Back-to-School Reading Resources for ADHD
It’s Back-to-School Season! A few weeks ago, we were very privileged to once again participate as educators in an excellent gifted education program called College for Kids. This program at the St. Louis Community College-Meramec was established over 30 years ago with the inspiration and support of dedicated and committed parents of gifted children in the Greater St. Louis Area.
The courses in the College for Kids program are offered each summer for gifted and talented elementary and middle school youth who have completed kindergarten through eighth grade. These courses are designed to further challenge and advance gifted students’ skills.
Our Experiences with Twice-Exceptional Students
The students we worked with in the program this week were outstanding and most enjoyable to teach! We provided 2 classes each of ¡Bienvenidos, Mis Amigos!, an exploratory Spanish class and a STEM course called Mechanical Robotic Arm Build. We certainly appreciated the enthusiasm and motivation demonstrated by these talented students. It was a GREAT week for ALL of us!
At the same time, we could not help but notice that even in this gifted population, there were more than a few students who also had additional needs. In our work, we have found that many parents and even teachers are not always aware that giftedness AND additional needs can sometimes co-exist for some students (called twice-exceptional). Often, these needs involve attention and concentration issues for gifted children and teens. Many of their young minds require almost constant stimulation, which can in itself feed the ADHD they already may have.
Strategies and Solutions for ADHD
As a result, and because of our experiences with students of all abilities, we thought it would be helpful to provide a resource list for ADHD reading tips, especially during this back-to-school season. One of our previous articles entitled Let’s Deal with Distractions—ADHD Strategies for Home & School included a rather extensive list of general home and school resources for ADHD.
This week, we’re helping parents and teachers prepare for a new school year with a ADHD resource list for reading. We hope this list will assist readers in helping students experience improved focus, more sustained attention and better concentration when reading (online or offline). It is important to note that these resources can help not only gifted children but ALL children with focusing and attention issues. We hope the list and its “goodies” will provide needed resources to help a child you know with the reading challenges of ADHD. That way, you’ll be ready for the coming new school year, too!
Helpful Reading Resources for ADHD
The Ultimate Reading Guide for Your Child
Are you hoping your child will love reading as much as you do? Are you interested in ensuring your child enjoys reading because it was never one of your favorite things to do? Either way, here are some practical tips to help you turn your child into a book lover.
https://momlovesbest.com/reading-for-kids
How to Improve Reading Skills in Children with ADHD or Learning Disabilities – by Matthew Cruger, Ph.D. and ADDitude Magazine
Discover guaranteed tips to improve reading comprehension. Helpful for children with ADHD or other learning challenges.
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/983.html
Many ADHD Kids Also Have Reading Problems – by Denise Mann, WebMD Health News
About half of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may experience problems with reading, according to a new study in Pediatrics. It was found that 51% of boys with ADHD had reading problems. For girls, it was 46.7%. To access more information about this study and ADHD reading resources, visit:
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/news/20100927/many-adhd-kids-also-have-reading-problems
5 Back-to-School Tips for Your ADD or ADHD Child – by Dr. Robert Myers, Child Psychologist
Here are some back-to-school tips to make things seem a lot easier & smoother for parents & kids.
http://www.empoweringparents.com/5-back-to-school-tips-for-your-adhd-child.php
ADHD Resources for Teachers – from TeacherVision
Articles & many FREE resources to help educators manage the special nature of students with ADHD.
https://www.teachervision.com/add-and-adhd/resource/5348.html
Helpful Tools for ADHD
Study Tips for ADHD and Test Anxiety – from TherapistAid
Study skills help to reduce test anxiety, improve focus, and increase motivation to do well on tests. Good study habits are important for all students, but they are particularly beneficial for those with ADHD or test anxiety. This Study Tips worksheet describes research-based tips and techniques to improve study and preparation for tests. https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/study-tips
Desktop App: Reading Focus Cards (U.S. Patent 8,360,779) $5.99 – from Brennan Innovators
This desktop app is the digital version of the physical Reading Focus Cards (U.S. Patent 7,565,759), solutions for all readers. This application for Windows PC and Macs provides practical READING SUPPORT for readers with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other challenges. It promotes more FOCUSED reading of almost ALL digital media (webpages, PDF files, Word docs, Excel spreadsheets & more.) In addition, the Reading Focus Cards app is compatible with and supports touch-screen technology. Its virtual Reading Focus Card moves over text on a screen with fingers, mouse, or arrow keys.
1. Macs (desktops & notebooks): Visit the Mac App Store directly to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12
2. PC: Visit Gumroad at https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards OR visit the Microsoft Windows Store at https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9WZDNCRDF33D.
For more information, please visit:
www.FocusandRead.com —Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
