If you have or know a child with ADHD reading to them or asking them to read is at the best, frustrating; not only for you but for them. Kids with the struggle often are very smart, but in school they are not given the tools to become great readers. After doing some research on ADD through various websites (my favorite - ADDitude) I have gotten some very useful information on how to help encourage a child instead of avoid the struggle.
Great Tips:
Engage the imagination.
While your child reads or listens, encourage her to visualize the events in the story, creating a picture or movie in her mind. After a few pages, ask her to describe it.
Use sounds, voices and actions to illustrate what is going on. Make is a adventure. Since some kids with ADD can focus on TV or music, play it a puppet show or play, add songs. Ask them to act it act, make up the soundtrack or draw the images while you read.
Increase word power
The stronger your child’s vocabulary, the better his comprehension—and the less frequently he’ll put down a book to ask about a word.
If you know that a passage contains unfamiliar words, define them—or have him look them up in a dictionary—before he begins to read. Give them a little word dictionary to look up the words and then take notes on them so they are familiar next time.
Try the magazine rack
An entire book may be daunting to the child who can’t stay focused. A children’s magazine may be a less intimidating alternative. If your child likes stories, try Spider (ages 6-9) or Cricket (ages 9-14); if she likes science, pick up Ranger Rick(ages 7 and up) or Kids Discover (ages 6 and up). [For more information, visit CricketMag.com, NWF.org, andKidsDiscover.com.] Ask her teacher whether your child can read a few magazines to meet the monthly reading goal.
Use Audio books
You can get great books on tape from the library. Make it a speacial time when your child can get cozy, put in the tape and have some “me” time. Maybe buy them some special headphones that are just for reading time or a blanket that they make with pictures on it. Make it all about them and the book in their hands. Take the focus away from the challenge with sound, atmosphere and relaxation.
The great thing about children with this particular challenge, as much as it is a challenge for us as parents, educators, friends or leaders is that it is twice or more of a challenge for them. Not only to be understood but to be accepted and receive the right tools to iron out the wiggles and giggles and focus on the task they are given.
Some other ADD favorites:
You can read the full article ADDitude by Leane Somers.
