So I'm new to this. Its just been the last few days that I have even begun to suspect that I have ADD. The more time I spend in here though and the more I research ADD, I've found that many ADDers have problems reading due to how easy it is to get distracted.

When I was in highschool my doctor (whom i was very good friends with) gave me a book called Speed Reading by Robert Zorn. He said that if he had known of this book in medical school it would have changed his life. I was never a particuarly fast reader in highschool, and tended to not finish anything I read due to the length and boredom of it all... which looking back, makes sense.

Two days after my initial contact with ADD via the web I spent six hours at Barnes & Noble, during which time I was able to finish two books on the topic. When I'm really "on top of my game" I can read 3-5 pages per minute. To be able to finish a book in a single sitting is truely a life changing skill. And its not because I'm smart or born able to do it -- its just a technique, like memory mnemonics, that anyone can learn and utilize.

This is why I think it would be particuarly beneficial for ADDers: Zorn talks about how our brains are capable of processing so much information at a time (as you ADDers know). However, for most of us our reading speeds are limited to 200-300 words per minute. The incredibly slow rate at which the information comes is leaves our brain wanting more and thus, is easily distracted.

However, when you are able to increase those reading speeds 4-5x the brain is taking in so much information that it *must* pay attention. Zorn says that most people actually see their comprehension *increase* while speed reading because their brain isn't given the chance to wander off into space.

The other thing that I have noticed now in retrospect, is that I tend to read better when speed reading because it is a challenge. From what I have read on ADD the brain works better when things are novel and challenging. For me everytime I pick up a book its a race to see how fast I can get through it and still understand the text. Plus reading becomes much more a thing of instant gratification as I can finish a non-fiction book in a matter of hours as opposed to days or weeks. The goal never far ahead.

I'd encourage all of you to check out Zorn's book on Amazon. It's out of print but you can still pick up a used copy. I have read other books on the topic but found his to be the most beneficial.

Also I'd love to hear from the more experienced/educated members of the forum on their thoughts regarding this topic.

Thanks ya'll.

Greg

Hmmm...very interesting. I'd love to be able to do that. Thanks for posting...I will try to check that out.

Interesting....I am a speed reader! In Jr. High School they tested me at around 600 wpm. I must have just developed this naturally as a response to my difficulties. Oh, and my comprehension was 100%. I can only recommend it!

Oh man, I wanan try that book. Im a good reader but Im getting slower because I never read simply because I can't focus on anything. I just don't have the patience to read but if I could do it really fast, maybe I would be ablet o get something read. Ill give that a try, thanks for this post.

Speed reading programs encourage the brain to unfocus. In theory people with ADD should be better at speed reading, or more capable of learning to speed read. Speed reading is one of those "benefits" of having ADD. I'm not sure what effect embracing, or learning to speed read would have on the ADD brain. In some respect you could argue that it would make things worse. Anyhow, there's a program called eyeQ which its a computer based training program which is supposed to teach a person to speed read. I got a copy from a friend, but haven't really looked into it yet.

I have always read extremely fast. I can read a book in 1 or 2 hour, if i am in peace and by myself. I am not able to read fast any text book, instructions or anything like that. But any book i am interested in no problem i will fly thrue it.
I remember in school they would give us Theatre books well the whole play was written in it. And i would finish the book the same night. telling the teacher i was ready to take the test, cause i knew i would forget about it , if i waited the whole 3 weeks he gave us for reading the book. I had passing grade but my writting was not to coherent like most my post here lol...

How do you get tested for speed reading ?

If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Neither.

He's soup

Neither.

He's soup
Hey dont say that....it's so cruel the way they make it:(

any other books or online resources someone can recommend?

I was noticeing something I did the other day which brought me to this thought. My eyes fly over the words so fast that i'll change a word to another word but the word will mean the same thing basiclly. I was reading aloud at the time I noticed it. Is it like our mind see the words so fast and understand the meaning of the sentence or paragraph faster then you could speak it. That why I'll pick up words and replace them faster then I can even recognize I'm doing it.

I was noticeing something I did the other day which brought me to this thought. My eyes fly over the words so fast that i'll change a word to another word but the word will mean the same thing basiclly. I was reading aloud at the time I noticed it. Is it like our mind see the words so fast and understand the meaning of the sentence or paragraph faster then you could speak it. That why I'll pick up words and replace them faster then I can even recognize I'm doing it.
I know exactly what you mean, i do the same thing, when i read out loud. I have seen something on the internet the other day. And it say something like the brain can actually see a word even if it is missing letters. LIke lets say . If i wrte tht wy you wll prpably stll undrstnd wht i am wrttnt pretty fast because of that thing we do in the brain. To bad i cant find this page anymore, it was interesting. If ever i do i will post it.

I find myself picking up key words in a paragraph, and gliding over the rest. If I have to read material that is extremely tedious (as in some class textbooks which have twelve points or so in a paragraph) I have a really difficult time. It feels like my eyes are vibrating from side to side. I have to put a piece of paper under the line I'm reading so I won't zoom ahead. I gave an article to a coworker (whose also ADD) and laughted outloud when she read the entire three pages in about eight seconds. She flipped the last page, as if still looking for more information, and blinked when there was none. She laughed also, knowing we both understood this behavior in ourselves.
In our defense though, I swear, I've found more and more text books to contain more 'garbage-filler' words that seem to go round and round (either with examples, or more useless text in general) before making the point. I've read some of those paragraphs outloud, and they sound like some ridiculous puzzle. I'm perceiving this tendency to balance the cost of the books, as well as 'padding' the book so it won't be two chapters long. I used to think Stephen King was great at doing that, and I didn't mind it in fiction (although I used to glide over most of the book), but I really think it's a waste of time to have to deal with it in some text books.
Nova