Children may struggle with reading for a variety of reasons, including limited experience with books, speech and hearing problems, and poor phonemic awareness.
The most common indicator that a child will struggle with reading is whether they have a family history of reading or learning issues, or dyslexia, says Truch. “We do know from research in the last 20 years that there's a heavy genetic component to reading difficulties,” he says.
Some of the more common reading problems in kids with ADHD are related to reading fluency, including skipping over words, sentences, and punctuation, rushing through the material, and losing track of their spot on the page.
Reading can be difficult and frustrating for children with ADHD. This is due to issues of focusing, managing distractions, and processing and retaining information. If the condition isn't managed during childhood, reading challenges may continue into high school, college, and adulthood.
While not all children with ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder experience difficulties when it comes to reading, some studies estimate around half may struggle with literacy skills. That's because attention issues make it harder for children with ADHD to concentrate on a text.
The leading causes of slow reading
Many people are slow readers because they can't seem to focus on what they're reading. This often happens if you're exposed to noise or other external factors while trying to read. Poor concentration is also related to daydreaming or worrying about problems.
Deficits or weaknesses in key cognitive processing areas can point to a root cause of slow and labored reading. Common areas of deficit that can impact reading speed are: Auditory processing. Visual processing.
Reading fluency occurs when a child has developed the knowledge and skills to recognize words automatically, accurately and quickly. This usually develops at ages 7 to 8.
Hyperlexia is advanced and unexpected reading skills and abilities in children way beyond their chronological age. It is a fairly recently named condition (1967) although earlier descriptions of precocious reading do exist.
In addition to genetics, scientists are studying other possible causes and risk factors including: Brain injury. Exposure to environmental risks (e.g., lead) during pregnancy or at a young age. Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy.
ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they have some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other. Experts have changed the way they think about how autism and ADHD are related.
Though screen time doesn't cause ADHD, some studies have suggested that children with ADHD may be at increased risk of developing a screen addiction. While parents of children with ADHD can try to be aware of their kid's screen time, most children's screen time falls short of addiction, according to Lightfoot.
Inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing)
having a short attention span and being easily distracted. making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork. appearing forgetful or losing things. being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming.
Apparently, kids with ADHD can LOVE reading and writing. Apparently, ADHD is not a one-size-fits-all condition. It's complex, and manifests itself in different ways — even within the same family.
ADHD isn't a problem with reading, and kids with ADHD learn to read in the same way other kids do. But the focus difficulties that come with ADHD can create challenges. Trouble with attention may cause some kids to take longer to learn to read. It can also make it harder for kids to get through reading tasks.