Reading comprehension
 

I have been off work and unable to drive since I sustained a concussion in late November of 2011.

The first thing I normally do when I have some spare time is pick up a book -- usually non-fiction history, anthropology, even a newspaper. I would like to read more about PCS. But I have very limited reading comprehension now.

I tried blocking the line above and below. That seems to help a lot with the tracking. I can’t seem to make all the pieces come together from what I've read and sometimes I find my eyes are following the text but I'm not processing the words at all.

A friend suggested writing notes on what I read, but I find that I can’t read my own notes and I am stuck with two things I can’t interpret and I get a little overwhelmed. I have notebooks all over the house and take notes to remind me what to do, what groceries to buy, what I have to remember but keep forgetting...

I looked at some “graphic organizers” that teachers use for teaching reading comprehension in elementary shcool. Some of which seem useful for reading fiction, but reading non-fiction would take different organization of ideas.

I am a workman’s comp case and I have not yet been successful in getting any more support than the wait-and-see approach. I think a speech pathologist would probably be a good idea, but getting approved will take some time. I would be interested if anyone else has learned some techniques for learning to read in a new way.

Thank you.

Gillian

Early on, I could only read for a few minutes. I even tested my reading and found I often crashed at about 800 words. On bad days, I would crash by 200 words. I learned to slowly build up my reading efforts.

The first thing I learned was simple. If I find myself rereading a line, especially rereading it over and over, it is time to stop and do something else. I would get stuck in a sort of trace rereading a line that was not getting into my brain.

So, try slowly building up your reading endurance.

I also needed to avoid certain writing styles. Too many descriptors and complex sentences were problematic. I could usually determine if I could read that writer's style within the first few paragraphs.I did not try to push through.

Hope you can find your reading balance.

My best to you.

I'll try that, thanks. I haven't thought of this as a question of endurance. It makes sense.

If you like non-fiction and you like graphic organizers, one that I'm particularly fond of is the "main idea pyramid."

http://fcit.usf.edu/fcat/references/strategies/mi1.htm

The spider map is also pretty good. http://www.writedesignonline.com/org...ze.html#spider

These are not so great for CREATIVE or LITERARY non-fiction, but works pretty well for straight-ahead expository, informative, or persuasive writing.

Reading out loud sometimes helps.

For months after the accident, I couldn't read very well. I lost track of the stories, I lost track of where I was on the page, the words seemed to blur together, I couldn't understand what the writer's meaning was, I forgot the meaning of some words.... etc., etc.

It got better.

I feel like I'm still not reading at the same level I did before the accident and I know I'm not reading as fast as I was.

I still miss having the stamina to read a lot at a time. I am still hoping my stamina will improve.

I'm hoping your reading comprehension will improve too. It probably will, just not as fast as you'd like it to.

Suggestion, if you enjoy reading.

Get books on tape. Let the tapes do the reading.

I think it might be easier to just follow that way.

I don't remember having this problem.


But with my son who has seizures. He lost all
his reading ability and comprehension both.

But he can listen to the books. And it built up his
level again. And now that he hasn't had seizures.
for a while he can read better.

its kind of the same, if you think about it.
HE had to let his brain rest.

Donna:grouphug:

I find it's not just a question of genre - some authors are simply easier for me to read. I'm just more comfortable with certain writerly voices.

If you like nonfiction, you could try collections of essays or books with clearly delineated sections so that you can tackle one part at a time. It also helps to have a few options on the go, so that you can read more challenging prose when you're feeling better, and easier/lighter/shorter writing when your energy level is lower (such as at night).

You can also use skimming strategies where appropriate or necessary, such as reading only the first (topic) sentence of each paragraph to get the gist of the material.

Weirdly, I find reading in my second language enjoyable, in part because I want to keep my fluency up, although I have to be careful not to overdo it.

I too am hopeful that my reading stamina will continue to improve as I recover. In the short term, I have simply adjusted my expectations - for now, I think reading even a very modest amount each day is a good thing (just as a short amount of walking is a good thing), so long as symptoms aren't being triggered.

All of you are really a big help. Reading has always been such a big part of my life that it is hard to let go – especially when I have so much time on my hands.

I have found that writing as I read helps a little and the spider diagram seems to help organize those thought. Must be having another sensory input. Reading out loud I’m sure would also help – except that since the accident I have speech disfluency (and this extra little voice in my head saying “just spit it out!”).

Again, thank you all. I’m interested in trying anything that might help.

Gil

My 15 year old son has been having problems with headaches, dizziness, blurry vision for the past 3 months. He was an honor student and suddenly in October this all started and his grades began to plummet! He was recently diagnosed with Post Concussive Syndrome. He played football, but had no significant head injury----apparently, it came happen with a series of minor licks to the head also. He is still having problems comprehending and focusing in class. Any suggestions on things I might can do to help him?