Difficulties reading

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I can read fine. It's chunks/walls of text I cannot. For example newspapers, long forum posts, books, exam papers etc.

I can read a couple of lines before I lose track of where I'm going and I can't seem to get things to sink in. I don't seem able to follow the lines and the paragraphs properly.
It's so hard to explain. It just starts to turn into a word mess in front of my eyes.

Someone else can probably explain it better than me if they have the same.

Ahhh, all the time. I have a big vocabulary and good pronunciation of words. I'm great at spelling, but when I click on a long post on Wrong Planet, I kind of get overwhelmed. Like you, I read the first few sentences and then tune out and can't really keep reading. I also have trouble with my summer reading. Summer is coming to an end, and I should really crack down and read my book, but I find the speed I have to read to keep up and the amount I have to read overwhelming.

I believe the problem you are describing is considered a "visual acuity" issue; how accurate your brain can aim your eyes.

I have the same problem sometimes. The best trick I've found to get around this is using a bookmark or a sheet of paper to keep track of what line you are on. Line the top of the bookmark directly under the line you are currently reading. After finishing the line, advance your bookmark down one line. Doing this will ensure that you can easily keep track of what line you are reading without getting mixed up and loosing your place.

I have the same problem if I pull my eyes from the text for even a second ill lose my place and end up restarting the paragraph.

I have this too.

I'm no good with reading. I can only read in small doses. Ironically a lot of people in my family love reading, but I don't. I just can't take in the words, and any teeny little background noise I hear I read the same sentence about 6 times, which means I just cannot focus on reading.

I am good with writing, though.

I've always been able to read walls of text on newspapers and such just fine. I do find it difficult to read walls of text online though.

Don't be afraid to use your fingers or a bookmark (when reading from paper), or to use the mouse to select each sentence or paragraph as you read along on the computer. I find this helpful.

I've always been a somewhat slow reader, partly because my eyes want to jump off the page and then I lose my place. But I manage to get a lot of reading done.

Sometimes I use a pencil to lightly mark where I was on the page if I get interrupted. Or, on the computer, leave the passage selected or highlighted. When I return I go back to the beginning of that paragraph, to refresh my mind as to what it was about.

Sometime back in school, I don't recall when, I was taught not to use my fingers to keep track of where I was. But at one point as an adult I took one of those quickie Evelyn Wood courses (the one-day seminar) and guess what? They have you use two fingers and move them down the page to keep your eyes moving forward and pace yourself.

Throw out any bogus rules you learned in school and use WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

I hope that helps!

Yep. I used to have a little device that covered the whole page except for a single line of text, and could only read effectively when using it. Nowadays, when I'm having trouble I use high-magnification reading glasses, which do much the same thing. I also magnify the text on my computer when possible.

I don't know much about it, but I've read that the average person actually visually perceives multiple lines of text in a single pass, and scans the page in a sort of broad zig-zag pattern rather than focusing on each word individually; the brain then unconsciously interprets the data in a linear fashion. Moving the eyes across every word and line in order is apparently considered an autistic trait. Most people will not be able to determine subjectively which they are doing, but an observer will notice a difference in the eye movement. I have received comments from more educated people saying that I read the "autistic way." *shrug*

I have what seems like a similar problem, but pointing at what I'm reading or using a sheet of paper does not work. Strangely, I find it hard to read newspaper articles and long forum posts, but books are fine. I have wondered if this is something to do with how long I expect it will/should take to read it.

So, someone passes me a newspaper article and says "here read this, I really think you will find it interesting!". Even though it is squished into neat little paragraphs with only about three words per line, which is designed to make it easier for people to read, I look at it and get a feeling of dread. I just don't want to read it. If I try, it usually doesn't make much sense.

When browsing through a forum thread, I often skip past the long ones, and again, if I do try to read them, they won't make as much sense as the short ones.

Those two scenarios don't really have that much in common yet they have the same effect. What might they have in common? Pressure to read them quickly or within a certain amount of time? Sometimes I am in a really relaxed state when I read forum threads, with the purpose of gathering particular information, rather than just "getting up to date on a topic". I find the longer threads easier to read when I am in this relaxed state, I think.

So, books. Nobody is going to pass me a book as say "here, read this now and tell me what you think!". Usually I choose when to read a book, and without the purpose of finishing that hour, or that day. I finish it when I finish it. I love doing it, and the content makes sense.

None of this may have anything to do with your issue (or even mine, it's really just a thought), but I thought I'd mention it in case it resonated.

Maybe this post was too long to read though

One problem is that long paragraphs generally mean large amounts of bullish*t. This has been such a consistent finding for me that I've been trained to avoid long paragraphs.

I'm like this too, but I just assumed it had something to do with dyslexia.

Yeah, I'm a very slow reader (when reading for comprehension), because I "see" everything at once and my eyes always have a tendency to dart all over the page and read what's coming. Hard to stay on the right line. Also, my OCD makes it so that I have to understand every single word I read or else I feel I don't understand my reading and must re-read until I do. Another reading problem I have is my difficulty tuning out background noise. I used to be a fast reader as a child and never really had any of the problems other than "seeing" everything at once. But now, it takes me 1+ hours to read 30 pages.