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bobert
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22 Jul 2007, 8:20 am

AEN1408, I'm the same way. I'm a slow reader and my comprehension is a function of how short the piece is, and how interesting I find the topic. I have to read anything with a lot of symbolism, or hidden meaning, multiple times, but it takes a lot of concentration.

My problem seems to be an ADD lack of concentration, and AS lack of understanding subtle nuances of the writer. Like you, I prefer more straight forward reading material.



KingdomOfRats
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22 Jul 2007, 9:03 am

Have a hard time reading,and not remembering the previous words,am autistic with ADHD,it does look like to be more of an ADHD trait than ASD trait,but it can be a ASD trait to,if have sensory and multitasking problems,the slightest sound can distract or overload,and make reading and remembering impossible.if the room is hot,the lights flickering,sun shining through,sitting too close to someone else,wearing not good feeling clothing,chair too rough... they are all things that can affect an ASDers ability.



9CatMom
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22 Jul 2007, 9:10 am

I have a Master's in English, and some of the books I had to read for class were a slog. Even worse was the boring literary criticism I had to read. There is nothing less interesting than having to read what someone thought of a story. If I am reading about a subject of interest, however, I read very fast.



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23 Jul 2007, 10:49 am

My mom says that's normal for Aspies. But I do have reading problems such as Dyslexia and Irlen's syndrome. Which I feel Makes me read slow and repeat the sentences I already read.


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EatingPoetry
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23 Jul 2007, 11:07 am

9CatMom wrote:
I have a Master's in English, and some of the books I had to read for class were a slog. Even worse was the boring literary criticism I had to read. There is nothing less interesting than having to read what someone thought of a story. If I am reading about a subject of interest, however, I read very fast.


Wow! I wish I'd kept going. I have a BA in English, heavy emphasis on literature, and I love to "read". Or perhaps I should say I love to have read something, to have it already in my head.

The actual reading process is pure torture for me. I cannot focus or concentrate well enough to read anything in it's entirety. Even a longish poem scares me. Out of about 23 Shakespeare plays I was to have read in college, I actually read 2. I cracked the covers on most of the novels I was supposed to read, but that's about as far as I could get.

Strangely enough, I was in the English Dept. Honors Program despite all this. Thinking about it now, I believe it was writing decent papers that saved me, because I could read about what I was supposed to have read more easily than the things themselves. I do not read any fiction on my own. I can only read non-fiction, and then only as best I can with my limited concentration. But surviving as a student that way took a heavy toll and I was totally burned out by the time I graduated.


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23 Jul 2007, 11:57 am

I was always an obsessive reader, but reading is very difficult for me. I believe I have Irlen's syndrome (my AS mom was diagnosed with it), and I also have eye-tracking problems, which make my eyes want to bounce around on the page. This bouncing means I usually wind up staring at my thumb at the edge of the page, rather than reading, which then distracts me and my mind begins to wander. It's frustrating, because I'm finding that as I get older I have less energy to stick with reading.



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23 Jul 2007, 12:11 pm

AEN1408 wrote:
Does anyone have trouble reading books?

I read extremely slow and when I do read it I have no idea what I just read even after reading it for the 3rd or 4th time.
that sounds exactly like me, reading things over and over again and it not sticking into your mind. talk about annoying, but usually if its something i like i can read all about it and get it the first time :D


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23 Jul 2007, 12:48 pm

What helps me is

a. wearing my glasses...(I have an astigmatism...which can contribute to eye tracking problems..my left eye wants to float outwards)

and this may sound silly..but

b.running my finger along the sentences as I read helps me read a whole lot faster than I would otherwise and keeps my eyes from straying all over the page and reading the same sentences over and over again.
Only occasionally will I miss some small detail and have to go back. I picked this tip up from a speed reading book years ago. It was more or less the only tip I picked up from the book...but it does seem to work.



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23 Jul 2007, 12:58 pm

I found when I am concentrating or reading I am better when I take my glasses off.

I am near sighted... so when I have my glasses on I pick up too many details around me. And it is hard to focus on what is in front of me.

If I don't really need to wear glasses I just like taking them off... it's actually easier to live... somewhat.


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poopylungstuffing
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23 Jul 2007, 1:05 pm

I did that for years and years...I was more-or-less born with my eyesight problem and always hated wearing glasses...and eventually would always lose them...I hate having obstructions to my periphrial vision..because I use it alot.
Now that I am getting older, my eyesight is only getting worse...so I do alot better with my glasses on...i may wait till a few hours after I get up to put them on though.



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23 Jul 2007, 1:35 pm

I have severe ADD so I do have problems reading unless I really want to read at the moment. Also, if it's something I'm not interested in, it's Cliff's notes all the way!

I have a B.A. in English, but I had a hard time with classes that required boring reading, or a lot of reading all the time.


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23 Jul 2007, 2:38 pm

I'm a slow reader and not very good with comprehension, (it seems like I'll read a passage and forget it a minute later), however I love to read. I often wish I could read faster, but maybe it's for the best because I could miss out on stuff.


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