E-reading Is Reading

Dear Teacher: I am really puzzled about what counts as reading nowadays. My children feel that they are reading when they read text messages or comments on social-networking sites. Are they correct? And how can we get children to read more? — Electronic Reading Answer: Reading on electronic devices is reading. Your children are right about this. However, a survey by Scholastic and the Harrison Group points out one big downside to this view. They found that from age 6 to 17, the time children spend reading books for fun declines, while the time they spend going online for fun and using a cell phone to text or talk increases. Incidentally, most parents do not consider reading on social-networking sites reading. The good news about technology is that the survey found it could be a positive motivator to get kids reading. Fifty-seven percent of the children in the survey said they were interested in reading an e-book, and a third of the children said they would read more books for fun if they had access to e-books on an electronic device. Unfortunately, only 6 percent of parents who were surveyed owned an electronic device used for reading digital publications, but 16 percent planned to purchase one in the next year. And parents are not hesitant to share those devices with their children — approximately 8 in 10 parents said they do or will allow/ encourage their child to use their e-reading devices. While parents understandably have concerns about the amount of time their kids are spending on electronic or digital devices, e-books do offer a way to get more kids to read more. The survey also found that the more time struggling readers spend reading e-books for fun, the more proficient readers they become. Question: My son, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is definitely not being bullied; however, he is a bully. What can I do to get him to stop bullying younger children at his school? — Mom of a Bully Answer: Children with ADHD are actually three times more likely to be bullies than other children. Many of these children are not socially competent, have negative thoughts about themselves, do poorly academically and have difficulty resolving problems with other children. Improvement in any of these areas will reduce bullying. Ideally, you want to limit opportunities for your son to bully. If it is happening on the school bus, he can be assigned a seat by the driver. In the classroom, he can be seated close to the teacher. On the playground, he can be limited to playing in well-supervised areas. Your son definitely needs to understand that bullying is unacceptable. When he has been a bully, ask him how he feels when someone is mean to him. And do stay calm throughout your discussions of bullying incidents. It can be helpful to have a system of rewards for good behavior and consequences for bullying. Consequences can include apologies, timeouts and losing privileges. Work with your son’s teacher to help him have the opportunity to do positive things that will improve his social skills. Send questions to Dear Teacher, in care of Ohio Valley Parent, Box 395, Carmel, IN 46082-0395; or e-mail: dearteach@aol.com.