Question
I am working with a student whose oral reading is constantly interrupted by an unusual amount of breaths taken in the middle of words. Thus his comprehension of the subject matter is compromised. Does this issue fall under speech pathology or more of a di
Answer
There seem to be two issues here. One issue is reading and the other is breathing. Let's start with the reading.
Children read aloud in schools in the first few grades, in part, to work on fluency. The purpose of working on fluency is to increase comprehension. The focus of any reading task of course is always comprehension of the text that is being read. As we know reading is about communicating and thinking. If you assess the student and they can read the text silently and comprehend then I wouldn't be concerned with the breathing/fluency issue. In real life there are very few times we read aloud.
As for the breathing, I am assuming it is not a medical concern if breathing for other functions is normal; however if you think it is a possible medical concern you need to refer the student for a medical exam. As you know many students have difficulty with fluency in reading but you must have thought this was unusual.
As for the breathing I can only hypothesize (not in any particular order) what it could be if it is not a medical concern.
Hypothesis #1: Is the student anxious about reading aloud? If so try having the student read the text silently first and then aloud or with you chorally. It is never a good idea to expect a student to read a text cold.
Hypothesis #2: Is the student having difficulty with understanding the purpose and use of punctuation markers? If this is the case start with small amounts of familiar text, provide explanations about one type of punctuation marker, point it out, model how it is to be read, read it chorally and then have the student try reading it on their own.
Hypothesis#3: Is the text the student is being asked to read at a level that is too difficult for him/her. In this case try a short text at a lower level that has a familiar topic.
Hypothesis #4: Does the student understand what a word is? Does the student understand word boundaries? Assess the student's knowledge of word boundaries and if they don't comprehend then that needs to be a focus for a portion of the therapy session.
I am not sure I have addressed the issue but I hope this helps. Always remember
reading is about comprehension
never ask students to read a text that is too difficult for them (short familiar texts make the task easier)
model and explain what you want and why.
Leslie Holzhauser-Peters holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Master's degree from Miami University. She has thirty years of experience working in the schools in both the special education and general education areas. She began her career as a speech- language pathologist working in a school for children identified as having moderate to severe cognitive deficits and developmental delays. Leslie then went on to become an SLP Supervisor in the schools for fifteen years and is currently working as a curriculum consultant for several school districts. Leslie has presented and co-authored publications on topics that include alternate service delivery models, student observation and intervention, the five communication functions for school success as well as writing and math workbooks for children. Currently she is working with and writing about children identified with NLD and Aspergers.
Leslie Holzhauser-Peters, M.A.
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