Heterogeneity in children's reading comprehension difficulties: A latent class approach

Abstract

BackgroundPoor comprehenders are traditionally identified as having below‐average reading comprehension, average‐range word reading, and a discrepancy between the two. While oral language tends to be low in poor comprehenders, reading is a complex trait and heterogeneity may go undetected by group‐level comparisons.MethodsWe took a preregistered data‐driven approach to identify poor comprehenders and examine whether multiple distinct cognitive profiles underlie their difficulties. Latent mixture modelling identified reading profiles in 6846 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, based on reading and listening comprehension assessments at 8–9 years. A second mixture model examined variation in the cognitive profiles of weak comprehenders, using measures of reading, language, working memory, nonverbal ability, and inattention.ResultsA poor comprehender profile was not identified by the preregistered model. However, by additionally controlling for overall ability, a 6‐class model emerged that incorporated a profile with relatively weak comprehension (N = 947, 13.83%). Most of these children had weak reading comprehension in the context of good passage reading, accompanied by weaknesses in vocabulary and nonverbal ability. A small subgroup showed more severe comprehension difficulties in the context of additional cognitive impairments.ConclusionsIsolated impairments in specific components of reading are rare, yet a data‐driven approach can be used to identify children with relatively weak comprehension. Vocabulary and nonverbal ability were most consistently weak within this group, with broader cognitive difficulties also apparent for a subset of children. These findings suggest that poor comprehension is best characterised along a continuum, and considered in light of multiple risks that influence severity.

What are the long-term prospects for children with comprehension weaknesses? A registered report investigating education and employment outcomes.

“…This registered report was designed to address this gap using data from a longitudinal birth cohort study. We charted educational outcomes in 947 young people previously identified as having reading comprehension weaknesses in mid-childhood (James et al, 2023).…”

“…Our analysis is based on a subset of participants who completed the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA-II; Neale, 1997) during a clinic visit at age 9 years ( n = 6,935; n = 6,846 following the removal of twin pairs to address nonindependence). We previously conducted a latent profile analysis to identify profiles of readers based on measures of reading accuracy, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension (James et al, 2023). The preregistered model did not support the existence of subgroups with specific decoding or comprehension weaknesses.…”

“…The aim of our study was to examine the education and employment outcomes of students identified as having comprehension weaknesses in mid-childhood. In an earlier study, we used a datadriven approach to identify 947 children with relatively weak reading comprehension skills at age 9 years in ALSPAC (James et al, 2023). In the current study, across three research questions, we used two sets of comparisons to understand the implications of reading comprehension weaknesses for education and employment outcomes.…”

“…Reading comprehension difficulties are typically identified in research contexts using standardized assessments of reading ability, reflecting individuals with poor text comprehension alongside age-appropriate word reading ability. It is generally accepted that children with comprehension difficulties form a heterogeneous group with varied strengths and weaknesses that affect the severity of their difficulties (Hayiou-Thomas et al, 2021; James et al, 2023). A consistent and well-replicated finding is that difficulties are not restricted to the comprehension of written text.…”

Reading Skill Profiles in School-Aged Italian-Speaking Children: A Latent Profile Analysis Investigation into the Interplay of Decoding, Comprehension and Attentional Control

“…Despite the fact that for most readers, "learning to read" represents a simple and effortless process, many children have extreme difficulty in the acquisition and automatization of even basic reading skills (e.g., phonics). In this regard, it has been estimated that between 5% and 10% of school-aged children can be classified as "poor readers" and/or "poor comprehenders" [3,4].…”