I am having trouble reading and I am in 8th grade. I dont like it and I cannot comprehend anything. read dtls!

Question

We are reading "A Christmas Carol" and I cannot comprehend anything and everyone else can. I used to be a great reader but I never enjoyed it. Now I can but i cant stay focused and I feel like part of it is that I need to get a good book. The only book I ever read was "Cirque Du Freak". It was a 12 book series. i read it and loved it but had to constantly re-read stuff. I am very smart, especially in math and in science I am also very good but I am not good at social studies and I can memorize numbers so fast, I called my friends ONCE and i had the number memorized and it wasnt an easy one either. I am a great writer (im not trying to though now!!) My mom emailed the reading specialist to get me tested for something. Can some one tell me if this sounds like anything they might know of. Oh and I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder if that makes a difference! :)

Answer 1

When I was in school, reading, English, writing ... those were my best subjects and I loved it!  Reading was kind of an "escape" for me from the real world, so to speak.  I was also Feature Editor of my high school newspaper and won awards for articles that I had written.  Now, I work at a bank and do next to nothing to be creative.  I still love to read though.  Math was my poorest subject.  I believe we all find our "niche" and math certainly wasn't mine.  To me, you sound highly intelligent.  Most 8th graders (ones I have known anyway) really don't care about their grades or their futures until much later in life ... so you just asking this question and wanting help proves that you care about yourself.  And, thank your Mom for also trying to get you help.  A lot of parents aren't as involved in their child's education as they should be.  You both should be commended!  All this just may pertain to what you have been assigned to read.  We all have certain things that we enjoy and certain things that we do not.  Ask your teacher for some extra help after school on this particular thing .. study it instead of just reading it.  If you understand more of what you read ... you will enjoy it more.  If there is a certain line you just don't get, tell the teacher and he or she can tell you what it means.  That may make it more exciting to you.  Get on the internet and learn more about A Christmas Carol ... getting some background information may make it come more "alive" to you.  Good luck ... I'm rooting for you!

Answer 2

hey im the exact same way well 8 yrs ago at least. i have a reading comprehention issue. i had to constantly have stuff read outloud to me and reread over and over again. its not easy ill tell you that but u start to learn little tricks that help you. books on tape and having it read outloud to me was my trick it might work for you.

Answer 3

hi there! ask parents or guardian for an I E P @ your school. then you can corrornate your studies and reading plans to your needs! ask for any willing to help you make a priority plan for reading. like reviews and outline summaries to focus your charactors and plots. your OK , and it was a good question . thanks for wanting to know.

Answer 4

Why don't you use a Dictionary.  It is the same as a Glossary except it is bigger.

Answer 5

Kelly the first thing you need to understand is you are not alone.  I was exactly the same way.  I would read something and my mind was thinking about so many other things at the same time, I had no idea what I was reading.  Your OCD may have something to do with it too.  It certainly isn't making things easier.   My guess is that when you say you "used to be able to", it was before you were diagnosed with OCD?  (Just something to think about.)  When you get that more  under your control, you may find it easier to understand what you are reading.  

On to the real issue though.... what you may find is that reading aloud or maybe even just reading aloud in your head will help you to stay focused, because that's sounds like the real problem.  You can't stay focused.  One of the things you can try that may help you too, is to have no distractions around you. No radio, no TV, no brothers and sisters bugging you, etc.  You need quiet, otherwise your brain will start to wonder.  I found that having silence, and reading out loud in my head really helped me to stay focused on the words.  Sometimes the words were a little tricky too.  So I would look up the words I didn't know, and then read the passage again so I would understand what was written.  

I want to reiterate Kelly, you are not alone.  There are MANY, MANY, MANY people that are having issues like this.  Talk to your teacher, doctor, or your psychologist or counselor about it too.  They should be able to help you understand what your brain is actually going through, and help you as well.  That's what they are getting paid to do!!   Good luck.  I hope you get help soon.

Answer 6

Loki's answer is full of good ideas. One way to find an author you really love is to ask the librarian to help you. Tell them what you are interested and they often have great suggestions.

If you liked the Cirque du Freak series, have you tried the Demonata series by the same author (scary)? This is a good way to find more similar books: Type in the name or author of a book you know you like in the search bar at Amazon.com. Then if you scroll down there is a section called "People who bought this book also bought ..." And sometimes you can find lists by other teens.

The secret to reading comprehension is to read fast enough not to lose the thread. That's why you are on the right track looking for really interesting books. Once you have read a lot, the comprehension transfers over to boring school stuff. The problem just sort of corrects itself.

The beauty of reading books that teachers seldom assign, like Cirque du Freak, is that you can just read for pleasure and don't have to answer silly questions about it.

As for why you have this difficulty, there could be a lot of reasons. You might have dyslexia or ADD, but you could even be just an unreconstructed victim of boring teaching. While your mom is having you checked out, they might want to test you for giftedness as well.

I am a former teacher and reading specialist, and I freely admit that sometimes teachers just don't get it, especially if they keep trying to fit a round peg in a square hole (the System). The best book I ever read about teaching was "Teaching as a Subversive Activity" by Neil Postman.

Answer 7

comprehension can be tough (my daughter doesn't understand when she reads or hears information...needs to see a movie 3-4 times to finally understand)  You are not alone!!  MANY people have this learning difference.  Some websites that teach ESL help with comprehension.  Also, some courses in speed reading help, because they help you take in the main points very quickly.  That way, you aren't confused by all of the less important details.

The way you learn things uses different parts of the brain.

There's a great book called "The Myth of Laziness", by Mel Levine, MD who is a neurodevelopmental pediatrician.  He explains very simply how to assess you strengths and weaknesses (we all have them) and how to approach strengthening the weaknesses.

Answer 8

i had a very similar problem when i was about your age (27 now, reading just fine) . I had tutors, they went me to a special "learning center", did all KINDS of things... but i just couldnt comprehend.  A few things saved my behind:

1) Books on tape! you can get them from the library.  I used to borrow the book and the tape. And read the book while someone was reading it to me.  Part of my problem was i comprehend better when i hear the information, rather than read it.

2) Large Print.  dont laught, it worked.  What i realize, now, was happeneing... was the lines were so small in the regular book that i'd easily lose my place, get distracted with tryin to find it and end up not understanding any of it.  With the larger print, it was easier to follow my lines, keep things in order and concentrate better.

3) Popular Classical music: when i played music in the background (after i got past the books on tape phase), it was easier for me to concentrate for some reason. Music with words was distracting because i would listen to the words. Songs i wasnt firmilliar with were distracting because i was listening to the music.  Instamentals of songs i'd heard a thousand times were just background noise, but kept me focused.

Now, my fiance complains i read too much. I crank through about a novel a week.  As you get older, your brain will train itself to do the things the tapes and the large print did on its own.  When i read, i actually read it outloud in my head.  yeah, it takes a little longer than it does for most people, but you understand it.  

another thing that helped me, was i found an author i really really loved.  by finding someones style and subject matter that works for you, you concentrate harder because you're more interested (Mine was Patricia Cornwell, she writes mysteries with a female detective, who lives in my home town).  

Be patient. Its frustrating, but i think you're an intelligent person who will figure this out.  If i can do it, anyone can.

Answer 9

It's obvious you know how to read.  Reading isn't a basic human thing like being able to speak.  

When I was in jail, my bunk-mate was a rapist.  We got along great.  He was in for something called third-degree rape, which I had never even heard of.  It seems he got a girl drunk before he had his wicked way with her.  Pretty soon I got out, and not long after that, he got transferred to the state prison.  He's out now, but still getting treated like dirt by the system.

My first day there, I wanted to write a note to my lawyer.  He offered to write it for me.  It turns out most of the people in jail read at a first or second-grade level, or not at all.  Count your lucky stars.

Answer 10

Sounds like dyslexia to me.  Let me ask you something.  Do you play any musical instruments?  Dyslexics are usually good with music and they are usually very creative.

Answer 11

i teach special education. trust me, it's ok to want to know why...that just means that you want to dig deeper. it is wonderful that you care about your education enough to ask! you may want to try using colored cellophane. these strips are available in any teacher store and probably online. you may have to try several colors before findig what works for you. if you go to a teacher store, they will know what you want and can help you out, i'm sure. Good Luck!

Answer 12

Your behaviors are those that are typical of someone who is gifted. Boredom is usually the issue. Some of the other issues, other than being bright,are excess sensitivity, perfectionism and underachievement and are commonly found in many gifted children.  

Gifted children are asynchronous. Their development tends to be uneven, and they often feel out-of-sync with age peers and with age-based school expectations.

Gifted children  tend to be good at things that they like and rather lousy at things they don't like. They also can manifest some emotional problems because their intellectual development outstrips their emotional development.

Finally, when a gifted person has a learning disability, it is often hidden because of their strong intellect in other areas. This could be the case for your reading comprehension struggles. You also may be having some difficulty with ADHD.

It is important for your mother to get you tested for giftedness and for a possible learning disability. Make sure she follows up with the reading specialist and if you want to have gifted testing, it is probably done through the school counselor.

Answer 13

For the reading comprehension, there are two things will make it difficult. First , vocabulary, second. background knowledge. So if you know all the word, but still don't understand that probably you lack of certain knowledge  within  the article.