Staying focused while reading

[mom31257]

I'm so bad at trying to search for topics, so I apologize if this has been done recently or too much. 

If you or one of your children has trouble staying focused while reading, what are the best strategies you have found that really helped? 

My ds, who is 16, has admitted to me that last year he basically skimmed his reading for school because he has a hard time staying focused while reading, even sometimes with something he is interested in. I did feel that he didn't seem to understand some subjects last year until we had discussed them more thoroughly or he had the chance at extra teaching on the material. We did a lot of review for his tests. I thought it was just because the material was getting harder in high school, and we were covering some subjects he hadn't been introduced to much at all (physics, government, economics, etc.).

I appreciate any suggestions! Next year ds will have biology, health, and world history. There will be lots of textbook reading with all three as well as a lot of serious literature selections. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by mom31257

[Lori D.]

Cut back on screen use. People are starting to look at how electronic media is shortening attention spans, making it more difficult to do more than skim, or not be able to stay focused to be able to read an entire web article, or book chapter, etc. (Just my own observation, but I think there's a bit of a Pavlovian response going on in the way our digital age "rewards" us, so we are constantly "looking for the most recent likes" and constantly checking for email and texts on cell phones.)

A few ideas for helping reading concentration:

- use your hand  to guide your eye and keep your eye from wandering (or use a blank index card and run it along above or under the line you are reading)
- eliminate distractions -- turn off electronics
- make a comfy, relaxing reading spot -- pillows, cushions, fuzzy blanket -- in a quiet overstuffed chair and make it a habit to read there; just like always studying in the same place can build concentration, always reading in the same place (and in a place/way that feels inviting) builds up a mental expectation and habit that reading will happen there whenever you go that place
- take breaks -- research shows that workers on the job are most productive and focus better when they work for 45-50 minutes, and then take a 10-15 minute break
- listen to music while reading -- this would have totally distracted me, but both of my DSs were able to focus on reading much better with earbuds and music; for type of music -- instrumental is better than music with lyrics, so you're not distracted by singing along the words of the music rather than reading
- review what was read -- when coming to the end of a chapter, skim quickly through and recap the section/chapter with a short list of bullet points of key words/phrases of overall ideas
- snack and read -- some people focus better if munching while reading -- popcorn, pretzels, nuts, trail mix -- something that you can reach into the bowl or box and get without looking and that doesn't distract you with mess (like dipping or crumbling)

Edited June 11, 2019 by Lori D.

[Farrar]

Ds has this issue. The root for him is a language processing issue. We've tried several of the things on Lori's list. Reading and outlining has been the trick for nonfiction. Process as you go. We haven't totally found the right solution for fiction, honestly. He does more of it on audiobook, which helps a little.

[PeterPan]

ADHD meds

And fwiw, my dd's ACT scores went up dramatically (like 50%, I forget, it was a lot) with the meds too. Same kid, just could finally stay engaged and do it. I'm all for strategies, language work, etc., but at some point just give 'em the meds.

Edited June 11, 2019 by PeterPan

[Lori D.]

If you're thinking there is *mild* ADD interference and that prescription meds might be too much, you might try a little caffeine to help with focus -- very mild would be a protein bar; next up, a cup of coffee; and above that, perhaps a low dose of a time-release caffeine pill.

For the literature, if possible, you might first watch a good film version first, which can help get all the character relationships figured out in advance, as well as helping with knowing the plot in advance, and then while reading, he can focus on the language, the themes, the literary aspects... Reading aloud / audio books and he draws a mind map or "sketch notes" while listening. Or, try reading it aloud together buddy style "you read a page, I read a page", might help with concentration, having to switch up tasks every few minutes between listening and reading aloud, and also by the physical act of handing the book back and forth every few minutes.

[Farrar]

I do totally agree with PeterPan that if there's ADHD involved, consider meds. I learned from my time in the classroom - it makes a difference. If he has no other attention issues though, then obviously not the right approach.

[mom31257]

Thanks for the insight! 

Both my sisters have ADD and realize it now as adults. I don't think he has some of their issues. I've never really looked at all the symptoms, so I will do some research. 

He does get a good bit of screen time. Some of it is his social connections with friends. He's the only child at home, so I've felt like he needed those connections. He plays strategy cards games on the computer (Hearthstone, Magic the Gathering) and some things on the PS4. He does text friends, but he's not on social media. What about watching things like Netflix and videos on youtube? Do you think just watching things does as much to our brains as the more interactive? 

We found several audio books for his literature this past year, and we listened to them together so that we didn't have to read aloud. He does like audio books, and the biology book co-op is using has one available. I might need to get that. I'd like him to learn what to do when he doesn't have that because of college and such, though. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by mom31257

[PeterPan]

So a difference with caffeine vs. meds is the parts of the brain activated. We started with caffeine first, and you can find some charts online that show how to dose it to get a bump in the attention without going all the way to a physiologic or possibly addictive level. It was really low, much lower than you'd think. There was a formula, like .10 per kg or something like that. Basically it worked out to 1 NoDoz tablet for someone the size of my dd ( 5'9", 180 pounds). So if he just sits there guzzling coffee it will be a lot more than you need and you can have side effects. Definitely try googling for that chart/article, as I've linked it in the past.

The other thing is that caffeine has a very short half-life, only maybe 3-4 hours. So meds give you more parts of the brain activated, less ups and downs, and a longer effect for someone who might also need attention help for driving. If he's 16, that's the thing the ped will be more concerned about. Accident rates on ADHD drivers are pretty bad. 

So we started with caffeine and that gave us the information to know it was time to move over to meds. If he *likes* the caffeine, the meds will just be better. More expensive, but better. The meds then have time release versions. My dd uses Vyvanse, which has a unique time release mechanism that requires an enzyme to break down. No ups and downs, very consistent, and not able to be abused. To me that was important looking at college. The doc offered her a booster for evenings with a short acting and I was like NOPE NO WAY. Way too tempting.

[PeterPan]

8 minutes ago, mom31257 said:

He does get a good bit of screen time.

The constant visual of the screen messes with dopamine, giving easier rewards than the work of school work. The meds act on dopamine levels, yes. On the other hand, I think it's really easy to miss/underestimate the ADHD symptoms in the kid because he's so smart, so diligent, and trying so hard. I think your kid told you he has ADHD when he said he's having a hard time staying focused. Personally, I think at this age it would be appropriate to show him the range of options and see what he wants to try. He could decide if he wants to try strategies and caffeine or move up to psych evals and ped for the meds. He might say he wants to go straight to meds or he might surprise you and want to try the strategies. Either way, you'd have buy-in. 

Meds are kind of scary in a way. My dd was 16, and I felt like she was at an age where it had to be her choice, her understanding of the consequences, her self-advocating. That has worked out really well, because as a college student (remember, that's just 2 years away) she has to manage all this herself. Meds are controlled substances, so they require fresh scrips every month and a doctor's visit in person every 3 months. There are hoops to jump through. For her it's worth it, but it takes work.

The thing psych evals would do is answer questions he has and get on paper accommodations he might need. My dd uses EF coaching at the university. EF=executive function

Edited June 11, 2019 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

9 minutes ago, mom31257 said:

We found several audio books for his literature this past year, and we listened to them together so that we didn't have to read aloud. He does like audio books, and the biology book co-op is using has one available. I might need to get that. I'd like him to learn what to do when he doesn't have that because of college and such, though. 

The challenge there is that he can probably eye read (when he's attending, lol) 3X faster than what he can ear read. So unless he learns to speed ear read (google Ben Foss), he's immediately at a disability using audiobooks. He's also removing one of his possibly stronger learning inputs, the visual. 

[PeterPan]

12 minutes ago, mom31257 said:

He's the only child at home, so I've felt like he needed those connections.

Is he getting outside and moving or doing sports? Movement can have an effect on attention. Now my dd says it just makes you too tired to do anything, haha, but still it's something they'll suggest when you're talking with a psych about options beyond meds. So like pop him on a treadmill or elliptical for 10-15 minutes in the morning or go toss hay at the animals or whatever and see if it helps.

[mom31257]

13 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Is he getting outside and moving or doing sports? Movement can have an effect on attention. Now my dd says it just makes you too tired to do anything, haha, but still it's something they'll suggest when you're talking with a psych about options beyond meds. So like pop him on a treadmill or elliptical for 10-15 minutes in the morning or go toss hay at the animals or whatever and see if it helps.

He swims a few days a week, but during the school year it's only in the evenings. He mows the lawn with a push mower, but that's definitely not every day.  I will work on getting him moving before he starts his school days. 

[PeterPan]

Mindfulness is another thing he can do even without meds. It's evidence-based to bump EF about 30% with just maybe 10 minutes of effort. I haven't done this one, but something like this https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com/free-body-scan  Basically he can also just stop and pay attention to his body, going through each part. Or a cd (online for free also) like Sitting Like a Frog. Anything where he stops and pays attention to his body and how he's feeling. It will bump that EF a bit and make him more focused. Not a substitute for meds, but it's free and might be enough bump (with practice) that he likes it. Also the effect kind of carries over, making him a bit more present and connected and engaged the whole day.

Heathermomster has posted on LC about things her ds is doing per the psych after not responding well to meds. CBT, lots of EF strategies, mindfulness, and exercise basically.

Edited June 11, 2019 by PeterPan

[Farrar]

I’m pretty convinced that it’s not screens per se that are the issue - sitting down to watch a TV show or play a specific video game or work on a digital project - assuming it’s not before bed, not the only thing a person does, etc. seems fine and is stuff people have been doing for decades. I think the attention issue arises with how quickly we change gears between different games, videos, and snippets of reading through social media, through YouTube, on smart devices, etc.

In the end - and this is definitely a challenge - I think reading more is the best way to improve reading.

[daijobu]

21 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Cut back on screen use. People are starting to look at how electronic media is shortening attention spans, making it more difficult to do more than skim, or not be able to stay focused to be able to read an entire web article, or book chapter, etc. (Just my own observation, but I think there's a bit of a Pavlovian response going on in the way our digital age "rewards" us, so we are constantly "looking for the most recent likes" and constantly checking for email and texts on cell phones.)

A few ideas for helping reading concentration:

- use your hand  to guide your eye and keep your eye from wandering (or use a blank index card and run it along above or under the line you are reading)
- eliminate distractions -- turn off electronics
- make a comfy, relaxing reading spot -- pillows, cushions, fuzzy blanket -- in a quiet overstuffed chair and make it a habit to read there; just like always studying in the same place can build concentration, always reading in the same place (and in a place/way that feels inviting) builds up a mental expectation and habit that reading will happen there whenever you go that place
- take breaks -- research shows that workers on the job are most productive and focus better when they work for 45-50 minutes, and then take a 10-15 minute break
- listen to music while reading -- this would have totally distracted me, but both of my DSs were able to focus on reading much better with earbuds and music; for type of music -- instrumental is better than music with lyrics, so you're not distracted by singing along the words of the music rather than reading
- review what was read -- when coming to the end of a chapter, skim quickly through and recap the section/chapter with a short list of bullet points of key words/phrases of overall ideas
- snack and read -- some people focus better if munching while reading -- popcorn, pretzels, nuts, trail mix -- something that you can reach into the bowl or box and get without looking and that doesn't distract you with mess (like dipping or crumbling)

I love Lori D's list, especially if we are operating on the assumption that there aren't any learning issues, ADHD, etc.  

And while I agree with Lori D's suggestions, I'm also going to weirdly recommend some opposites of her suggestions.  For example, when I am doing challenging reading, I prefer to read someplace that's uncomfortable, in a chair where I'm forced to sit up straight at a table.  I will have a pad of paper and pen to take notes as I read.  I personally prefer to read without any sound: consider downloading a white noise app or noise-cancelling headphones.  

If breaks are happening too frequently, then use a timer and set goals to lengthen the period between breaks.  Breaks are great, but if you break too often, it takes extra time to re-immerse yourself in difficult material.  

He can try varying his study location: try a local coffee shop or a library.  Keep electronics packed away and out of sight.  

Whatever works!  

[daijobu]

Another caution about electronics.  Encourage him to charge his phone (and laptop if he doesn't need it) outside his study room.  My dd did that, keeping her phone charging in my room while she works.  She checks her phone in my bedroom during breaks, but then leaves it there.  Apparently keeping a phone on your desk, even if it's powered off, is distracting.  

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, daijobu said:

Apparently keeping a phone on your desk, even if it's powered off, is distracting.  

Yup the 360Thinking people talk about a lock box and putting all the distractors in there. Being on a laptop that has pinterest is also distracting, haha. I'd check on my dd and she had like 1600 pins for ballet tutus. I kid you not. She learned a ton about them, but it didn't help her math get done, lol.

[ElizabethB]

First, make sure he is reading at at least the 11th grade level, 12th is even better, and work with him until his is if he isn't.  Also, he should be reading the nonsense words at least 90 WPM with no errors, 100 WPM is even better, but accuracy is more important than speed. The tests are links number 2 and 6 at the end of my syllables page.

http://thephonicspage.org/On Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

Combine note taking and focus skills--try having him write or draw a picture of the main idea of each paragraph and each section as he reads to keep engaged.  There are some visual note taking videos that are nice if he likes to draw:

 

[royspeed]

mom31257:

First, I would second —

• Lori's comment about screen use;
• Farrar's comment that she thinks reading more is the best way to improve reading.

ElizabethB, too, makes good points when she suggests —

• that accuracy is more important than speed;
• that your son combine note taking and focus skills.

My hunch, mom31257, is that the way your son has been reading is not uncommon. Many students who show up for my classes start off reading that way. Yet the skill of close reading is a vital skill right across the curriculum — and it can be especially tough with textbooks that are not well written.

By "close reading," I mean a couple of things:

• Engagement — i.e., the student is intellectually engaged with the author and the subject matter. Note-taking (see ElizabethB) helps, though I recommend annotating the text, scribbling directly in your copy of the book. — I've written extensively about annotating, e.g., see here.
• Self-awareness — conscious reading, i.e., with awareness of how you're reading as you read. For instance, when we read, we all periodically go out to lunch; we re-read the same sentence or paragraph while thinking about something else. The challenge is to be aware that you've gone out to lunch and ask yourself why. It's often traceable to an unfamiliar word or allusion, like Reconstruction, the Dreyfus Affair, or crop rotation; if you have only a hazy understanding of what's being referred to, the paragraph may never make sense.

The larger point is that "self-aware reading" takes training — continual coaching by parents and teachers.

One of the greatest temptations for the student working alone with a difficult text is pretending to understand: the student glides past something he or she doesn't understand and just keeps reading. The student does it mainly because telling the truth (I have no idea what this means…) leads directly to additional work (like looking up a word in the dictionary, or googling a puzzling allusion).

Equally important, though, is the fact that pretending to understand can become a pernicious habit. And what makes the habit pernicious is that eventually the student fails even to notice when he or she doesn't understand.

Hope this helps, mom31257.

—Roy Speed

[mom31257]

Thank you for all the advice! I will definitely be talking with ds about it and trying some different approaches this summer. 

I actually own an active reading/note taking guide for the world history textbook he will use. It includes charts, timelines, graphic organizers, outlines of sections, vocabulary, etc., to fill in while you read. It's quite a bit of work, though. For example, one 6 page section of text has 5 pages in the note-taking guide. The material is spread out so there is room to write, but I do wonder if it would be more burdensome than helpful. 

[royspeed]

27 minutes ago, mom31257 said:

I do wonder if it would be more burdensome than helpful. 

mom31257:

Yes, it will be more burdensome than helpful — a real turn-off.

Scribbling notes in the text is the way to go. See my articles:

• Close reading — Scroll down to the section "Close reading."
• Annotation

Hope this helps. 

—Roy Speed

[ktgrok]

It could be a focus issue, in which case do look at ADHD symptoms. Also, try snacking, as sugar fuels the brain, and things that require focus quickly deplete the energy supply. One ADHD doctor recommends drinking lemonade while studying for this reason. 

or

It could be a reading issue. That he can focus with an audio book but not the written page makes me really wonder how great his reading fluency is. I'd definitely check that. Low fluency could very much be the issue.