Understanding ADHD and Reading Comprehension: It’s Not Just Attention

Jan 22
3 min read

Reading should not feel like a battle, yet for many adults with ADHD, it often does. Losing focus mid-paragraph, rereading the same page multiple times, or finishing a section with little understanding can be frustrating and discouraging. These challenges are frequently linked to limitations in working memory, rather than intelligence or effort.

In this blog, we take a closer look at how working memory affects reading comprehension, why traditional reading strategies often fail ADHD brains, and how it impacts self-esteem. We also explore when these challenges may signal more than just ADHD, like a learning disability, and how to find strategies that work for your brain.

January 2026, CJ Pringle, ADHD Coach @ Agave Health

Young man with glasses reviewing documents in a dimly lit room, wearing a gray sweater, sitting at a desk with a laptop.

Why Reading Is Especially Hard on Working Memory

Reading requires sustained attention while continuously holding previous information long enough to integrate meaning. For ADHD brains, this often means:

Attention drifts mid-sentence
You reach the end of a paragraph and realize nothing stuck
You repeatedly reread without improved comprehension
Mental fatigue and frustration escalate quickly

This is not laziness or lack of motivation. It is working memory being overtaxed.

The Emotional Toll of Rereading

Repeated rereading often triggers self-doubt:

“Why can’t I get this?”
“Everyone else understands this faster.”
“Something must be wrong with me.”

These thoughts are understandable, but they are not evidence-based conclusions. Difficulty with reading comprehension is common in ADHD, but it can also overlap with learning disabilities.

ADHD or Learning Disability?

We cannot confirm whether reading challenges are due solely to ADHD without a formal evaluation. But it may be worth exploring additional assessment if:

Reading has always been disproportionately difficult, even with interest
Words blur, skip, or reverse consistently
Comprehension remains low despite strong effort and multiple strategies
Reading aloud or listening dramatically improves understanding

Conditions such as dyslexia often coexist with ADHD and require different supports.

Working-Memory-Friendly Reading Strategies

These strategies reduce the amount of information working memory must hold at the same time.

1. Shrink the input

Read in short chunks
Cover future text to reduce visual overload
Stop after each section and summarize aloud or in writing

2. Change the modality

Read while listening to the audio version
Use text-to-speech tools
Read aloud to engage auditory processing

3. Externalize meaning

Write one-sentence summaries per paragraph
Use symbols or margin notes instead of full annotations
Highlight only after reading, not while

4. Set purpose before reading

Ask yourself:

What am I trying to get from this?
Do I need a full understanding or just key points?

Purpose narrows attention and improves retention.

Protecting Self-Esteem While Experimenting

Strategies are not moral judgments. If something doesn't work, it doesn't mean you've failed. It means your brain needs a different access point.

Progress comes from permission to adapt, not pressure to perform.

How Coaching Can Help

If reading feels harder than it should and you’re tired of trying strategies that don’t stick, ADHD coaching could help. At Agave Health, our ADHD coaches understand the real-life impact of working memory challenges on tasks like reading, studying, and learning new information.

Through one-on-one coaching, we’ll help you: