Invisible Readers

Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill for academic success. Adolescents with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are a high-risk group who are often overlooked in schools. Despite the available evidence regarding this population in the early stages of development, research on adolescents is scarce. A systematic review was conducted to analyze the characteristics of reading comprehension in adolescents with DLD, following the PRISMA guidelines, in Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo (2015–2025). A total of 23 articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified; these were predominantly quantitative studies conducted in countries of the Global North. The results show that adolescents with DLD exhibit persistent difficulties in reading comprehension compared to their typically developing peers or those with other neurodevelopmental disorders. These difficulties are associated with deficits in language or cognitive skills (vocabulary, inferential reasoning, and verbal working memory). Similarly, reading growth patterns show improvement with age, but at a slower pace, which widens the gaps in later years as reading demands increase. Contextual factors such as family support or teaching practices can influence reading performance. Regarding interventions, the study highlights the positive effects of using visual organizers, teaching textual structure, and narrative discourse. It concludes that there is a need to diversify research methodologies in this field and to incorporate research conducted in the Global South.