Okay, I sort of have a funny question and comment.

I have always had a problem with reading books. I read rather well, no childhood issues or anything, it is just that I cannot read a book unless it truly interests me. I end up reading the same paragraph over and over again. It takes me 3 times as long as the average Joe to finish one page!

My question is - how many of you have tried to read books about ADD only to put them down out of boredom and frustration?

Second, have any of you been able to solve this problem?

-Diane

I suggest that you read like you would eat very spicy food. Read a little bit and when you notice you're drifting off, put it down and do some thing else. As soon as you feel sufficiently removed go back to the book for another bite. Eventually you'll start to get into the book and your reading bits will get longer and longer until one time you realize that it's way past midnight and you've just finished the book. The trick is (like with spicy food) not to try and take in too much at one time - you're likely to choke and then be reluctant to go back for more, thus never finishing the book. Hope this helps - it has helped me.

I agree with why. That is what I do if it's something I HAVE to read and it's boring.

I have "solved" this problem largely by only reading books that interest me... mind you... a LOT of different subjects interest me... when I was forced to read books for school, I did the bite by bite approach described above.

I too have found myself rereading a paragraph for the third or fourth time and STILL having no idea what it says. It seems to get particularly worse if I am tired, either from lack of sleep or during a carbohydrate/sugar crash, so maybe you might consider if those are things you are dealing with in the normal times you sit down to read...?

Another tip: you must remove anything from your environment that is distracting you. Noise, wind through the open window, heat or cold being too high or low, even strong smells. Headphones help a lot of people. You must also be in a comfortable position - no nagging pains or itches... I will sometimes go so far as to strip down to my undies and read in private, because there are days when my clothes annoy me too much to focus. :D :D :D

It's opposite for me. I can't have it guiet, if it's guiet my mind wonders to what may be going on with out me...lol..

But then again maybe that comes from having kids...lol...

Paula

Originally posted by fasttalkingmom
It's opposite for me. I can't have it guiet, if it's guiet my mind wonders to what may be going on with out me...lol..

But then again maybe that comes from having kids...lol...

Paula

Ain't that the truth. Whenever my wife and I notice the house has gotten quiet, we eyeball each other and realize it's time to go see what the boy has gotten into this time... :D :D :D

Originally posted by ferrette1976
My question is - how many of you have tried to read books about ADD only to put them down out of boredom and frustration?

Second, have any of you been able to solve this problem?

Rarely will I read a single book straight through, unless it's a book that so consumes me I can think of nothing else. I usually have several books "going" at the same time (currently 4 ADD-related books), and when I get bored/frustrated, I put down whichever one it is I'm bugged about and go do something else or start/continue reading another book.

I don't classify my "multiple reading style" as a problem, but I respect the fact that others may find the whole "challenges with reading" issue a real pain. My reading "moods" tend to wax and wane; I've done several of the suggestions mentioned above when I truly want to read but can't seem to get going...some worked, some didn't.....

The problem for me is picking up a book again....once I have put it down.....pure agony to resume a task once it has stopped, whether it is reading or something else....

I'm sure I have read a few ADD books in their entirety -- but I couldn't tell you what was actually IN any of them if I tried.....I could probably re-read them -- and it would seem as though I never read them the first time.....:(

Well, Diane I'm the same as you (and many if not all of the rest of you) in having difficulties reading what does not interest me. I'd think of it as one of the most typical ADD things. Glad you asked the question, because I haven't solved the problem either, and I've never tried the bite-sized chunks method suggested by why and others. Study-skills type books always suggest that you take notes, write summaries, etc to improve retention, but this is almost an anti-ADD method (it now occurs to me). It has occasionally half-worked for me, but probably only when I was half-interested... (Sorry, I like writing the occasional nice sounding, but vacuous sentence. Oh, and I like the word 'vacuous' too. Or I did, last time I used it.)

vacuous

Explanation Please ??????

according to www.dictionary.com:

vac·u·ous - adj.

1. Devoid of matter; empty.

2. Lacking intelligence; stupid.

3. Devoid of substance or meaning; inane: a vacuous comment.

4. Devoid of expression; vacant: “The narrow, swinelike eyes were open, no more vacuous in death than they had been in life” (Nicholas Proffitt).

5. Lacking serious purpose or occupation; idle. See Synonyms at empty.

Vacuous. See vapid. At least think they are similar; I'm feeling too lazy right now to double check the dictionary. :-)

Johnathon's right. i think this is very typical of ADDers. I have always LOVED to read, but I used to have terrible time getting school history reading homework done. I can remember taking well over 2 to 3 hours to read a 20 page chapter in a history text book with pictures etc. It's amazing how my pens became james bond devices or whatever.

I now work downtown which gives me the opprotunity to ride the bus and read for an hour a day round-trip. Since i'm reading what I want to read, i can concentrate very well despite quite a lot of distraction. (An exception is the whiny voice on the cell phone. <<ARGGHHH!>> I often end up listening to the entire VAPID conversation.) However with the help of meds, I can read less interesting work material, without much trouble.

Another exception: it's amazing how your periferal vision can pick up a leggy hotty coming down the bus aisle in the middle of an exciting part of a book. But I digress.....

Originally posted by tiggwin
Another exception: it's amazing how your periferal vision can pick up a leggy hotty coming down the bus aisle in the middle of an exciting part of a book. But I digress.....

:D :D :D

I have a hard time reading books on ADD.
They all seem to be telling me things I already know.
And then I just get bored with them.

So now I've started to skim through the books.
And use a highlighter on the parts I really want to read.

If there's any topic for a book I have had NO problem reading, it's ADD books. I finish them extremely fast! It's everything ELSE I have trouble getting through. I think knowing that the info I'm reading can help me make incredible transformations for the better in my life helps a lot.