Wednesday, March 7, 2012

How Speed Reading Can Help Kids With ADHD

It may seem strange to think about teaching kids with reading problems how to speed read. After all, you might think that first they have to learn how to read slowly at a higher level. This isn't always the case, though. Very often, kids with reading problems can actually more easily learn how to speed read than read normally. In this article, we'll be discussing the advantages of speed reading for children who have difficulty reading.

Many kids who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD have difficulty reading. They often have poor grades in many subjects, and some of this has to do with their difficulty in concentrating. Not being able to read well makes their problems worse, as almost every subject requires reading skills. One thing that's been discovered is that kids with these problems are more right-brain dominant than left-brain dominant. This is the opposite of how most people are, especially when it comes to reading. Speed reading, however, is a right brain technique that uses visual techniques to allow people to read faster. This is often the easiest way to teach kids, or even adults with ADD or ADHD.

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a problem that more and more children are being diagnosed with. The reasons for this aren't known, and there are various theories about it, from the modern diet to environmental influences such as pollution. However, whatever the reason, children with ADHD are not stupid; in fact, many are above average in intelligence. Once they learn a reading technique that's suitable for them, they often become lifelong readers. An effective speed reading course is often the best way to get kids with ADHD interested in reading. They are naturally bored with anything that's slow paced, so speed reading is likely to capture their attention.

If you're trying to help teach a child with ADHD to read, you may notice that he or she needs more personal attention than the average kid. Because these children have short attention spans and are easily distracted, it's easy for them to lose focus in a large class. That's one reason they often lag behind when it comes to reading and other types of basic skills. So if you want to teach such a child speed reading, it's best to either get a personal tutor or work with the child personally with some kind of software program. You may find that once a child with ADHD learns speed reading techniques that reading becomes a new passion for him or her. It may, however, take some patience and personal attention to get them interested in learning this skill.

Speed reading is something worth considering for a child with ADHD who's having reading problems. Even though parents and teachers often don't think this makes sense at first, if you study the principles used in speed reading, it's actually quite logical. Speed reading allows kids with ADHD to learn the way their brains naturally work, so it makes reading more interesting to them.

No comments:

Post a Comment