Abstract
This chapter investigates the possibility of the application of the Simple view of reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) by examining the component skills of reading comprehension in groups of respondents that were at the centre of attention in the second phase of the project GACR Reading comprehension - a typical development and its risks. It explores the position of an each research group (children with typical development, children with dyslexia, students with developmental dysphasia, students with autism spectrum disorders) in the Simple view of reading and the level of their two component skills (decoding and linguistic comprehension) in these groups.
The analysis of reading comprehension is processed at the sentence level as well as for longer passage text. Percentage numbers in dimensional identification of readers by the Simple view of reading revealed that risk groups do not form a homogenous group of poor readers, indeed various combinations of deficits appeared (in terms of decoding and linguistic comprehension) within each group.
Subgrouping poor readers using Simple view of reading may help to detect unnoticed literacy difficulties and to set up appropriate intervention. However, an important role also plays an assessment tool of reading comprehension.
Findings confirmed the large variability in the pattern of reading comprehension difficulties and its component skills as well as the need of various diagnostic approaches in evaluation process of reading comprehension.