understanding, and remembering things.

A common effect from victims suffering a stroke can be aphasia articulation. This disorder directly affects communication. Those that suffer from aphasia are plagued with speech problems, as well as reading and comprehension processing issues.

Many struggle with formulating words, as well as interacting in conversation.

The importance of reading comprehension becomes a strong driving force in rehabilitation. There can be quite a benefit when stroke victims work with a speech therapist to practice learning words, sounds, and context.

Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism and Asperger’s syndrome seem to be affecting more and more kids each year. Both of these conditions have a direct effect on communication and understanding.

Early detection is an incredibly important factor to begin relevant therapy. When children present symptoms or indicators of either condition, speech therapy should begin as soon as possible.

Helping children that struggle with communication will need a teacher/therapist that know how to teach reading skills.

Language and Learning Disability

When someone struggles with a language and/or a learning disability, reading comprehension can be a challenge.

There are many types of reading that can be difficult to process, such as expository text type articles. When there are a lot of words, as well as difficult phrases, students with language and/or learning disabilities can feel overwhelmed.

However, these disabilities can be accommodated with speech therapy. Beginning therapy as soon as possible is a great way to combat the struggles that learning disabilities can cause in school and in life.

Comprehension Is Key

We all think about learning how to read and write as part of our lives at a very early age.

However, sometimes things happen and our lives are affected.

The importance of reading comprehension goes far beyond the hallowed halls of school. Reading comprehension is a key ingredient to a successful life.

When something unexpected happens, knowing that there are rehabilitative options can be a lifesaver. Being able to re-learn how to read, understand, comprehend, and communicate is an amazing opportunity for many.

When we think about the reading comprehension strategies from high school, middle school, and even elementary school – we think of reading articles and answering questions.

However, reading comprehension goes past what we learned in school.

The importance of comprehension is what makes us advocates for ourselves and our families. Being able to read and understand through communication empowers us to make decisions in our lives.

The brain is an amazing part of our bodies and our lives. Without this command center of our bodies, we would have no way to interact with others and lead amazing lives.

If you struggle with reading comprehension, know there is help. Click here to schedule an introductory call to start your program with a specialized speech therapist today. Let your mind do incredible things.