Comprehension and Expression

Comprehension and Expression Skills
The Language and Thinking Skills Needed for Success

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Comprehension and expression skills are language based, gestalt imagery skills. If the person's language skills and their gestalt imagery skills are strong, their comprehension and expression abilities are strong. The opposite is true also, if both sets of skills are weak, the resulting comprehension and expression skills will be weak also.

There can be variations of this formula that can cause comprehension and / or expression problems. If either language or gestalt imagery is weak, it will cause weakness in either or both comprehension and expression skills.

When we refer to comprehension we are referring to both listening comprehension and reading comprehension. When we refer to expression we are referring to both oral expression and written expression.

Language based skills include vocabulary, sentence structure, rhythm & speed of language, proper use of language, and more.

Gestalt imagery is thought imagery along with other ways of thinking like inner-talk, emotion connection, visual-spatial thoughts, perspective, and more.

When combined together, language based skills and gestalt imagery allow both comprehension and expression to occur. The more elements of both pieces that are strong, the stronger the resulting skill is. The more elements that are weak or missing, the weaker the resulting skill is.

How do comprehension and expression skills affect your life?

They allow you to:

Understand information, whether it is at school, at work, or at a party.
Grasp the meaning of both written language and the spoken word.
Apply higher level thinking skills like the drawing of conclusions, inferring, and predicting.
Analyze and synthesize information.

What is comprehension? Well, there’s not a simple answer to that question. Basically, comprehension is the practice of understanding. What is understanding? It is when a person can think about information and make sense of it. What is thinking? Now, THAT’S the hard question! If you ask a hundred different people that question, you’d get a hundred different answers. Why is it hard? Because each of us is wired differently and we use our wiring differently, in different situations, and for different goals.

Thinking is multi-dimensional. It is the simultaneous firing of huge numbers of neurons which rush to take messages from one part of our brain to another, then another, until we process enough of the input to come up with a “thought”.

What are thoughts? They are what we do with some sort of input stimulus. The input can be visual, auditory, oral, kinesthetic, tactile, olfactory, or more likely, a combination of several inputs at one time. We can process thoughts quickly or slowly. We can process them in many different ways, depending upon what type of thinker we are.

There are different kinds of thinkers. The simplest way to begin to see the difference is to decide if you are a “part” or a “whole” thinker. A part thinker likes details and step-by-step processes. A whole thinker likes the big picture and goals.

When comprehension skills are intact, understanding occurs accurately, efficiently, and quickly. When comprehension skills are weak, there are mistakes in understanding, it takes too much work, and is generally a slow process.

Let’s break comprehension into parts so we can look at each part easier. The accuracy of comprehension happens when your thoughts match the input. Doesn’t that sound simple? It’s not. It’s a little like the three bears—you can have too many thoughts, too few thoughts, or it can be just right.

Common Comprehension Mistakes

Mistake #1: Their thoughts have so many extra details in them that the main point gets lost. These people have a hard time keeping the end goal in sight and often spend too much time and effort on small details that don’t really matter. They aren’t very efficient and never seem to finish projects.

Mistake #2: Their thoughts are so bare bones and sketchy that there is no details or depth to them. They may be missing parts of the picture—like a jigsaw puzzle without all the pieces. These people have a problem with details and following steps. They often cannot defend their arguments.

Mistake #3: They may have parts of their picture that aren’t connected to each other. Instead of a smoothly flowing mental movie, they are watching a slide show. This individual gets the “basics” from information, but cannot do in depth analytical thinking.
Mistake #4: They may have all of the individual parts, but they may be scattered or they come and go. The pictures don’t ever seem to be in the same order twice. This individual has a hit or miss comprehension record—he is not in control of thinking accurately when he needs to.
Mistake #5: Their picture may be out of focus—too far away, too near, or too fuzzy to use for any analytical thinking. This person is able to access their “feelings” for comprehension more than their logic. This person often has a hard time putting their thoughts into words or action.

How to Improve Someone’s Comprehension

First, figure out which mistake(s) the person is making with their thoughts. In order to do that, you need to have them talk to you about their thoughts. It is vital that you be TOTALLY accepting and non-judgmental about their thoughts. If you are not, they will NEVER share them with you again and you won’t have any information to work with.

Next, work in the order of which mistake they made—from #1 to #5. If they made mistakes 2, 3, and 5, straighten out skill #2 first because it will have the biggest impact on the overall goal. When #2 is working well and they are self-monitoring in their thinking, move on to re-directing #3, then #5. This will allow you to practice your analysis of their comprehension skills in a hierarchy manner and give some structure to your new thinking. If all 5 skills are intact and independent, your student will be able to perform solid basic comprehension. It is very important that you only try to improve one skill at a time. It takes a little while to do this, but it also keeps your student encouraged and enthusiastic about their progress.

If you want to teach them to think analytically, the secret is in how they connect their pictures together (skill #3). This is a fairly complex skill that may take a bit more training to master.

There are some medical conditions that may cause someone's comprehension and/or expression skills to suffer. These include but are not limited to:

Thyroid problems
Seizure disorders
Adrenal fatigue
Insulin resistance or diabetes or hypoglycemia
Hormone imbalances

If you have any suspicions that someone you know may possibly have a biological reason for having trouble comprehending information or expressing themselves, please contact your local health professional. In our local area (Central Florida - Altamonte Springs) I suggest Dr. Scott VanLue. His practice web site can be found at: http://www.soteriahealth.com/ and you can call his office at: (407) 862-5637. Or, you can call Linda Knott at Pharmacy Specialists in Altamonte Springs at (407) 260-7002 or 1-800-224-7711.

If you know someone that needs help improving their comprehension skills, or if you want further training in improving someone else's comprehension skills, feel free to email us, call us, or write us with your request.

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