4Real Forums: Reluctant Readers

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Topic: Reluctant Readers

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TradCathMom
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Joined: Feb 20 2005
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Posted: Jan 25 2007 at 9:53pm \| IP Logged

Maybe someone here has some info or whatever that might help. My oldest is what I would describe as a reluctant reader. He was definitely a very hyper child but now he can manage himself fine (at 10). He does not enjoy reading but he loves being read to and can narrate a story very well and just loves listening to any and all stories. He does well at comprehending his schoolwork. He loves hands on but I'm not creative enough to do 100%, I do use text books, too. Someone recently sent me a book about dyslexia and that perhaps he has this. I really haven't seen any big signs he has dyslexia other than making a few numbers backwards (not letters) though according to any assessments I've read he could qualify on any level. But seems to me that a hyper child could qualify as well. IYKWIM. He has always struck me as the absent-minded professor.

For example in physically reading, I will sit down and do his English Grammar (his grade level) and have him do it orally. He will read through the sentences and pick out the proper form of the verb or whatever just fine. Stumbling across a couple words here and there as any child would. I came to the conclusion he just doesn't want to read but *can*.

Anyone have any insights or suggestions... perhaps a BTDT type thing! I guess I feel like it would be wrong to force him to read (as was someone's suggestion - sit him down and don't let him do anything until he can read - but not my way of being and sounds cruel and unfair and worthy of destroying a child's love of learning, definitely not my way). We have good school days most of the time. IMO I think he just has an interest problem... or lack thereof

But maybe I'm just missing something.

Oh, I want to add too that what he likes are short assignments. Which is where he stumbles in Math, it is usually the longest subject and like me finds basic mathfacts boring. Mathematics concepts he seems to grasp fine but doesn't want it to take so long to accomplish.

Sorry so long.

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ALmom
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Posted: Jan 26 2007 at 3:25pm \| IP Logged

TradCathmom:

Does he like to read the books on particular subjects and not others or is it just the length of the book. Is he fine with math if it is short, well spaced lessons and only has trouble when the problems are scrunched together on the page. Have you tried getting large print editions of books (ie there are classics with print for the elderly).

I just ask some of these things because some of my reluctant readers actually had vision problems. They didn't have acuity problems, but they did have trouble with eye muscle convergence. While they would let me read aloud and had long attention spans (some of them), they would not touch a book longer than a picture book. Turns out one of my dc got sick to her stomach after about 20 minutes. That is a sure way to make reading an unpleasant chore - associating reading with nausea.

We did some vision therapy that helped all but one of ours. Some will read like crazy now - but only in subjects of interest. Others have developed a love of all things in print. I guess this new thing is pretty normal whereas before, mine would only read if it was something so rivetting it was worth the agony and it was somewhat hit or miss. Some of mine with vision problems really struggled to learn to read and had terrible reversal problems (these were also the ones that were suppressing an eye) but one of mine taught herself to read fairly early, but just never would read. She is the one with the long attention span and would sit for hours and listen to books but would not read anything beyond very short picture books. When she was 16, we finally figured it out. She had some eye-convergence, muscle spasm things going on. One of the things that was interesting is that she fell in love with Shakespeare because the first work of his she read, I actually went out and bought a very large print version.

Just some ideas.

Janet

Nina Murphy
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Posted: Jan 26 2007 at 3:31pm \| IP Logged

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Servant2theKing
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Posted: Jan 27 2007 at 5:22pm \| IP Logged

"Better Late Than Early", by Raymond and Dorothy Moore, gave me the confidence I needed to back off with our reluctant reader. I compensate for his difficulty by reading textladen subjects aloud to him (such as History and Religion). For read alouds, he reads one page for every two that I read. He is just beginning to enjoy chapter books and is thriving in spite of the fact that he is sandwiched between two avid readers. If we had pushed him in this area I think he would be much more frustrated and discouraged. I highly recommend looking into the Moore's book. I'm not sure of the accuracy of everything they write, but I can assure you that backing off on reading for awhile, especially with reluctant boys, pays off in the long run.

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Shari in NY
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Joined: Nov 23 2005
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Posted: Jan 29 2007 at 7:44am \| IP Logged

Calvin & Hobbes, Tintin, and Prince Valiant were all very big hits with my reluctant male readers. And C&H had the added advantage of vastly improving vocabulary!!

Shari in NY
mom to six, including 4 boys ages 17,10,10 and 7

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