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                                                                    Cathy asks about...

                                   Helping a child with ADD enjoy reading

                               " How do I help a child with ADD
                                      read regularly and find enjoyment in it?"

    Thank you for writing, Cathy!  The need-to-move that accompanies ADD can make quiet reading habits challenging...but not impossible!  Try some of these easy strategies to help your son or daughter read and love it.
1. Keep reading times short and regular.  You didn't mention the age of your child, but a chart and working for a "prize" can often be useful for children with ADD.  For example, try charting, four, 5-minute reading sessions a day for starters. I know that 5 minutes doesn't seem very long, but the goal here is for the child to see reading time as do-able, and quick.  You can slowly increase the time required for each session, or just one or two as you see your child relaxing into the routine.
2. Moving while you read is fine. I live near a walking path, and I'm constantly impressed by the number of people who are walking and reading a book!  Is there a safe place where your child could walk around while reading?  It may take a little practice for him or her, but keep it light-hearted, and learning can be part of the fun, too.  Once they can actually read while moving, begin to ask comprehension/ accountability questions after each session, such as, "What happened today in the story?  Did he get out of the dungeon yet?" to make sure that reading is actually happening.
3. Read with your child during one or more of the sessions.   There are lots of options, but the guidelines of short, and movement is OK should apply here, too.  Maybe you and your child could each have a copy of the book, and you can sit and read a page, and he/she can walk in the room and read the next page, and so on.  Or maybe for one of your sessions, you just read a great story to your child to help foster the pure pleasure of a good book.  Let them draw, move, etc. while listening, and insert some questions along the way, such as, "Do you think he should have done that?  Why?" or "That was a lousy thing for ____ to do!  What do you think he's planning?"  to ensure that they learn to attend to the story while moving.  We have some wonderful "FAMILY READ-ALOUDS" listed on our OUR FAVORITE BOOKS page (see FEATURED RESOURCES) which you and your child are sure to enjoy.