Getting him to read...suggestions?

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Try letting him chew gum as he reads. I kid you not. When my son was 8 or 9, he hated reading and if I had him sit and read a chapter and then asked him what he read, he couldn't tell me, or he'd pick out one random, unimportant fact and that was the only thing he remembered. One time he was chewing gum while he was reading and he could recall the entire chapter with quite impressive detail. I asked my sister who is an OT about it and she said that chewing gum is known to have an organizing effect on some people because of the stimulation. Go figure.

I also second idea of factual books. My son did WAY better with non-fiction than fiction at that age. There was no story to follow and no intentions to figure out. Just facts he understood how to file away into his brain.

I also got him many, many pokemon books because pokemon was his special interest. In fact, pokemon cards were what got him to read in the first place. He wanted to play and I guess at some point he realized he couldn't play if he couldn't read the cards, so he figured it out.

I also agree with finding something that interests him. My son went from not being able to read age appropriate books at the age of 9, to reading White Fang that summer, which is well above what I think the "average" 9 year old reads. But he LOVED the content, so he was mesmerized by it.

Based on my son's experience, the one thing I would not recommend is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. He did not understand a lot of the humor. He felt that it was cruel and he was offended by a lot of it (calling other kids morons, etc). However, we tried it again when he was 10 and it actually helped him understand the interactions and behaviors of his peers and he was more open to learning why some of the things were considered "funny" even though he felt they were cruel. He ever did feel they were "funny" but he did understand that others found it humorous.

I second Rolzup's post. Very well written!

Comics are popular with reluctant readers here. And with well developed readers too!

Make reading part of your day... even if he is writing down your grocery list.

Also, as a children's librarian, every public library does a free Summer Reading Club, with ballots for prizes and the like. For the more you read

With regards to nonfiction books, DK or Dorling Kindersley does a lot of popular nonfiction that has media tie ins. Like Star Wars, Batman, and upcoming, some Angry Birds stuff too.

Just to let you know, if you do the e-reader thing, many libraries have programs to provide books for free to e-readers. And they are mandated to be inclusive too as public buildings, and accepting of kids with differences.

In my library branch, the kids just can't get enough of the LEGO books either.

Is your son the artistic sort? What I do with some of my programs, which were attended why a couple kids with Asperger's ad their mentors, was to lay out books on a variety of themes, get them to read or look at them together, then give them artsy materials, like one week clay, or one week markers, to get them to do their own interpretation, and it seemed a good incentive for them to do that.


Also, if you want more in a certain area of books that read like... whatever your kid likes, try the following.

1) type in Google, 'reads like author name'. Such as 'reads like Gordon Korman' or 'Gordon Korman readalikes' and you can get recommendations.

2) see if your library gets the database 'Novelist k-8'. Which highlights books that are like other books, or authors with similar writing styles. There is not a guaranteed best match, but it is a way of stepping in the right direction.

3) you can pm me. I love the thrill of the chase for finding good books for kids. I am on an awards review committee right now for nonfiction and have read some good ones.

Good thread. I'll try many of these ideas out myself if I can ever have some real parenting time with my boys (ex has them 99.9% of the time and closely guarded when I do see them...)

Her homeschooling has been more than lax... he's almost 10 and can barely read at all. I'd love to get him to read something he likes... comics... anything!

I've gotten to the point where I've even started writing a series of kids books around his aspie obsess... er... "special interest" of truck driving. (Even if they never get published, it'll be a success if he READS them!)

My son is 9 and although is very good at reading, has some trouble with comprehension. He prefers to read non-fiction, and given the choice will only read about golf or weather.

What I have found is that he will give a fiction book a go if he has seen the film. I guess it takes a layer away from having to work out what all the characters are up to and makes it easier for him to just get into the actual reading of it (I am totally guessing, but he prefers the familiar to the novel - ha, novel!! Sorry I am getting carried away...)

He has read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books after seeing the films. He has already asked me the questions about why so and so does this or that while watching the DVD. I am trying to get him into Harry Potter so will have to get the DVDs first I think.

Also, for Christmas one year I got him one of those books that you order off the internet and the publishers put your details into. He loved that, star of his own book! It's not a long term plan obviously, but it shows that books can be fun!

These are great ideas! I got him a comic book, a wimpy kid book, and a ninjago book but am def going to try the gum suggestion. Also love the idea of having him look something up on the computer, could def see him getting into that.

Best,

There are a number of OLDER role-playing games on the computer and game consoles where the characters don't speak - you need to READ the text. That's worth a shot, too.

I say older because most new stuff is all voice-acting and defeats your purpose.

My son loves Zork. You can get a DOS simulator, if you are so inclined, but I think there is one you can play directly online.

The real problem is you,the mothers. You try to police whats appropriate or not. The result is, that what is left is too dull for a boy, and you are surprised they don't what to "eat" that? Be tolerant of what he reads It's not you that decides what he likes. We don't like reading, just for reading. It's just a means to an end.

Follow the two advice bellow, and he will be fine.

1. Be open minded about stuff you don't consider reading.

*Technical stuff, books on programming etc....
*Comics, manga
*light novels
*Subtitled anime
*Web surfing, chating
*Articles (politics, science, pokemon.... whatever)
*Science fiction, Fantazy (maybe)
*Ask him, trial and error, something that fits him

2.Things you consider inappropriate. Yes, i said that....

What do i mean by inappropriate? We need stuff that are intense, not too prudish, not too innocent. Japanese culture has a beater balance on this then American culture. The stuff you think are appropriate for us, are simply too dull. American culture is too paranoid and prudish.

If he like reading a manga like Berserk, just let him. Its very inappropriate by American standards.

When i was small, i remember watching Clementine, a series on a 10 year old girl. It was a franco-Japanese production. The villain is a flaming daemon, she becomes paraplegic because of one of his traps, at one point he sais "i'll torture you with love", his minions true forms are really repulsive, and regularly people get killed. And i loved it, and i didn't became a serial killer. You would most certainly have censored something like that however.

I also liked Mighty max. Regularly they are deaths and mutilations....

And he'll not become a serial rapist, if they are some panty shots in a manga either.

I doubt you'll follow this advice. Then, the real problem is you!! !
If you bought what feminism told you, then you are colliding with the boys true nature. You have to get real.

If you don't know/uncertain/scared what standard to follow. Follow Japanese standards. Japan is an ok country, they can't be wrong.

3. My Rants

I'll first say that i'm offended yet again that we have to have reading pushed down our thoughts, that we like it or not. Reading books is always "more noble", 50 shades of gray or mein Kampf are noble right? If he doesn't want to read something, don't force him, don't bribe him, don't shame him in to it, don't threaten him in to it etc.....
We aren't Baboons just because we don't like reading. I'm 30, and i still don't like reading.
Other activities are "just a waste of time"? A boy killing zombies in a video game is inferior then a girl reading a silly romantic teen novel?

The truth is, you are just prejudiced about what is "valuable" and what is "a waste of time". The real problem starts with all you mothers, and your prejudice.

Quantum_Immortal: Wow.Just.Wow.

I understand that you are projecting your own thing into this, but I agree with InThisTogether, that whatever your issues with your parents are, you are not being persuasive.

I am a feminist and have no issues with stating that. I don't think that implies I am pro-censorship. I am old enough to have lived through the whole PMRC attacks on metal music etc. and you are making a lot of (wrong)assumptions.

I have an autistic 7 yr old who was scared by the one troll in Zork, (He deals with it by not going into the Troll Room)and who insists Nemo's mommy is still alive. I tried The Hobbit, but he found it too scary. Naturally I am not going to suggest reading material that I think is going to scare him based on recent reactions. I pick out things for him that are within his comfort zone that I will think he will like. Why would I scare him on purpose?

You have no idea what our kids can and cannot handle. When he is older and can handle more, I will be able to introduce him to different things than I am at present. The only reason I would ever even worry about language is my son has delayed echolalia and the schools are intolerant. I do not need him to get into anymore trouble than he currently is in. That is a perfectly valid concern which you would know if you were constantly being called up to the school for this and that.

We encourage fictional reading because if my son is going to learn about different types of people, it will more likely be through books than real life interactions. We do not discourage non-fiction, tech manuals, or special interest reading. Why would I? The schools require fiction at any rate, and so he has to read some anyway. I do my best to steer him to fiction he would like. I would be beyond thrilled if he would read science fiction, or fantasy. He won't even sit still for Star Trek on TV.

The whole reason this thread was posted, was that the OP, as well as the subsequent posters, want to make reading fun. If we all wanted to just ram reading down our kids' throats then there would be no need for a thread. Are you trying to argue that reading is not a useful skill?

I get that you evidently have/had issues with your mom not letting you read what you wanted and trying to force you to read different things than what you liked, but I do not see how this thread is causing you to infer we do the same thing. I would not necessarily read the material you read, and you probably would not like what I read. My son's reading taste is not like mine (which is fine), not like my husband's (which is fine) and not like yours either (also fine.)

I also would not assume that having a y chromosome means that someone's taste in reading is apt to be what yours is. Plenty of females are into manga and many males are not. So I would not make assumptions about what bores/interests boys based on your own tastes. My son is teaching himself Japanese on the Internet and still does not like manga style drawings at all. He will read instructional books on Japanese but not the ones with manga style drawings. He likes Nemo and Garfield. He's entitled to his own tastes as much as anyone.

I am probably being disproportionately strident. If so, I apologize, but it bothers me when people post on the parent board assuming we are terrible and just trying to get our kids to be NT. Many of the parents on here are not NT or have autistic traits. If you lurk here for awhile, you will see that we are not so bad.

Someone wrote that their son did better with audiobooks. My daughter is a good reader, but has an auditory processing disorder, so she can't follow audiobooks at all. My big problem is finding her books that are mature enough for a 16-year old, but that she won't find confusing. (The characters in many novels act in ways that make no sense to her). Suggestions for an older teen girl, not especially interested in romance?