What reading is like for me

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I've posted on other forums many times about my reading issues: concentration is a problem, as well as an undiagnosed learning disorder that may or may not be dyslexia, which often causes plain English to appear as a blur of gibberish. I often have to read every sentence five times before moving on to the next one. But while it's one thing for others to hear me say that, it's another thing entirely for them to actually experience it, so I've simulated it below. Welcome to my world! No guns, ropes, or sedatives will be provided, so please supply your own suicide method.

Here's how most people read a paragraph:

I have never read a novel ever in my life, I don't read newspapers or magazines.
I can only read words written in short paragraphs and very much like you I can read the same sentence over and over and not really comprehend what is being said.

If I concentrate too much the whole page just melts into one big blur. It is made even more difficult as my eyesight gets worse with age.

Have a look at Irlen Syndrome. I had no idea what reading was meant to be like until I stumbled across this. It's linked with AS. I've now got some coloured transparencies that I put over my page when I read - - - And for the first time in my life I CAN FREAKN READ! It was the best discovery of my entire life.

I had a similar visual phenomenon going on. And it would take me forever to read anything and be absolutely exhausting and pointless. I hope it can help you too. Goodluck.

^ Text blurring together is only a problem about half the time. The other half, the text will be crystal clear but it won't get absorbed by my brain, if that makes sense. It's like reading in a foreign language.

I went to an office supplies shop and bought all different colour transparent folders and cut them up. I just sat there and tested each colour. I knew INSTANTLY when I was on the right one. The one I use is light pink in lower light, and dark pink/purple in fluroescent light.

I have to repeat sentences and paragraphs all the time too. Usually it's because I don't absorb the ends of the sentences. "Tom glanced behind him and saw the. Tom walked faster. There was no doubt the man. Tom had noticed."
It's usually due to distraction or dull prose.

I think the Irlen lenses are a great idea. Google to see if you can find anyone nearyou. I think you might have better luck in Scotland than the US. donna williams had great success with them. Or take the previous poster's idea for choosing a color. Good luck! That sounds incredibly frustrating.

I do this too. I have to reread sentences because I somehow start thinking about something completely irrelevant yet continue to read subconsciously. I also sometimes have to strain to see the words. I think reading would be much easier if it were white text on black background.

Same thing happens to me!

I had to keep re-reading the paragraph because I couldn't process the first sentence, then I couldn't process the second, and so on.

The blurring happened a lot to me before I got reading glasses. I think I need the Irlens glasses but I refuse to look like Bono. It can also be stress related because of stressing to understand what you're reading when all those problems happen.

I can process text, people speaking and visual information much faster when I'm on Ritalin.

I can generally read okay under the right conditions. Just enough noise can make it impossible to process the text and the noise, but that's more an audio thing. If the paper is white or just barely off white and I'm under bright lights, the white parts of the page seethe and burn like fire and make reading annoying, but my sunglasses fix that - I have never been able to read white paper under direct lighting or sunlight, but I suspect a lot of people are like that. Sometimes I read the same sentence over and over and over again until I realize I'm doing it and then have to figure out where I am supposed to be. Sometimes I read several pages in a row without retaining or understanding anything (or perceiving the passage of time) and have to figure out where I zoned out. Sometimes my brain swaps letters or entire words around and I think I read something completely different than what I actually read.

None of those seriously interfere with my reading, though, not to the point of anything diagnosable (except maybe the audio problems).

I've trouble reading too. though not serious trouble it takes a lot of concentration and tracking text with fingers or a ruler to get through. If the content is absorbing however it is easier for me to read. People often comment " Viera are you trying to read the paper or are you actually reading?" when I am reading the news paper. small text's the worst. My internet pages are zoomed to 200 percent.

I also have face blindness (could be the same reason why I can't read fast)and features blur up. I differentiate people based on their skin color or what they are wearing than by their faces till I get used to the faces.

I have no problems reading. Can read an upside down book very nearly just as fast as I can the right way around. Reading is awesome.

What you're describing sounds like a nightmare, are there any meds to help with that? It seems like ADD.

I have some trouble reading too. And even writing posts online sometimes.
My therapist suggested I may have language processing problems and I said if so it is very mild. I said that because no one helped me and they took me out of the part time special ed classes when I moved in elemntary. But he disagreed with my logic and said kids who aren't behavioral problems sometimes donn't get help and something about intelligence (he has a background with screening for learning disabilities).