ADHD And Reading Challenges: Why So Many Kids Struggle And What Actually Helps

lucas398q3
Dec 30, 2025
4 min read

Why Do ADHD And Reading Challenges So Often Show Up Together?

In This Post

The Overlap Between ADHD And Reading Struggles
When ADHD And Dyslexia Coexist
When Attention Got In The Way Of Early Reading Instruction
Why Supporting ADHD Still Matters For Reading Progress
Why Missed Reading Instruction Has To Be Rebuilt

Parents often notice that their child or teen’s reading struggles seem tightly connected to attention challenges. Homework drags on. Reading assignments feel overwhelming. Progress feels slower than it should, even though your student is clearly very bright. This is not a coincidence. ADHD and reading challenges overlap far more often than most families realize, and understanding why is the first step in helping your student catch up.

The Overlap Between ADHD And Reading Struggles

There is a significant overlap between students with ADHD and students who struggle with reading and spelling. The International Dyslexia Association has long noted that co-occurring learning differences are common, particularly ADHD and dyslexia. One frequently cited statistic is that roughly 30 percent of students with dyslexia also meet criteria for ADHD.

International Dyslexia Association statements on comorbidity between ADHD and dyslexia.

What this means in real life is that many kids and teens are dealing with more than one challenge at the same time. Attention difficulties can make it harder to absorb early reading instruction. At the same time, underlying language-based reading difficulties can make school feel exhausting, which often worsens attention and behavior. Parents are left wondering which issue came first and which one to address.

The short answer: you need to address both.

When ADHD And Dyslexia Coexist

For some students, ADHD and dyslexia truly coexist. These students struggle with attention, focus, and impulse control, and they also have a language-based learning difference that impacts their reading and spelling.

These kids and teens, like all other kids and teens with dyslexia, need explicit instruction in phonological skills, meaning the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken language. They also need systematic instruction in phonics, morphology, spelling, and fluency. Skipping any of these pieces leaves gaps that show up later as slow reading, weak spelling, or avoidance of reading-heavy tasks.

Students with both ADHD and dyslexia often benefit from highly structured, predictable lessons that move at a brisk pace and actively engage their attention. Specialized dyslexia tutors know how to teach these skills explicitly while keeping students engaged and sessions focused and efficient.

When Attention Got In The Way Of Early Reading Instruction

Importantly, not every student with ADHD and reading challenges has dyslexia!

Some kids and teens do not have a language-based learning disability, but they still fell behind because they could not fully focus during early reading instruction in kindergarten, first, or second grade. Group lessons moved quickly. Phonics rules were introduced once and then assumed mastered. A child who was distracted, impulsive, or overwhelmed may have missed critical building blocks.

These students often get mislabeled as lazy or unmotivated, when in reality they simply never learned the skills they were supposed to learn. They typically need explicit instruction in phonics, morphology, spelling, and fluency to fill in those gaps. One important difference between these kids and kids who also have dyslexia is that they may not need intensive phonological remediation if their underlying sound processing is intact.

Once they receive clear, systematic instruction, many of these students make rapid progress. Parents are often surprised at how quickly reading improves when instruction finally matches what their child or teen actually needs.

Why Supporting ADHD Still Matters For Reading Progress

Addressing ADHD makes a real difference in reading progress. Whether a family chooses medication, behavioral strategies, executive function coaching, or a combination, improved focus allows students to get more out of each tutoring session.

When a student can sustain attention during instruction, they learn new reading skills more efficiently and retain them more reliably. Sessions feel less frustrating. Confidence grows. Momentum builds.

That said, improving attention alone generally will not solve the reading and spelling problems.

Why Missed Reading Instruction Still Has To Be Rebuilt

This is one of the most important points for families to understand. Helping a third grader focus better does not magically replace the reading instruction they missed in kindergarten, first, and second grade.

Even if ADHD is well-managed, the foundational skills still have to be taught. Reading is cumulative. Phonics patterns, spelling rules, and fluency build on each other over time. When early instruction was incomplete or inconsistent, those gaps remain until they are explicitly filled.

This is why tutoring outside of school is often necessary, even for students whose attention has improved. Schools move forward with grade-level content. They rarely have the time or structure to go back and systematically reteach missed skills at the intensity required to catch a student up.

High-intensity, one-on-one tutoring allows kids and teens to rebuild those foundations efficiently. Instead of guessing, coping, or memorizing, they learn how reading and spelling actually work. Progress becomes measurable. There is an end in sight.

Putting It All Together For Your Child Or Teen

If your student has ADHD and struggles with reading or spelling, the solution is rarely either/or. Supporting attention helps. So does addressing underlying reading skill gaps. The most effective approach combines both, with instruction that is explicit, systematic, and tailored to your child or teen’s exact needs.

With the right support, students who once avoided reading can become confident, capable readers. The goal is not endless tutoring. The goal is to catch them up, rebuild confidence, and help them move forward independently.

What sets Kids Up Reading Tutors apart?

Evidence-based instruction with Orton-Gillingham+
- Based on the Science of Reading
- Data-driven systematic, explicit instruction
- For all learners, with or without dyslexia/dysgraphia

Kids & teens get caught up ASAP
- Customized, 1-on-1 sessions with a dedicated tutor
- High-intensity tutoring (2-5x/week) via Zoom
- Focused, with an end in sight (not endless tutoring & investment)