ILiveInFlipFlops Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 (edited) DD13 (soon to be 14), told me yesterday that she has trouble focusing when reading--easily distracted, hard time getting absorbed in stories, etc. This is even when it's a fairly easy, high-interest book (currently the second book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series). She was a very early reader (started reading on her own when she was just past four), and she did read a lot when younger, but that tapered down to nearly nothing in the last several years. I didn't push on it because her personality is such that the more I press her, the harder she digs in and very passively resists. I tried to let others spark her reading interests (e.g., her teen group has a monthly book club), but again, I noticed she had trouble completing even high-interest books. This is the first time she's mentioned to me that she has trouble focusing when reading though. What can I do about this? Is it unusual that a kid who didn't seem to have trouble when younger develops a problem? She is dealing with some depression/anxiety, though that has lifted quite a bit with the season change and the supplements she's been taking. Executive function issues have been suggested to me before when I've posted here about some of her other challenges. If EF is the problem, how can I help her improve her reading? We're coming into important school years here, and struggling to read fiction, let alone nonfiction, is going to have a very negative impact on schooling :( Hopefully I'm making sense--I'm still trying to organize my thoughts on all of this! I'd love to hear others' thoughts and experiences here. Thanks! Edited June 30, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops Quote
MaeFlowers Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I don't know. I love to read and I go through these stages. Sometimes I have big things going on and my mind seems too focused on those things. Sometimes I'm simply not in the mood. I've actually been in this mood for the past couple of months. I know that doesn't help, but I just wanted to say that it doesn't mean anything is 'wrong'. Quote
Crimson Wife Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 Has she been doing a lot of computer/tablet reading? I find that my ability to read "linearly" has suffered in recent years since I've been doing more online reading. 4 Quote
Katy Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I'm interested in this too. There seems to be a reading comprehension issue with one of mine. ADHD - inattentive doesn't seem to be all of it. Is there some reading disability that's NOT dyslexia that prevents early readers from focusing? Quote
Jaz Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 She's at the age where vision can change. Struggling to be able to read could play a role in being able to focus and is worth looking into if she hasn't had an eye exam recently. Quote
Arcadia Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 Have her eyes checked. 8 years and above was when my kids eyesight change faster and that is apparently common. For non-fiction, learning to use post-its, make your own notes helps. 1 Quote
MamaBearTeacher Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 Did she take antibiotics prior to this problem starting? Any other medications? Is her sleep regular? Does she eat too much sugar, carbs, junk food? Quote
EmilyGF Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I recently sat down to read a book wearing the sort of ear protectors that industrial workers might use and was shocked at how "interesting" the book was - until I realized that I was just able to focus on the book without distraction in a way I haven't done in a long time. The ear protectors cost $7. I would suggest trying them and then following up on other leads if it doesn't help. My house hold just has a lot of people and sound carries really well. Emily 2 Quote
MelAR05 Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 I'm interested in this too. There seems to be a reading comprehension issue with one of mine. ADHD - inattentive doesn't seem to be all of it. Is there some reading disability that's NOT dyslexia that prevents early readers from focusing? I don't know if this will help, but my 8dd was just diagnosed with Convergence Ineffiency - http://www.convergenceinsufficiency.org/. I am still learning about it. She goes for testing in a couple weeks to see if she is a candidate for vision therapy. The doctor said they are finding that some students who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD actually have a form of this. My daughter has been slow to learn to read and I just thought it was lack of interest. 1 Quote
Mergath Posted June 30, 2016 Posted June 30, 2016 Does she have a lot of screen time? For most people, the more time they spend on the internet or playing computer games, the harder it is for them to focus on long, involved passages of text, like a book or even a longer magazine article. Quote
Farrar Posted July 1, 2016 Posted July 1, 2016 I'm not totally sure but that describes ds as well - tween who has problems with anxiety, has trouble getting into readings and focusing. It's not severe - like, sometimes he's okay. And he can (and does) finish books regularly. He's just a slower reader and routinely likes to stop and only read in shorter bursts. I'm also aware of a lot of the things people above have mentioned like eye tracking and executive functioning and ADHD and so forth. None of them seem to fit my kid exactly and I've come to the conclusion at some point I may just need to have him tested. I'm guessing that the same is true here. It could be so many things and you probably need to get her tested to know for sure what's going on. Quote
zoobie Posted July 1, 2016 Posted July 1, 2016 I'm not totally sure but that describes ds as well - tween who has problems with anxiety, has trouble getting into readings and focusing. It's not severe - like, sometimes he's okay. And he can (and does) finish books regularly. He's just a slower reader and routinely likes to stop and only read in shorter bursts. I'm also aware of a lot of the things people above have mentioned like eye tracking and executive functioning and ADHD and so forth. None of them seem to fit my kid exactly and I've come to the conclusion at some point I may just need to have him tested. I'm guessing that the same is true here. It could be so many things and you probably need to get her tested to know for sure what's going on. ADHD and anxiety can overlap. Mine is worse when I am anxious or depressed. Then I get more anxious and depressed and... Quote
Farrar Posted July 1, 2016 Posted July 1, 2016 ADHD and anxiety can overlap. Mine is worse when I am anxious or depressed. Then I get more anxious and depressed and... Yeah. For ds at least, I'd be shocked to find out he had ADHD - I've taught a lot of ADHD kids with a lot of profiles and he just isn't like that at all. Executive functioning issues or eye tracking or perhaps something else wouldn't floor me. But, yeah, there definitely can be an overlap and anxiety especially can be looped in with this stuff. Quote
Melissa in Australia Posted July 1, 2016 Posted July 1, 2016 Could she have mild dyslexia? I could read at 4 then struggled to concentrate on reading until 11. Quote
Katy Posted July 1, 2016 Posted July 1, 2016 I don't know if this will help, but my 8dd was just diagnosed with Convergence Ineffiency - http://www.convergenceinsufficiency.org/. I am still learning about it. She goes for testing in a couple weeks to see if she is a candidate for vision therapy. The doctor said they are finding that some students who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD actually have a form of this. My daughter has been slow to learn to read and I just thought it was lack of interest. Yes! There is definitely a depth perception issue too, so this sounds exactly right! Thank you!!! Quote
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