Reading train - Improve your reading skills

I have trouble reading books, what can I do?

I have trouble trying to read books all the way through. I have a lot of half read books lying around. My attention span seems to be about 30 mins because that's about as long as I can read before I get bored and move onto something else. I have been diagnosed with ADD in the 2nd grade and am now 22 years old. I'm going back to college in a month and am trying to get back into the swing of reading and remembering information. Any help would be much appreciated!

Public Comments

1. There is also adult ADD. I know there are medications that help but some people are not so keen on taking them. I suppose that getting a balanced healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep and exercise in general should help. I believe stress can really aggravate the symptoms. There is also meditation and prayer which are supposed to help you remain calm and focused. I would read 30 mins, take a break, then come back to it. Also, highliting or taking notes can help you focus in on the important things and retain the information. You may want to speak to a counselor or doctor to see what else may help! Best of luck with school, adversity helps us to find our own strengths.
2. VIDEO BOOKS
3. Choose books about things that you are really interested in...eg. if you like race care....go to the library and borrow books about famous race car drivers....if you like crime stories read books about true cases.....etc. Good Luck with going back to school!
4. I am not a doctor, but maybe you should try to read for about 15 min a day or stop reading before you lose focus of what it is you are reading. Also maybe it is the choice of books you are reading. Choose books that are exciting and that will make you want to keep reading. they also have books on cassette and cd, so those are also options. As for school that is going to be a bit of a challenge because the classes sometimes require a bit of reading, but don't let that discourage you. Some of the text is just so dull that even the most eager reader will close the book. Try to read as much as you can, make sure you are in class everyday if possible, so you can listen to the professor speak and even bring a little tape recorder so you can replay back the teachers lecture. You just have to really try putting your mind too and sticking with it and you can succeed. All the best.
5. My first suggestion would be to read in small intervals of 20 - 30 mins then take a small break or pick a different subject. Take notes while you're reading (this is good study habits anyway). Also, if you're reading for enjoyment have you tried books on tape/CD? I've found that sometimes, especially with old English authors, that it is easier to understand what is going on if you read aloud or listen to someone else read aloud. Another thing I do (more for lack of time) is to read during commercials when I'm watching tv with my family. This usually gives you about 5 mins at a time to read with the added bonus that I don't pay attention to teh commercials. :) As far as going back to school, let your adviser know about your problem. Most campuses have departments to help students that have disabilities. By notifying them they can help you work with your professors to better accommodate your ADD so that if you need more time for a test or assignment it is easier to work out the logistics.
6. Are you still on medications? This may have an effect. Read shorter stories if you are reading fiction. If you are reading non-fiction as you will need to in colllege, learn to skim the material. Read the first line and the last line of a paragraph. Make notes as you read so that you alternate between reading and writing. This also helps with memory. Only read for short periods of time. Then do something else. When at college take lots of notes. Look up mind mapping on the internet as a shorthand to taking notes. Short notes will help refresh your memory. When I was in college, I took notes in class. When it came down to studying I would make summaries of the notes. I found the material I really needed to know for exams I could fit on one or two sheets. http://themeaningisyou.com email me if you have any questions
7. I had the same problem and began treatment for my AD/HD as an adult, prior to beginning Graduate School. I suggest talking to a psychiatrist as he/she will be able to find a medication that is effective in treating your symptoms. In addition, it was helpful for me to work with a therapist at developing a behavior modification plan that helped me learn to cope effectively with my symptoms. Additionally, here our some things to help improve concentration: Healthy breakfast: I read somewhere that the most brain damaging habit is not to have a breakfast. After the overnight fast and lack of glucose in the body, it is imperative to consume some protein and fiber rich food products. When I used to stay with my parents, there was not a single day that I missed my breakfast and all credit goes to my mother. But since I have been staying on my own, I have become more and more negligent. Running our body on low fuel till noon is not good. So, start having a healthy breakfast and get a good start for the day. Limit TV: Control your TV watching. If you observe your TV watching habits, you will realize that mostly it is waste of time. But that is not the only problem. All the programmes on TV show ads in every 15 minutes, so it breaks the continuity. Also, most likely you have a TV with a remote controller and your fingers are always playing with it skipping channels and surfing back-n-forth. This increases fidgetiness in your behaviour and it affects other aspects of your life too. I have reduced TV watching by restricting myself to 2 hours of TV per week. And when I want to watch more, I just rent a movie and watch it without a break. Limit internet use: This is easy to say but difficult to do. It depends on how much necessary it is for you to be online to get your work done. Most of the time, either I am searching for articles for my research or looking for some solution to software bugs. But now, I have made it a habit to print the article of my interest, leave my cubicle and read it somewhere where I don’t have access to net. But still many times I see myself using refresh button unnecessarily in the middle of some task. I am still looking for efficient ways to reduce the effect of this distraction. Take time-outs: Not just simple breaks but rewarding breaks. I reward myself with sunshine by going out for a walk after getting a task done in the lab. Breaks are generally distracting unless they are for a purpose. So, give a purpose to every break even if it is just talking to a colleague or checking your emails. You need to figure out what you need to do in your time-out to get a fulfilling break. Read books: Reading definitely increases your attention span. Read what interests you but try to avoid short stories. If I find some interesting novel/book to read, I find myself sitting for 5-6 hours straight without any breaks even if the TV is on. Get close to nature: This I accomplish by taking walks during my breaks, or taking a weekend off for some outdoor activity like camping. Attention span is mostly affected by stress, most of which comes from external sources. When you are with nature, you tend to go back into your natural state which is free from any kind of stress, worries or/and anxiety because that’s the way you were born. Obviously, you can see how the same activities can help in other aspects of your life. We all already know these things but still don’t follow them. Why? Because we don’t assign a goal to them. Without a goal, we cannot measure our development. Here I am targeting to increase the attention span. You will notice the difference if you follow even some of the steps and it will motivate you further. Moreover, you will observe positive effects in other aspects of your personal development.
8. I actually don't think 30 minutes of studying at a time is bad. I went to college and graduated with an A average, so I have a bit of experience. If you study for 30 minutes and take a 10 minute break, then study for another 30 minutes that's probably more effective for you than trying to do 1 hour straight. When I was a student I would write the difficult to remember information down several times in my own words. Sometimes before a test in the library I would just rewrite it numerous times until I couldn't possibly forget it. I don't know much about ADD, but I encourage you to work hard and enjoy college. At 22 I went back also and it was the best time of my life.