Helping with Reading Comprehension

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My kiddo is almost 9 and in the 3rd grade. He can read words and sentences well, has for years. However, the comprehension of what he is reading hasn't "clicked" yet.... Any advice for helping turn this "switch" on?

My friend's son has this problem. Really high IQ, but sometimes the most basic things get by him. She's got him on a course of English Kumon, and it seems to be helping. He's an aspie with a heavy smattering of semantic-pragmatic language disorder.

If it helps, my IQ is 152, I'm 38 with a degree, and it wasn't until this year that the theory that I suffer from it has come up, so it's not really obvious. It would seem as though the brighter aspies just use sheer intelligence to cover gaping holes, and we can do it so well that no one really notices!

It will come. I read short passages and discussed them with my son. Remember the standardized test length passages with questions? We'd do an age appropriate passage then casually discuss what he read. He has always been a voracious reader, and he reads a great deal of fiction (he is a creative Aspie---he had to get some of my genes). I'm not sure if fleshing out the passages with him helped, if it was the passage of time, or a combination.

Perhaps you could have your son retell you one of his reading assignments, or even a simple short story. The comprehension will build; once he realizes the way certain things unfold in a story, it will come together for him. Plots unfold in a similar manner and Aspies grasp that. Pretty soon your son will realize everyone is retelling Shakespeare and the Nordic sagas.

Some strategies include:
Working on pre-reading activities
this would be things such as making K-W-L charts (Know - Want to know - Learned)
making predictions about the text based upon the title, context, teacher's/readers expectations
Making conections, either text-text, text-self, or text-current events
Metacognive strategies - questioning the text and or the author. Asking at frequent intervals while reading, what have I learned, what is going on, what do I think about what is going on, what do I agree/disagree with in this text.
Making predictions, both before and at intervals during reading.
Keeping a readers notebook
be sure to include new vocabulary in readers notebook, particularly helpful in non-fiction/content area texts
Identifying the genre, comparing the text to other texts within the genre
Similar to above, creating compare/contrast charts between the text and other texts (often taught through Venn Diagrams
Making plot maps - introduction, (setting, characters,) rising action( main events), confict (internal/external), climax, falling action, resolution.
Identifying themes in fiction texts, answering questions in non-fiction or subject area texts
Underline the text. IF using abook in which it is not appropriate to underline then write notes on sticky paper so that the child can refer back to the text.
Sticky paper (post it notes) work really well with science minded kids who comprehend text best by answering questions and being metacognitive.
I know that was a lot a threw out at you. I hope some of it helps.

I have always needed context, perspective, examples, application ...

Otherwise, words are just text on a page.