Reading: My little guys is 8 and in... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...

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Reading

Tiredmama8713 profile image
11 Replies

My little guys is 8 and in second grade and at a kindergarten reading level. However, when he slows down he’s fully capable of sounding out most words. So my question is did your kids do this? Just not be able to slow down to actually read? I know there has been research especially on adhd boys showing problem with reading comprehension and working memory. I am going to bring it up with the doctor to see if they think his medicine isn’t bringing him to the level he needs to be at to slow him down enough. I didn’t know if anyone had any advice or programs they’ve found to help their kiddo.

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Tiredmama8713 profile image
Tiredmama8713
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11 Replies
Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971

I think it is a great idea to speak to his doctor about the reading. There are 2 medications that help children with ADHD, one a stimulant ( Ritalin, etc.) And there are non stimulants (Guanfacine,etc) which help with focus and emotions. You could ask about these options and express your concerns. A few other suggestions, if your child has a 504 educational plan he qualifies for Bookshare.org which is an amazing resource which allows you to download books in Audio and picture format. The advantage of using this type of service is he can listen and while reading a highlight can follow the words as it is read.

The other resource that many families like are focus line guides. They block out all of the other words he just sees only the line he needs to read. These also come with a color so he could see what color he likes or that helps him. Here is a link that might show you what I am talking about.

especialneeds.com/reading-f...

Reading comprehension should be assessed to see what is going on, or why he is reading so fast.

Hope these help..

Tiredmama8713 profile image
Tiredmama8713 in reply to Onthemove1971

Thank you! I feel so lost these suggestions are great! I had never heard of the line guides and they are relatively cheap on Amazon. He’s had testing by the school and by an outside source but it just seems like they are identifying more of his reading level than specific reading problems. Hopefully the doctor can give more direction. He has an IEP and I hadn’t thought to search to see what all else can be done for him through it hopefully the book share will help too!

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply to Tiredmama8713

We are always here for you if you need us. I would suggest you try the color reading lines and the focus guides. It would be great to let him pick. Do you know if his assessment from the school really looked at his reading comprehension? This is usually done by a learning specialist. ADHD is often assessed by a psychologist.

An IEP can be held at anytime, not just once a year. So if you feel comprehension is an issue reach out to see if someone can look at this, he may be able to get help during school hours, even during a pandemic.

Also, if you talk with the doctor please speak to them about medication for focus. You are so right about eed8ng to slow down but he also needs to learn how to read ( like where his eyes need to be on the page) its not natural for some kids.

Big hugs for all your troubles.

Aloysia profile image
Aloysia

Hopefully when the school evaluated your child, they were able to rule out learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc. If you have not had this evaluation, it would be really good to request it. If they find issues, then you can request special help from the school.

If they've already ruled that out, or if you want to move forward on your own regardless, it's probably time to get him a reading tutor. I ended up finding several retired teachers near me ( by posting on NextDoor Neighborhood) who offered affordable tutoring. I tried two of them and my child bonded with one of them. This teacher was able to pull out the full bag of tricks to help my child improve. Even though my daughter had undiagnosed dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and anxiety at the time, the tutor was able to get through to her. As a result, her reading comprehension, level, and speed increased dramatically during the private tutoring in 1st grade. In 2nd grade I finally had my daughter tested for learning disabilities (after many years of me asking the teachers if they saw signs of dyslexia/dysgraphia and them all saying that she was in the normal range).

Take care!

Tiredmama8713 profile image
Tiredmama8713 in reply to Aloysia

I definitely need to get further testing done I just wasn’t sure where to go for it. They keep telling me a reading level but not specifically what his reading problem is.

Onthemove1971 profile image
Onthemove1971 in reply to Tiredmama8713

This is very common, because they teach "general" education children. A person who specializes in teaching children with reading issues is the best person to help. But remember reading spilling in to many subjects, like math. So getting an educational plan set up to address this and follow your child will really help.

Aloysia profile image
Aloysia in reply to Tiredmama8713

Go to understood.org. Search for "sample letters to request learning disability testing" Once you have a sample letter, it's easier to modify it for your child (rather than starting from scratch). You could also go the private route, but it typically costs $5-9k for private testing from a pediatric neuro-psychologist.

Take care!

Aloysia profile image
Aloysia in reply to Aloysia

Here's a link to a webpage that explains the process and it also includes a sublink to a sample letter.

understood.org/en/school-le....

EssEm profile image
EssEm in reply to Aloysia

Yes, please pursue the reading learning disability. After 2 years of asking the school whether he had dyslexia and getting wishy-washy answers I had a private evaluation done. Not only did it diagnose the ADHD but also LD's in reading and math. The school has to do an evaluation for free -- but you have to request it specifically.

Jerryswife93 profile image
Jerryswife93

We had our now 8 year old second grader tested with a vision therapist for any eye problems. And yes he had issues. Words kept bouncing around on the page so he had a hard time focusing on the words maki g it more difficult to read. With help strengthening the eyes this program had success with kids learning to read and basic behavior. So have him checked out fully. We did it because we wanted to make sure there were no other issues going on.

Gabriela02 profile image
Gabriela02

Hi, My son fell behind too in reading when he was in second grade. His teacher asked us to have him read every single day for 15 minutes. Every Monday she'd send one bag with 7 books from the classroom. The books were for his level. The teachers always stressed the importance of reading at level to ensure that they can gain confidence that they can read.After a few months it was amazing to see the transformation!

Also for every book read I was giving him 10 cents and it worked to get him motivated.

Now he's 8 and in grade 3 and sometimes he'd get his library book and start reading because it's about something that interests him. Shocking!

Hang in there,

Gabi

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