Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing Program for Reading Comprehension


Lindamood-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing

Student improving reading comprehension skills with the Lindamoo-Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing program.
The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V) program is designed to develop concept imagery—the ability to create mental pictures from language. This skill is essential for comprehension, critical thinking, and memory. Many students who struggle with reading can decode words but still have difficulty understanding and remembering what they’ve read.

Research has shown that the Visualizing and Verbalizing program can improve comprehension and higher-order thinking skills by strengthening the connection between language and imagery. Independent studies reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse found positive effects for students with reading difficulties, particularly in the area of comprehension. In addition, the National Center on Improving Literacy emphasizes the importance of explicit instruction in both word recognition and language comprehension to close the gap for struggling readers.

​ The program is a structured, research-based approach designed to strengthen comprehension, critical thinking, and expressive language. By teaching students how to create mental images while listening and reading, Visualizing and Verbalizing helps them connect words to meaning and improve recall. This multisensory program builds the imagery-language connection needed for higher-order thinking, reading comprehension, and writing. It is especially effective for students who struggle with understanding detail, main idea, and inference, including those with autism, dyslexia, or language-processing challenges. Learners develop clearer communication, deeper comprehension, and stronger academic performance through guided practice.

A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating an imaged gestalt-a whole. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness causes individuals to only get "parts" such as a few facts or details rather than the whole picture.

Individuals with weak concept imagery have difficulty with reading comprehension, critical thinking, and may not easily follow directions or connect to conversations. They may also have difficulty expressing ideas in an organized manner. If they read well, but are severely unable to comprehend they may be labeled hyperlexic or high-functioning autistic, including Asperger's.

Individuals of all ages may experience the symptoms of an undiagnosed and untreated concept imagery dysfunction. This causes:

  • Reading Comprehension - They have to reread material several times and often remember only a few details, rather than the "whole."
  • Oral Language Expression - They may seem shy and have difficulty organizing their language...or they may be talkative but scattered, relating information out of sequence.
  • Oral Language Comprehension - They connect to only part of a conversation and have difficulty responding relevantly and thinking logically. They may ask and re-ask the same question and are labeled "poor listener."
  • Written Language Skills - Their writing is often described as unorganized and nonspecific.
The Lindamood-Bell  Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking® (V/V®) successfully stimulates concept imagery. Individuals become able to image gestalts which include color, and even movement. This improves their language comprehension, reasoning for critical thinking, and expressive language skills.

Using the Lindamood-Bell program, it is common for individuals to gain years in language comprehension in four weeks of intensive instruction. More about Wellspring Learning.

Wellspring Learning Blog on reading, learning and the brain.

​Note:   Wellspring Learning, LLC is not Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes® nor is it affiliated with, certified, endorsed, licensed, monitored or sponsored by Lindamood-Bell®, Nanci Bell, Phyllis Lindamood or Pat Lindamood. Lindamood-Bell® - an international organization creating and implementing unique instructional methods and programs for quality intervention to advance language and literacy skills - in no way endorses or monitors the services provided by Wellspring Learning, LLC. Wellspring Learning LLC, therapists are trained in using LiPS® and Visualizing and Verbalizing® for our students.
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