Why ADHD Kids Struggle with Reading and Writing
4/29/202625 min
In this episode, Ryan and Mike explore the real reason children with ADHD struggle with reading comprehension and written expression—working memory issues, not laziness or oppositional behavior. They explain the role of nonverbal working memory (mental movies) and verbal working memory (inner voice) , share key research findings, and offer practical strategies to support children at home and school.
Find Mike @ www.grownowadhd.com & on IG
Find Ryan @ www.adhddude.com & on Youtube
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[00:00:00] Start
[01:38] The real problem is working memory, not laziness
[06:14] The mental movie that never gets made (nonverbal working memory)
[13:36] The inner voice goes quiet during writing (verbal working memory)
[17:29] The blank page: oppositional behavior or working memory failure?
[20:06] What actually helps: make external what other kids do internally
[23:00] Closing takeaways
Episode 56 Citations:
- Gray, C., Rogers, M., London, K., et al. (2016). Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and reading disability: A review of the efficacy of medication treatments. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 988.
- Miller, A. C., Keenan, J. M., Betjemann, R. S., et al. (2013). Reading comprehension in children with ADHD: Cognitive underpinnings of the centrality deficit. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 41, 473–483.
- Soto, E. F., Kofler, M. J., Irwin, L. N., et al. (2021). Executive functions and writing skills in children with ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
- Molitor, S. J., Langberg, J. M., Evans, S. W., et al. (2016). The written expression abilities of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 51–52, 49–59.
- Re, A. M., Pedron, M., & Cornoldi, C. (2007). Expressive writing difficulties in children described as exhibiting ADHD symptoms. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(3), 244–255.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Wexelblatt· Host0:00
Welcome everyone. In today's episode, we're gonna talk about a big topic that I don't think gets enough attention, um, is not talked about enough, and that is why kids with ADHD struggle with reading and writing, and what no one is telling parents. The goal of this episode is to show you what is actually happening in your child's brain when they struggle with reading and writing, because it's not what most people think. And once you understand it, everything starts to make a lot more sense. We're also gonna cover what actually helps and what just makes things worse.
Speaker 10:28
Welcome to the ADHD Parenting Podcast with Mike McCloud of Grow Now ADHD, and Ryan Wetzel Blatt of ADHD Dude. Learn about parenting kids with ADHD from a licensed clinical social worker and speech language pathologist who specializes in ADHD. No fluffy parenting advice, only practical information that will equip you to help your child with ADHD effectively.
Ryan Wexelblatt· Host0:53
All right, to get started. So Mike, as we know, a lot of parents with ADHD have probably said when they see their child, you know, have difficulty with writing or reading, they say things like, "You know, I know they're smart, they just won't do the work." Because a lot of times kids seem like they're being oppositional. Or they'll say things like, "You know, they read the whole chapter and couldn't tell me a single thing about it." That was certainly the case with my son. Or they s- um, they sit there staring at the paper for 20 minutes and write one sentence. And, you know, you've probably wondered, you know, is that about effort or attitude, or whether they just don't care? So the goal of this episode is to show you what is actually happening with your child's brain