Perhaps the most obvious cause of low levels of reading in children is learning disabilities. If a child can't grasp how to read a word, he won't be able to comprehend it. It should be noted, however, that with much determination, patience, practice and re-reading, some children with learning disabilities can develop higher levels of reading. The child must be worked with closely, typically in a special program or outside of school, as time constraints typical of a busy school day will only inhibit his ability to learn.
Even when a child can read words or even sentences, he may still lack basic comprehension skills, which makes understanding what he reads quite difficult. Children with language comprehension issues find it difficult to draw inferences.
Simply placing a book in front of a child and telling her to read is unlikely to be successful. When children are young, they must be introduced to enthusiastic reading. Teachers and parents should engage the student in reading, pointing out text and using emotion when telling a story. If a child is not exposed to enthusiastic reading, her interest may suffer. Once her interest suffers, her reading skills suffer.
A study conducted by the McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida found that children raised in low-income homes performed poorly on reading tests compared with students from middle-class or wealthier families. The study also noted that parents from low-income families typically spent significantly less time involved in their children's schoolwork.
The McKnight Brain Institute's study also touched on brain structure and reading levels. According to the study, children with asymmetrical temporal planes fared better on tests compared with children with more symmetrical temporal planes. Temporal planes are a part of the brain responsible for processing auditory information, or what we hear. The study noted that children with less asymmetrical brains had the weakest grasp of language.
If a child is unable to grasp language verbally, reading in that language will be difficult. It is also safe to say the child will not be able to comprehend what he reads, even if he can speak the words.