Reading and ADHD: Assisted Reading to Help Children with ADHD Calm Down 

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or commonly known as ADHD is a behavioural disorder that affects 2% to 5% of school-aged children in the UK. The presence of ADHD among adults in the UK is somewhere between 3% and 4%, and most of these individuals are underdiagnosed and do not receive proper intervention. This condition is often associated with children (and sometimes adults) being restless, overly anxious, and hyperactive. Some of the most common characteristics of a person with ADHD could be: being unable to concentrate on task/s, hyperactive and excessive movement, excessive talking and interrupting conversations, acting without talking, anxiety, and constant fidgeting. 

ADHD can neither be prevented nor cured, but behavioural experts have developed methods to help control and regulate the physical symptoms of this behavioural disorder. Therapy and medication are common interventions for ADHD. Brain training such as cognitive behavioural training is the most common intervention for children with ADHD.  Medication may also be prescribed by the physician to treat the symptoms of ADHD. Along with therapy and medication, non-medical interventions can also help control the child’s behaviour which includes: parent training, yoga and meditation, and assisted reading with a parent or an educator. 

Author F. South wrote in a blog how books helped him: reading shuts off the noise for me and opens a calm world inside my ADHD head. His blog further discussed that engaging in mental exercises such as reading books and solving puzzles has helped decreased his problems with memory and how reading has become a calming activity for him. When applying this method to children with ADHD, it’s crucial to choose books that the child is very interested in. While children’s bookstore offers a wide selection, the experience that a personalised book offers is so much more than what the child gets from a regular storybook. In a personalised storybook, the child gets the chance to read himself in a published storybook, as the hero of the story. Not only is this engaging to the child, but it also brings an empowering feeling to them and a sense of ownership to the text! 

There is no doubt that assisted reading to children with ADHD, by a parent or an educator, has a soothing effect on them and may be especially beneficial to the children! 

Reading and ADHD: Role of Audiobooks in Making Reading Easier for Children with ADHD

Just like any kid, children with ADHD also enjoy reading and given their natural desire for fresh tales, ideas, and knowledge, this is not even surprising. However, they are unable to read as much as they would like due to a lack of time, energy, and focus. Audiobooks can help slow readers and children with reading difficulty (such as those with ADHD) overcome distractions when reading, and they can also be used to acquire academic ideas like characterization, plot lines, and phonetics. 

In a study conducted by the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, it’s noted that when the child listens to a tale rather than reading the text, their brains are more likely to develop significant imagery because it gives their visual systems more area to work. Reading is one of the major struggles of children with ADHD and most of them have difficulty with reading comprehension (Friendman LM, et al). 

Audiobooks aid children with ADHD get into the habit of reading, a personalised audiobook is even better because it includes the child in the story. Following the story visually through assisted reading while listening to the audiobook can enhance word-recognition ability, and listening alone can expand vocabulary (Mary Beth Crosby Carroll). A personalised storybook gives you access to a personalised audiobook accessible by scanning the unique QR code using your smartphone device or a tablet. What makes the personalised audiobook special is that the child is actually included in the story that they are listening to. This experience widens their vocabulary and it enhances their cognition too! 

Children living with ADHD may have limitations in the way they behave and do things. But, there are a lot of things that you can do along with behavioural therapy. Reading books to these children helps calm down their excessive physical movement and raging emotions, while it also helps them improve their vocabulary by reading-whether through a physical book or an audiobook!