Published on 12, July, 2020
Afternoon,
Thank you for the continued support in my journey of understanding me as opposed to the expected autism diagnosis some time in the future.
I did a search on reading and the first few pages were all topics about what books is being read, enjoyment, support to help read better etc.. but...
I have a sever dislike of reading, anxiety kicks in, can't follow the text and often have to repeat pages and often going back a couple of nights so I gave up many years ago and have never tried... I can list the books I have read 1990-2023 as:
6no. Dargonlance books.
Eartquake (my aged 16 English Literature choice. It had 84 pages as opposed to other pupils reading One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Pride and Prejudice and so on.
Charles Bronson autobiography.
I enjoy comics (still) and read books with illustrations and punchy points of info.
I wonder if it is a me thing, ADHD (didn;t realise it was in connection with autism) or autism or perhaps something completely different.
Around 8no. books in 32 years always has friends and people rise an eyebrow and open mouthed when I say I hate reading.
Thanks.
I can read but I find it difficult. When I look at words all together like they are in a book there's a line through them and it's hard not to notice that. Irritante! And I struggle with my imagination which makes it harder to read a book because I can't visualize the characters and what's happening. I have found audiobooks are better suited for me. I can visualize what's happening when it's being told to me though a story. I listen to some on my phone and I have cds of others. If you haven't tried audiobooks then I would give them a try. They relit my passion in books.
That’s how I find audiobooks, they block the world out. When I do visualise a character they are always based on a real person, I can’t make up a character’s appearance. When my children were young they would ask me to make up a bedtime story, that was never going to happen, I don’t have any imagination. Give me an engineering problem to solve and I will find the answer. The part I’m dreading at my assessment, the dreaded frog and picture book.