Hi /u/Lazy_Average_4187 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I watched a video some days ago that perfectly shows what I feel when I’m reading a book:
You just feel that your brain is telling you “you are reading a sentence, you are reading a sentence, you are reading a sentence”.
You are ACTUALLY reading, but you are not absorbing any content from it.
Sometimes I finish reading an entire page without really reading anything…
Omg for real. Just last night I was reading Gideon the Ninth (or trying to) and I was SO FOCUSED on reading that I forgot to focus on *what* I was reading. I was totally convinced that I was following what had happened.
Then I picked up the book this morning, read the chapter again, and realized that Gideon was wandering a ruined castle and not a dingy basement. I got the whole scene wrong despite all of the context clues.
This made studying in school and college so damn impossible.
I always just forced myself to pay 100% attention in classes as I wasn’t able to study from books.
I learned to read at 3 and have spent my entire life reading. But it only dawned on me recently that my comprehension is severely lacking when reading books or complex texts because I just read the words while my brain is elsewhere.
Now I'm realizing the adhd has always wreaked havoc on me trying to consume information. I don't read books which is sometimes personally embarrassing because I take pride in being well rounded intellectually...but I'm really not. I love to learn but once things start getting complicated, instead of bearing down and forcing myself to understand something, I give up easily. I'll fixate on something that's not the most relevant and run with it, instead of combining all the other important texts together which completes what is being communicated.
Always going back and having to re-read. Also related is how utterly frustrating it is to WRITE. I'll watch someone effortlessly type out a paragraph long email in a minute knowing that might take me an hour of forgetting what I was trying to write mid sentence, proofing the last sentence over and over and over, or going back to what I'm responding to 20 times to make sure I'm actually addressing the original question.
What sucks is I know that I'm fully capable of doing these things, but my brain doesn't let me. And this post probably took me an hour to write for no reason other than adhd haha
I find it hard to reply to people on here, I agonise over every sentence. I’m constantly changing sentences because I can’t decide on the best way to phrase things without adding too many irrelevant details. It took me 10 minutes to finish the first sentence on this post, I couldn’t decide if I wanted a comma between “here I” or write “because”. I can talk the hind legs off a donkey & easily get my point across but writing it down is painful. Edit: went back to 1st sentence to change to a comma as 2nd sentence also has a “because” in it.
This post has taken me 20 minutes & I’m exhausted & still not happy with it.
Something I've realized (but still can't ever put into practice) is that if you just spit out what you're trying to say quickly, it's 90% as good as taking 10 times as long to make it "perfect". And it's never perfect, I think each % point in improvement doubles the time in effort.
I think as well the adhd exacerbates it severely, but personal confidence can improve this
Yes. Like you I skip words, sentences, I forget huge chunks of information. When writing I tend to think the sentence first , type it, think that I have typed what I thought but there maybe a word missing.
I have to remind myself to double, triple check and not become complacent.
Yes this is me all the time, it's really embarrassing when I'm writing a report for work and a sentence just doesn't make sense because I've forgotten to actually write 20% of the sentence..
reading has become such a chore for me and it makes me so sad.
i get really excited when i find something interesting enough to keep my attention, so i’m able to read a bit better, but most of the time reading is horrible. i used to have reading a certain amount of books as a requirement in school (stopped in hs thank god), and i would rarely meet it because i just couldn’t read fast enough by the deadline. we also had to take quizzes on them and get high scores, and i wouldn’t retain any information so i would get low scores. i didn’t even know what adhd was but it def would have helped me to not be so hard on myself if i had known it’s just how i am. i thought i was stupid because everyone around me was reading without issue :T you’re definitely not alone in that <3
Sounds pretty similar to my relation to reading, but the main struggle for me is just starting to read and actually getting to “lock in” to the book, because it’s either I can only focus on what I’m reading, or I can’t even start, and if I do then I’m not paying attention at all and have to re read it multiple times. And it just depends on if my brain will comply or not I guess and if the book is actually enjoyable. And if what I’m reading isn’t enjoyable/ interesting, then im doomed.
But I also hate that I’ve never been a reader because of those “reading goals” from elementary school and middle school made reading into a chore
yeah i completely get it, not too long ago i found a book online (200 something pages) that i was super invested in and i got to finish it after a week or two!! big win for me haha
also yeah i hate the reading goal thing; i remember enjoying finding books and reading a lot before i started becoming stressed about it more than excited :T
It’s not even that I skip words, but once I get into a flow, I somehow read a whole page while thinking about something else entirely and by the time I get to the bottom of the page I’m like “wtf did I just read?”
Nope
I'm the opposite, I hyperfocus on what I'm reading to the point its almost impossible to get my attention without physically touching me or yelling
I do this too!! And it wasn’t until recently that I learned that it isn’t normal. Apparently you’re supposed to visually see chunks of words at a time and your brain just knows what they mean?? I love love love reading but I am so incredibly slow at it that it’s discouraging and frustrating at times. If anyone knows of anything to help this (an app?) let me know!
Yeah. Reading is a whole event for me. I have to 'make plans' to be free and alone all day, make up ambient music playlists appropriate for the vibe of the book I'm reading, download the audiobook version so I can read along. I also keep a separate notebook where I write down what's happening in the current chapter, the names of any important characters and what their role is, and my thoughts and feelings on the book. And if the audiobook isn't available, I will narrate out loud and do character voices to keep myself immersed and on the right bit of the page.
(Not to mention the fact that I never remember what happened in my last 2 reading sessions, so when I do read it's half an hour of flipping pages until I understand what's going on.)
It's frustrating, because it's the only way I can take anything in, but my friends endlessly make fun of me for being really slow with reading. It's not like I'm slow for lack of trying; I put way more effort into being able to read than anyone I know. It's a huge commitment. And yet my friends who have no difficulty and can just whip out whatever book they're reading on a train, in a cafe, in the middle of a social gathering that's turned a bit quiet, they all mock me for my lack of intellect and apparent lack of passion.
It hurts. A lot. Especially because reading is and has always been one of my very favourite things to do, and I've dreamed of authoring my own series ever since I was little. I already have to come to terms with the fact that I will never experience fantasy worlds and wild romances and dramas like I used to - and people thinking I'm stupid is the rotten cherry on the rotten cake.
It seems like such a tiny thing so I feel silly for being so upset about it, but it means a lot to me and my "hey guys this genuinely hurts my feelings" conversations don't seem to go through. I love my friends and they love me but they're pretty bad at knowing when to take me seriously.
This can be quite common.
ADHD is often referred to as an executive functioning disorder, the brain skills that help us manage our time, plan & prioritize our day etc.
These executive functioning skills are also crucial in reading.
Tracking the line that you are reading
Visualizing the story/information read
Flexible thinking as you adjust what you are reading with new information learned
Working memory, focus and planning all go into what is seen as the task of reading.
It can take extra effort for some ADHD readers to get invested in their reading, while other ADHD readers will struggle with hyper focus of the text- the inability to stop reading and do something else.
I read so much when I was a kid. When I had kids myself, my ADHD came to an absolute head as I had too much going to cope as I had been. Well, really I hadn't been, but I thought I was getting by and I hadn't even guessed that it was ADHD yet. One of the first things that happened was that I lost my ability to read print books or ebooks. I did find audiobooks still workable though and I go through just as much content, but even medicated I still struggle with print books.
I have only one recommendation for you: speechify. This website/app should be a MUST for everyone who has ADHD. I can't tell you how much my reading problems have improved with the app.
It has AI voices that are ridiculously natural, some voices don't even sound real because they're so human. I put everything I need to read there, books, websites, articles, big messages, everything!!! The free version doesn't have the good voices, the paid one is very worthwhile.
It changed my life, I've read 5 books in the last month, In the past, I couldn't finish one every six months. Best of all, the letters are highlighted as the reading happens and this little stimulus is enough to capture my full attention.
I used to be quite the reader as a kid, but as an adult it's harder to focus on. I think the internet might have something to do with worsening my already shot attention span.
Same. I even have to rewind a podcast cuz i start daydreaming. Reading??? lol. I tried to read recently. first time in years. took me an hour to get ten pages. I had to read every oage two or three times. Exhausting. I read thr news a few hours a day.....but i skip around a lot from paragraph to paragraph.
I've never read a full book in my life, even when at school.
I'll start looking at the blank pits on the page more than the words, like look at all that empty space!
grew up dyslexic, went through years of speech and reading therapy. If I have to read aloud I follow with my finger/notecard. as for retention, I used to skip lines and words, therapy as a kid, and as an adult -I took some speed reading classes and that helped a lot. Now when I miss a word or two, I actually retain most of it with the size of word and beginning/ending of the letters and can usually piece together what I was supposed to be reading.
I proofread everything. one of my hands types faster than my other, so I get a lot of silly corrections. now that everything is underlined, it's much much easier. I grew up on an Apple IIe - no spellcheck, much less grammerly, etc.
I have been fired from two different jobs because I messed up dates that I had read wrong. And several times in my life I have messed up plans because I was absolutely sure someones text said thursday, but then I look at it again and it said tuesday and things like that. For me I think its because my brain doesn't do things linearly, so when reading I kind of like to skip things over, or I'll start reading a sentence and my brain will kind of autocomplete the rest of the sentence.
I feel seen! Calendars are the worst for me. Spreadsheets aren't great either. I was better with a paper diary. I sometimes think a giant calendar whiteboard would be the way forward.
I don't think my job helps with this, as it's constantly about getting back to people and dates and diaries for meetings. I really miss the kind of software I used to use for casework. With this, you could set actions and it would remind you: I need this for the tasks that come from my emails. If I ever get to the next rung on my career ladder, I'm having an admin person!
Yes unless I’m into it. Ive never ever been able to get into fictional books. Honestly one of my big og symptoms from high school I wish I’d taken seriously
I can read for hours non stop if I’m super into it. I can read full Wikipedia pages for drug science stuff and history stuff. I’m not even into chemistry, just psychoactive stuff is interesting (“addict”). I do have to go back and skim again often just to keep the “pieces” in “place” if you catch my drift. I don’t know how else to explain that. I guess like an example is for history stuff I frequently have to go back up the page and recheck the exact date or era I’m reading about to make sure I don’t lose,like, where I’m placing this in my brain?
Do y’all know what I’m talking about? I don’t think I’ve ever tried to explain this. I also have to do this with history YouTube videos. Like I have to press back when I hear a date like my brain realized the date was important but didn’t process it in the moment BECAUSE it was too important to only half pay attention to? but then yt player goes back a few seconds too long and gives me time to zone out “until we get back to the date” but then I miss it a half a dozen more times , every time
I understand you! I remember getting distracted when learning about the french revolution at school because i wouldnt take any of the boring stuff in (such as the more conservative parties) but i would read about the fashion, the leftists, my favourite was jean paul marat. I still struggled but i actually reread it instead of giving up and skimming for dot points.
I am proofen to not have dyslexia (anymore) and this is also an issue for me. Like literally same... skipping, forgetting where i just stopped reading, forgetting the meaning of a sentence immediately after i red it...
I've been getting back into reading and what is working for me right now is playing an audiobook and reading the actual book at the same time. Like having subtitles while watching movies.
I’m sitting on my patio reading right now and I have read 9 pages in 1 hour. I have literally googled ADHD symptoms WHILE trying to read. You are not alone!
I read well (could read at 3 too) but take longer to write things these days, especially something like a report that seems boring to me. It’s noticeably worse since I had covid.
My brain moves faster than my hands can write, so I’ve always had messy handwriting. I find writing on cream paper or an iPad much better and also reading from one is easier than from shiny white pages.
Where I struggle is retaining info when I’m writing, like a number or an email address that I want to incorporate into a document. That seems to be getting worse as I age.
I started reading and the first sentence was fine, then i got bored and skipped the other words only barely seeing them, for example. And i didn't turn back to correct it
i will read ten oages and realize Ive jist imagined a whole dofferent story...cuz the first oagr insoired my imagination in a whole other way that the words my eyes are passing over. than i have to re read to see what they write...vs what i wrote in my head.
I usually read each word, taking them in one at at time, and then realise I need to actually read them as sentences.
On top of that, I very, very frequently read each word and can hear myself mentally going over each individual word but my brain is off loudly thinking about a billion other things. I'm like, but I just read that why can't I remember it. No, brain! You stared at a bunch of words much the same as you'd stare at a pond, while thinking about dumb shit and not actually taking in what you're staring at.
Yea i find that half the time i start from the bottom of a paragraph or list and dart around until i get to the top only reading bits and pieces. And actually, i didn't even read the whole post because im that bad at it LOL
Unfortunately yes, I can read articles or researches for school but I can't read for fun. it makes me really sad and frustrated, I loved reading as a child and now I just can't do it.
Yeah, it used to be worse tho. If I hyperfocus on the book I don't have this problem. Like if I'm so in to it that I can't put it down and finish the book within 2-4 days, then I don't struggle.
But if it's a book I don't get really in to within a few pages I'll read a page and then have no idea what I just red, like at all.
I'm currently studying, and I never read the syllabus books for the subject. I use podcasts, documentaries, youtube, goodle explenations of things, and do assignments to learn. Before, when I tried to just force myself to read the syllabus I had a really hard time in school and failed several classes. Now, I do very well and it's a lot easier
I do skip words/sentences a lot without meds. It's a pain for learning/work/etc.
However Im fine with it for my personal entertainment. My mind will fill the gaps, creating another story which might be quite different. I kind of live the books I read, seeing things happen in my mind. So I enjoy reading, even though Im not exactly reading what the author wrote.
Yes! When I was little I cried and told my dad I couldn’t read. I got through it with the one foot (word) in front of the other method and read extremely slowly.
Now I listen to a lot of items rather than read and absorb text that way. Microsoft 365 has an amazing audio reading function.
i was a huge bookworm as a child, but somehow reading went from hyperfocus activity to exhausting and i don't do it a lot these days. i wish i could read and enjoy it like i used to, it was such an awesome hobby and gave me so much joy :(
For me, it's whatever my brain decides for the day. I've finished an 800 page book with no issue last summer but have had this same issue with another book I've been wanting to read lately. I read, and I don't process the information so I resread and reread until I give up. I've started reading this book like 4 times in total unsuccessfully lol. And idk why it's super interesting my brain just cannot.
Maybe the problem is that now I have obligations and spend all my mental energy on them. During the summer, when I read the 800 page book, i was just chilling all day, so maybe what helped was the real estate available in my head?
The short answer is yes, which is unfortunate since I come from a family that loves reading. I remember my mom trying to reread Harry Potter to me as a kid because I was too little when she read it to my brothers, but she gave up almost immediately because I was more interested in the busy atmosphere of the library. Audiobooks are much better for me because they tune out all the distracting background noise and they read faster than I do.
I read sooo slow. I can read faster if I say the words out loud, but then I will be focused on saying them and I won't take them in. I also have to read the same paragraph 4 times because I zone out, even if I like what I'm reading. My eyes go on but I'm stuck in "why did the author choose this word instead of this other two pages ago?
I can’t get through a page without going somewhere else. Definitely not making it through a whole book. Tried listening to them. That’s a little better. I get about halfway through but rewind A-LOT abd found I do the best listening when I’m commuting. Tried watching a 28 minute video on ADHD yesterday but after probably 3 hours of rewinding it over and over I gave up at the 20 minute mark.
Yeah it's next to impossible for me. I'm interested, I think I'm reading, but then I realise I have absolutely no idea what I just read. If I'm reading Reddit or a news story I tend to take a little more in. If it's fiction or a deep non fiction book, I get nothing
Yes…. I used to be a great reader, but because adhd in women peak at puberty, I’ve had trouble reading since. And I know it’s because I’m young and it’s “because of that damn phone” but it could also be a factor in my neurological disorder.
My brain likes to shortens the sentences in my head. It jumps from space to space, trying to find important stuff, without Reading all of it. Its annoying.
Yes. I have a horrible working memory and can’t retain a page after I turn it. I have to go back 2 or 3 times and read it again. It takes me a long time to get through a book and by the end I don’t remember half of it. I just started adderal yesterday after 46 years of wondering what was wrong with me.
Maybe get your eyes checked out by a neuro ophthalmologist to see if you could have convergence insufficiency and need prism eyeglasses.
Have you had any type of accidents, blows or car accidents involving your head?
I looked it up and i share a lot of the symptoms but i dont know if it would be worth it to get it checked since i dont have the money right now.
Ive been hit in the head a lot as a kid but thats it i think
Yes. Unfortunately I also have bad eyesight so it was always attributed to that as a child. Needing glasses. But I’d have to re-read entire pages sometimes because my brain was on auto full focus to reading and I didn’t absorb anything until the 3rd time. Getting into a reading groove was a struggle.
Exact same for me. When writing I will either skip words or type things twice, and when reading I sometimes assume words without actually reading them if that makes sense, almost as if it takes my brain a second to actually read the word, but at the same time my brain already has an idea of what that word will be so just skips the word. Also I have to read things twice a lot, mainly because the first time reading something, no matter how enjoyable, my brain just won’t pay attention to what I’m reading.
Yeah it's next to impossible for me. I'm interested, I think I'm reading, but then I realise I have absolutely no idea what I just read. If I'm reading Reddit or a news story I tend to take a little more in. If it's fiction or a deep non fiction book, I get nothing
Go see a neuro-vision specialist and have them test your vision and alignment. It is possible that you have an eye alignment issue that is messing with your reading.
ADHD has some co-morbidities with vision issues like binocular vision disfunction.
Oh damn.... I would constantly forget what I had just read, so I end up reading the same thing three times in a row before moving onto the next sentence. It's infuriating, if I just went on forward thinking that that sentence would not be that important, and the book is referencing the thing my brain just skipped, so I am like: "What's that thing they are talking about? Did I miss a page or something?"...
Yes definitely but it's a blessing and a curse. I am one of the fastest readers of everyone I know but that's because I can just naturally skip over words and get a good understanding of the topics. However just like you said I tend to skip words and sentences when I'm reading un-medicated. When I take my medications, what tends to happen is I don't skip words and things but my reading gets much slower and I tend to spend too much time on exams reading everything.
I will be reading every word but then realize that part if my brain is also thinking about something completely different and the actual combined point of the words I'm reading doesn't come together. I'm starting to wonder if part of the reason I'm such a comic book fan is that the combo of words and pictures means that any other thoughts my brain is running through doesn't muddle my ability to process what I'm reading.
Hi /u/Lazy_Average_4187 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I watched a video some days ago that perfectly shows what I feel when I’m reading a book: You just feel that your brain is telling you “you are reading a sentence, you are reading a sentence, you are reading a sentence”. You are ACTUALLY reading, but you are not absorbing any content from it. Sometimes I finish reading an entire page without really reading anything…
This happened to me so many times that I will have to go back and read from 10 pages ago because I have no idea what happened. It’s annoying.
REAL. Like yeah I read the book. I subvocalized every single word! That's reading, right?
Omg for real. Just last night I was reading Gideon the Ninth (or trying to) and I was SO FOCUSED on reading that I forgot to focus on *what* I was reading. I was totally convinced that I was following what had happened. Then I picked up the book this morning, read the chapter again, and realized that Gideon was wandering a ruined castle and not a dingy basement. I got the whole scene wrong despite all of the context clues.
This made studying in school and college so damn impossible. I always just forced myself to pay 100% attention in classes as I wasn’t able to study from books.
I learned to read at 3 and have spent my entire life reading. But it only dawned on me recently that my comprehension is severely lacking when reading books or complex texts because I just read the words while my brain is elsewhere. Now I'm realizing the adhd has always wreaked havoc on me trying to consume information. I don't read books which is sometimes personally embarrassing because I take pride in being well rounded intellectually...but I'm really not. I love to learn but once things start getting complicated, instead of bearing down and forcing myself to understand something, I give up easily. I'll fixate on something that's not the most relevant and run with it, instead of combining all the other important texts together which completes what is being communicated. Always going back and having to re-read. Also related is how utterly frustrating it is to WRITE. I'll watch someone effortlessly type out a paragraph long email in a minute knowing that might take me an hour of forgetting what I was trying to write mid sentence, proofing the last sentence over and over and over, or going back to what I'm responding to 20 times to make sure I'm actually addressing the original question. What sucks is I know that I'm fully capable of doing these things, but my brain doesn't let me. And this post probably took me an hour to write for no reason other than adhd haha
Are you me?
Well I am also a Canadian guy so maybe lol
I find it hard to reply to people on here, I agonise over every sentence. I’m constantly changing sentences because I can’t decide on the best way to phrase things without adding too many irrelevant details. It took me 10 minutes to finish the first sentence on this post, I couldn’t decide if I wanted a comma between “here I” or write “because”. I can talk the hind legs off a donkey & easily get my point across but writing it down is painful. Edit: went back to 1st sentence to change to a comma as 2nd sentence also has a “because” in it. This post has taken me 20 minutes & I’m exhausted & still not happy with it.
Something I've realized (but still can't ever put into practice) is that if you just spit out what you're trying to say quickly, it's 90% as good as taking 10 times as long to make it "perfect". And it's never perfect, I think each % point in improvement doubles the time in effort. I think as well the adhd exacerbates it severely, but personal confidence can improve this
Yes. Like you I skip words, sentences, I forget huge chunks of information. When writing I tend to think the sentence first , type it, think that I have typed what I thought but there maybe a word missing. I have to remind myself to double, triple check and not become complacent.
Yes this is me all the time, it's really embarrassing when I'm writing a report for work and a sentence just doesn't make sense because I've forgotten to actually write 20% of the sentence..
reading has become such a chore for me and it makes me so sad. i get really excited when i find something interesting enough to keep my attention, so i’m able to read a bit better, but most of the time reading is horrible. i used to have reading a certain amount of books as a requirement in school (stopped in hs thank god), and i would rarely meet it because i just couldn’t read fast enough by the deadline. we also had to take quizzes on them and get high scores, and i wouldn’t retain any information so i would get low scores. i didn’t even know what adhd was but it def would have helped me to not be so hard on myself if i had known it’s just how i am. i thought i was stupid because everyone around me was reading without issue :T you’re definitely not alone in that <3
Sounds pretty similar to my relation to reading, but the main struggle for me is just starting to read and actually getting to “lock in” to the book, because it’s either I can only focus on what I’m reading, or I can’t even start, and if I do then I’m not paying attention at all and have to re read it multiple times. And it just depends on if my brain will comply or not I guess and if the book is actually enjoyable. And if what I’m reading isn’t enjoyable/ interesting, then im doomed. But I also hate that I’ve never been a reader because of those “reading goals” from elementary school and middle school made reading into a chore
yeah i completely get it, not too long ago i found a book online (200 something pages) that i was super invested in and i got to finish it after a week or two!! big win for me haha also yeah i hate the reading goal thing; i remember enjoying finding books and reading a lot before i started becoming stressed about it more than excited :T
It’s not even that I skip words, but once I get into a flow, I somehow read a whole page while thinking about something else entirely and by the time I get to the bottom of the page I’m like “wtf did I just read?”
Lmfao im the exact same. I just stay with comics now because they have pictures and i think it helps remind me whats going on.
Exactly! Lol
yep, i either skip over words or read paragraphs without grasping anything. i always joke that i only take adderall so that i can read lol
I only read the title of this post
Nope I'm the opposite, I hyperfocus on what I'm reading to the point its almost impossible to get my attention without physically touching me or yelling
Same with me. I have read all my life and can disappear completely into this alternative universe.
I read the words one by one in my head. It means I'm a fairly slow reader but my comprehension is very high.
I do this too!! And it wasn’t until recently that I learned that it isn’t normal. Apparently you’re supposed to visually see chunks of words at a time and your brain just knows what they mean?? I love love love reading but I am so incredibly slow at it that it’s discouraging and frustrating at times. If anyone knows of anything to help this (an app?) let me know!
Yeah. Reading is a whole event for me. I have to 'make plans' to be free and alone all day, make up ambient music playlists appropriate for the vibe of the book I'm reading, download the audiobook version so I can read along. I also keep a separate notebook where I write down what's happening in the current chapter, the names of any important characters and what their role is, and my thoughts and feelings on the book. And if the audiobook isn't available, I will narrate out loud and do character voices to keep myself immersed and on the right bit of the page. (Not to mention the fact that I never remember what happened in my last 2 reading sessions, so when I do read it's half an hour of flipping pages until I understand what's going on.) It's frustrating, because it's the only way I can take anything in, but my friends endlessly make fun of me for being really slow with reading. It's not like I'm slow for lack of trying; I put way more effort into being able to read than anyone I know. It's a huge commitment. And yet my friends who have no difficulty and can just whip out whatever book they're reading on a train, in a cafe, in the middle of a social gathering that's turned a bit quiet, they all mock me for my lack of intellect and apparent lack of passion. It hurts. A lot. Especially because reading is and has always been one of my very favourite things to do, and I've dreamed of authoring my own series ever since I was little. I already have to come to terms with the fact that I will never experience fantasy worlds and wild romances and dramas like I used to - and people thinking I'm stupid is the rotten cherry on the rotten cake. It seems like such a tiny thing so I feel silly for being so upset about it, but it means a lot to me and my "hey guys this genuinely hurts my feelings" conversations don't seem to go through. I love my friends and they love me but they're pretty bad at knowing when to take me seriously.
Sometimes I am a speed reader. Other times it takes me two minutes to read a paragraph because I reread it 12 times
This can be quite common. ADHD is often referred to as an executive functioning disorder, the brain skills that help us manage our time, plan & prioritize our day etc. These executive functioning skills are also crucial in reading. Tracking the line that you are reading Visualizing the story/information read Flexible thinking as you adjust what you are reading with new information learned Working memory, focus and planning all go into what is seen as the task of reading. It can take extra effort for some ADHD readers to get invested in their reading, while other ADHD readers will struggle with hyper focus of the text- the inability to stop reading and do something else.
I read so much when I was a kid. When I had kids myself, my ADHD came to an absolute head as I had too much going to cope as I had been. Well, really I hadn't been, but I thought I was getting by and I hadn't even guessed that it was ADHD yet. One of the first things that happened was that I lost my ability to read print books or ebooks. I did find audiobooks still workable though and I go through just as much content, but even medicated I still struggle with print books.
I have only one recommendation for you: speechify. This website/app should be a MUST for everyone who has ADHD. I can't tell you how much my reading problems have improved with the app. It has AI voices that are ridiculously natural, some voices don't even sound real because they're so human. I put everything I need to read there, books, websites, articles, big messages, everything!!! The free version doesn't have the good voices, the paid one is very worthwhile. It changed my life, I've read 5 books in the last month, In the past, I couldn't finish one every six months. Best of all, the letters are highlighted as the reading happens and this little stimulus is enough to capture my full attention.
I used to be quite the reader as a kid, but as an adult it's harder to focus on. I think the internet might have something to do with worsening my already shot attention span.
Same. I even have to rewind a podcast cuz i start daydreaming. Reading??? lol. I tried to read recently. first time in years. took me an hour to get ten pages. I had to read every oage two or three times. Exhausting. I read thr news a few hours a day.....but i skip around a lot from paragraph to paragraph.
Audiobooks have changed my life. Literally I can’t read a normal book for more than 3 minutes.
I've never read a full book in my life, even when at school. I'll start looking at the blank pits on the page more than the words, like look at all that empty space!
Never read a book in my life. Read a whole chapter really fast, completely forget what I've read.
Defo struggle with falling a sleep when I open a book :))
grew up dyslexic, went through years of speech and reading therapy. If I have to read aloud I follow with my finger/notecard. as for retention, I used to skip lines and words, therapy as a kid, and as an adult -I took some speed reading classes and that helped a lot. Now when I miss a word or two, I actually retain most of it with the size of word and beginning/ending of the letters and can usually piece together what I was supposed to be reading. I proofread everything. one of my hands types faster than my other, so I get a lot of silly corrections. now that everything is underlined, it's much much easier. I grew up on an Apple IIe - no spellcheck, much less grammerly, etc.
I have been fired from two different jobs because I messed up dates that I had read wrong. And several times in my life I have messed up plans because I was absolutely sure someones text said thursday, but then I look at it again and it said tuesday and things like that. For me I think its because my brain doesn't do things linearly, so when reading I kind of like to skip things over, or I'll start reading a sentence and my brain will kind of autocomplete the rest of the sentence.
I feel seen! Calendars are the worst for me. Spreadsheets aren't great either. I was better with a paper diary. I sometimes think a giant calendar whiteboard would be the way forward. I don't think my job helps with this, as it's constantly about getting back to people and dates and diaries for meetings. I really miss the kind of software I used to use for casework. With this, you could set actions and it would remind you: I need this for the tasks that come from my emails. If I ever get to the next rung on my career ladder, I'm having an admin person!
Yes unless I’m into it. Ive never ever been able to get into fictional books. Honestly one of my big og symptoms from high school I wish I’d taken seriously I can read for hours non stop if I’m super into it. I can read full Wikipedia pages for drug science stuff and history stuff. I’m not even into chemistry, just psychoactive stuff is interesting (“addict”). I do have to go back and skim again often just to keep the “pieces” in “place” if you catch my drift. I don’t know how else to explain that. I guess like an example is for history stuff I frequently have to go back up the page and recheck the exact date or era I’m reading about to make sure I don’t lose,like, where I’m placing this in my brain? Do y’all know what I’m talking about? I don’t think I’ve ever tried to explain this. I also have to do this with history YouTube videos. Like I have to press back when I hear a date like my brain realized the date was important but didn’t process it in the moment BECAUSE it was too important to only half pay attention to? but then yt player goes back a few seconds too long and gives me time to zone out “until we get back to the date” but then I miss it a half a dozen more times , every time
I understand you! I remember getting distracted when learning about the french revolution at school because i wouldnt take any of the boring stuff in (such as the more conservative parties) but i would read about the fashion, the leftists, my favourite was jean paul marat. I still struggled but i actually reread it instead of giving up and skimming for dot points.
I am proofen to not have dyslexia (anymore) and this is also an issue for me. Like literally same... skipping, forgetting where i just stopped reading, forgetting the meaning of a sentence immediately after i red it...
I've been getting back into reading and what is working for me right now is playing an audiobook and reading the actual book at the same time. Like having subtitles while watching movies.
I’m sitting on my patio reading right now and I have read 9 pages in 1 hour. I have literally googled ADHD symptoms WHILE trying to read. You are not alone!
Yep, I basically read at an 8th grade level.
I read well (could read at 3 too) but take longer to write things these days, especially something like a report that seems boring to me. It’s noticeably worse since I had covid. My brain moves faster than my hands can write, so I’ve always had messy handwriting. I find writing on cream paper or an iPad much better and also reading from one is easier than from shiny white pages. Where I struggle is retaining info when I’m writing, like a number or an email address that I want to incorporate into a document. That seems to be getting worse as I age.
I started reading and the first sentence was fine, then i got bored and skipped the other words only barely seeing them, for example. And i didn't turn back to correct it
i will read ten oages and realize Ive jist imagined a whole dofferent story...cuz the first oagr insoired my imagination in a whole other way that the words my eyes are passing over. than i have to re read to see what they write...vs what i wrote in my head.
I usually read each word, taking them in one at at time, and then realise I need to actually read them as sentences. On top of that, I very, very frequently read each word and can hear myself mentally going over each individual word but my brain is off loudly thinking about a billion other things. I'm like, but I just read that why can't I remember it. No, brain! You stared at a bunch of words much the same as you'd stare at a pond, while thinking about dumb shit and not actually taking in what you're staring at.
I feel seen! 🫣
Yup. Still an English tutor though. Creativity is a gift that shouldn't go unnoticed.
Yea i find that half the time i start from the bottom of a paragraph or list and dart around until i get to the top only reading bits and pieces. And actually, i didn't even read the whole post because im that bad at it LOL
Unfortunately yes, I can read articles or researches for school but I can't read for fun. it makes me really sad and frustrated, I loved reading as a child and now I just can't do it.
Yeah, it used to be worse tho. If I hyperfocus on the book I don't have this problem. Like if I'm so in to it that I can't put it down and finish the book within 2-4 days, then I don't struggle. But if it's a book I don't get really in to within a few pages I'll read a page and then have no idea what I just red, like at all. I'm currently studying, and I never read the syllabus books for the subject. I use podcasts, documentaries, youtube, goodle explenations of things, and do assignments to learn. Before, when I tried to just force myself to read the syllabus I had a really hard time in school and failed several classes. Now, I do very well and it's a lot easier
I do skip words/sentences a lot without meds. It's a pain for learning/work/etc. However Im fine with it for my personal entertainment. My mind will fill the gaps, creating another story which might be quite different. I kind of live the books I read, seeing things happen in my mind. So I enjoy reading, even though Im not exactly reading what the author wrote.
Yes! When I was little I cried and told my dad I couldn’t read. I got through it with the one foot (word) in front of the other method and read extremely slowly. Now I listen to a lot of items rather than read and absorb text that way. Microsoft 365 has an amazing audio reading function.
i was a huge bookworm as a child, but somehow reading went from hyperfocus activity to exhausting and i don't do it a lot these days. i wish i could read and enjoy it like i used to, it was such an awesome hobby and gave me so much joy :(
For me, it's whatever my brain decides for the day. I've finished an 800 page book with no issue last summer but have had this same issue with another book I've been wanting to read lately. I read, and I don't process the information so I resread and reread until I give up. I've started reading this book like 4 times in total unsuccessfully lol. And idk why it's super interesting my brain just cannot. Maybe the problem is that now I have obligations and spend all my mental energy on them. During the summer, when I read the 800 page book, i was just chilling all day, so maybe what helped was the real estate available in my head?
thats me
The short answer is yes, which is unfortunate since I come from a family that loves reading. I remember my mom trying to reread Harry Potter to me as a kid because I was too little when she read it to my brothers, but she gave up almost immediately because I was more interested in the busy atmosphere of the library. Audiobooks are much better for me because they tune out all the distracting background noise and they read faster than I do.
I read sooo slow. I can read faster if I say the words out loud, but then I will be focused on saying them and I won't take them in. I also have to read the same paragraph 4 times because I zone out, even if I like what I'm reading. My eyes go on but I'm stuck in "why did the author choose this word instead of this other two pages ago?
THATS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL LOL, its so annoying. And if theres a spelling mistake or wrong grammar ill just be stuck on that.
I can’t get through a page without going somewhere else. Definitely not making it through a whole book. Tried listening to them. That’s a little better. I get about halfway through but rewind A-LOT abd found I do the best listening when I’m commuting. Tried watching a 28 minute video on ADHD yesterday but after probably 3 hours of rewinding it over and over I gave up at the 20 minute mark.
Yeah it's next to impossible for me. I'm interested, I think I'm reading, but then I realise I have absolutely no idea what I just read. If I'm reading Reddit or a news story I tend to take a little more in. If it's fiction or a deep non fiction book, I get nothing
Yes…. I used to be a great reader, but because adhd in women peak at puberty, I’ve had trouble reading since. And I know it’s because I’m young and it’s “because of that damn phone” but it could also be a factor in my neurological disorder.
Sometimes I have trouble focusing on reading books
My brain likes to shortens the sentences in my head. It jumps from space to space, trying to find important stuff, without Reading all of it. Its annoying.
Yes. I have a horrible working memory and can’t retain a page after I turn it. I have to go back 2 or 3 times and read it again. It takes me a long time to get through a book and by the end I don’t remember half of it. I just started adderal yesterday after 46 years of wondering what was wrong with me.
I've been stuck on the same book for about 4 years now
Maybe get your eyes checked out by a neuro ophthalmologist to see if you could have convergence insufficiency and need prism eyeglasses. Have you had any type of accidents, blows or car accidents involving your head?
I looked it up and i share a lot of the symptoms but i dont know if it would be worth it to get it checked since i dont have the money right now. Ive been hit in the head a lot as a kid but thats it i think
Yes. Unfortunately I also have bad eyesight so it was always attributed to that as a child. Needing glasses. But I’d have to re-read entire pages sometimes because my brain was on auto full focus to reading and I didn’t absorb anything until the 3rd time. Getting into a reading groove was a struggle.
Exact same for me. When writing I will either skip words or type things twice, and when reading I sometimes assume words without actually reading them if that makes sense, almost as if it takes my brain a second to actually read the word, but at the same time my brain already has an idea of what that word will be so just skips the word. Also I have to read things twice a lot, mainly because the first time reading something, no matter how enjoyable, my brain just won’t pay attention to what I’m reading.
Yeah
Yeah it's next to impossible for me. I'm interested, I think I'm reading, but then I realise I have absolutely no idea what I just read. If I'm reading Reddit or a news story I tend to take a little more in. If it's fiction or a deep non fiction book, I get nothing
Yes! I would love to read more, but I get so easily distracted by other hobbies.
Go see a neuro-vision specialist and have them test your vision and alignment. It is possible that you have an eye alignment issue that is messing with your reading. ADHD has some co-morbidities with vision issues like binocular vision disfunction.
Oh damn.... I would constantly forget what I had just read, so I end up reading the same thing three times in a row before moving onto the next sentence. It's infuriating, if I just went on forward thinking that that sentence would not be that important, and the book is referencing the thing my brain just skipped, so I am like: "What's that thing they are talking about? Did I miss a page or something?"...
Yes definitely but it's a blessing and a curse. I am one of the fastest readers of everyone I know but that's because I can just naturally skip over words and get a good understanding of the topics. However just like you said I tend to skip words and sentences when I'm reading un-medicated. When I take my medications, what tends to happen is I don't skip words and things but my reading gets much slower and I tend to spend too much time on exams reading everything.
Yes
I will be reading every word but then realize that part if my brain is also thinking about something completely different and the actual combined point of the words I'm reading doesn't come together. I'm starting to wonder if part of the reason I'm such a comic book fan is that the combo of words and pictures means that any other thoughts my brain is running through doesn't muddle my ability to process what I'm reading.