Home | Articles | A² Curriculum | A² Reviews |  Speed Reading | Phonics | FAQ | Contact Us | Support | Products | Search

 Speed Reading & ADD

"Why are "Learning Disabilities" often a good thing?"

Recently I was invited by a friend to instruct speed reading in a high-school class that she taught. Present in the class were two students who each had a "Learning Disability." One was diagnosed with ADD and the other, ADHD. After about 2 hours, all of the students had significant improvement with their reading speed and comprehension. But guess who the two top students were?

You’re right, they were the "Learning Disabled" ones. While the rest of the class (9 other students) at least doubled or tripled their reading speed (a few attained up to 4,000 words per minute), and improved their comprehension abilities, the "Disabled" ones were both over 10,000 wpm, with incredibly good recall.

I believe that the term "Learning Disability" is really a misnomer in many cases. All too often, bright children get pigeon-holed, thrown away into the "slow" classes and then forgotten.

The slogan "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" certainly rings true here.

The real problem is that not all minds respond to the same learning approach equally. That is why an introduction to speed reading can be so important for many children with Learning Disabilities. Many "Learning Disabled" people are GIFTED when it comes to speed reading.

Even many who struggle with "normal" reading.

Recently, experts in this field are starting to explain this phenomenon.

In his 1997 book Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World, author Jeffrey Freed M.A.T. says: "While our schools have been harping on the deficits of children with ADD [also Dyslexia], I've had the pleasure of unearthing their many gifts. These children can do difficult math problems in their head, remember long lists of words, and are excellent speed_readers."

He then asks the obvious question: "Why do they do so poorly in school?"

The answer is that schools frequently use the wrong approach. Most people are either partially or wholly Left_brain dominant. But children with Dyslexia and ADD are universally Right_brain dominant.

Traditional reading is a Left_brained activity. Speed Reading is a Right_brained activity.

Mr. Freed has seen many ADD and Dyslexic children, who were poor readers, become good readers after they were exposed to speed reading. In fact, he says that "Right_brained people, almost without exception, make the best speed readers."

If you have a child who has Dyslexia, ADD or another "Learning Disability," teaching him/her to speed read may be one of the best things that you could ever do. To learn more about how you can easily teach your child to speed read, visit our main Speed Reading web page.