When Reading Struggles and Attention Issues Overlap: Understanding ADHD in Children With Dyslexia

If your child has dyslexia and also shows signs of inattention, impulsivity, or difficulty sitting still, it’s natural to wonder whether ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) might also be part of the picture. You’re not alone — the two conditions frequently occur together, and understanding both can help you support your child more effectively.

What Is ADHD?
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a child’s ability to focus, manage impulses, stay organized, and regulate behavior in school and at home. It’s not a discipline problem or a lack of effort — it’s rooted in how the brain controls attention, self-regulation, and executive functioning.
Children with ADHD may:

• Struggle to stay on task
• Be easily distracted
• Interrupt others frequently
• Forget instructions or lose things
• Act without thinking
• Have trouble finishing homework or chores

ADHD exists on a continuum and can look different from child to child. It can make reading and learning harder on top of the challenges of dyslexia. According to the International Dyslexia Association's estimates, about 30–40% of children with dyslexia also have ADHD, meaning the two often co-occur.

Fidget Toys

What Does the Overlap Look Like?
​Dyslexia and ADHD are distinct conditions — one affects language processing and reading, the other affects attention and behavior — but they share certain features such as:

• Difficulty concentrating during school tasks
• Avoidance of academic work
• Slower reading progress
• Forgetting instructions or homework

Research supports a comorbidity model where some cognitive weaknesses (like executive function, working memory, or processing speed) may be shared, even if the brain differences for the two conditions are generally unique.
Other studies show that children with both dyslexia and ADHD have measurable weaknesses in areas like naming speed and phonological awareness — cognitive skills important for reading — compared with children with only one condition.

Flip Countdown Timer

How Is ADHD Evaluated?
​ADHD is not diagnosed with a single lab test. Instead, professionals use comprehensive evaluations based on behavior patterns over time and across environments (home, school, play).
Common parts of an ADHD evaluation:Standardized rating scales:

• Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale — Parent and teacher questionnaires that measure attention, hyperactivity, and related behaviors.
• Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale — Another widely used tool to assess ADHD symptoms through parent and teacher reports.
• ADHD Rating Scale — Measures frequency and severity of core ADHD behaviors based on DSM-5 criteria.

Clinical interview: A psychologist, pediatrician, or psychiatrist gathers developmental history, behavior observations, and symptom patterns.
Teacher reports: These help establish whether symptoms are present in school settings as well as at home.
A full evaluation helps rule out other causes (such as anxiety, sleep problems, learning differences like dyslexia, or sensory issues), ensures an accurate diagnosis, and informs intervention planning.

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Visual Timer

What can I do if ADHD might be present?
​Educational & Home Strategies

• Break tasks into small, manageable pieces
• Use visual schedules and checklists
• Provide frequent feedback and positive reinforcement
• Allow movement breaks during homework and classwork
• Establish consistent routines

These support executive function and help children stay organized and on task.
Behavioral Supports

• Cognitive-behavioral strategies to build self-monitoring skills
• Parent training to reinforce consistent expectations and routines
• Classroom supports like preferential seating or simplified instructions

Medication (When Appropriate) Stimulant and non-stimulant medications can be effective in reducing core ADHD symptoms in many children, making it easier for them to focus and participate in learning and social activities. Decisions about medication are made carefully, with input from families and medical professionals.
Evidence from clinical trials shows that treating ADHD symptoms significantly improves attention and behavior, and when paired with reading instruction, helps children make better academic progress than reading support alone.
Combined ADHD + Reading Interventions
​If your child has both dyslexia and ADHD, research shows that addressing each condition separately — ADHD treatment to support attention and dyslexia-specific reading instruction — leads to the best outcomes. 

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Under Chair Foot Bands

Are there any tools to help my struggling reader with ADHD?

• We play a variety of games and often turn our lesson components into games. 
• Although we have a prizes to celebrate effort and accomplishment, we also keep a basket of fidget toys to use sparingly and when appropriate in our sessions. 
• Staying in the chair is important, LOL, so we use foot bands for wiggly kids.
• Dyslexia sessions, especially after school, can feel much longer than they really are to a student. These mini-reminder boards of how far we've come and how little we have left can be a motivational boost for some kids. 
• Similarly, flip countdown timers can help in the same way.  Alternatively, visual timers can accomplish the same goal, depending on the child.

How Do Dyslexia and ADHD Interact?
​Children with both conditions often experience:

• Greater difficulty sustaining attention during reading and writing
• Slower progress with reading skills if attention issues are untreated
• Increased frustration, avoidance, or emotional responses to schoolwork

Many educators and specialists emphasize that treating ADHD symptoms can help children benefit more from dyslexia interventions, even though ADHD treatment doesn’t replace structured reading support. 

Mini-Reminder Boards

If you suspect your child might have ADHD alongside dyslexia, it’s worth discussing with your pediatrician, school psychologist, or licensed evaluator. Getting a formal evaluation helps ensure your child receives the supports and accommodations they need at school and at home.
With accurate identification, thoughtful strategies, and consistent support, children with both dyslexia and ADHD can thrive academically and emotionally.

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