Figuring It Out 101: Reading and ADHD

Looking at this picture, you'd think, "What a good brother! He's reading to his brother and sister." When I look at this picture, I see more than just that. I see a miracle. I see a blessing. I see answered prayers and opened doors.

Why does this picture mean so much to me? You might think that I'm overreacting, but there is a different side to this story.

My son has ADHD. Last year, he was in second grade and could barely read. I never even knew he was so far behind, I just thought he hated to read. It wasn't until my daughter was in Kindergarten that I learned she was expected to be able to read what my son was doing in the beginning of second grade at the end of her school year and heading to first grade.

I thought that what my son was doing was normal, after all, I didn't know how to read until I had my "aha!" moment, either. I thought that one day it would just click.

After learning how far behind he was, we got him started on his diagnosis journey. We had gone through many rough patches before we found a good solution that worked well for him. The change was almost immediate. With help from a sight words wall, he was finally picking up on his sight words and then easily learning the rest.

Related- An Easy Way To Teach Your Child To Read

By the end of the school year, my son had learned three years worth of reading and writing because he suddenly understood.

He wasn't having tantrums anymore because he wasn't embarrassed to be called on at school.

He doesn't need me to read captions and titles for him anymore. Because he can do it on his own.

He helps his sister with her homework so I can cook dinner and he enjoys reading to his siblings.

We haven't ventured very far into chapter books without pictures, yet, although we've been trying to read the Box Car Children. It's ok, though, because I know he can do it.

He really likes to read the Dog Man and Captain Underpants comics. They're easy for him and they have pictures. He read this Dog Man book from cover to cover in one day. That was A LOT of practice and it's ok! Because he's doing it!

One day, he wasn't even trying and then the next day it just clicked. He KNEW what he needed to do. It was so awesome!

So yes, when I see him reading to my other kids, it feels so sweet and amazing because he couldn't do it before and now he can. We don't struggle to get him to try it because he just does it. If you knew what it was like before, you'd see that miracle and this blessing.

Free ADHD Blog Resource of 5 different websites for parents of children with ADHD

Here is a list of his favorite books if you're interested:

Did your child have and "AHA!" moment?
What are some things that your child struggled with?
What worked for you to get your child to learn?

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