Reading after a concussion

My head injury happened towards the end of a graduate school semester. I tried returning to school (not knowing any better). The first day back on campus, I picked up a report and started to edit. I read my professor’s first few comments just fine. By the time I turned to the second page, I couldn’t process a single comment. My head was spinning.

After an injury, your brain will have a harder time processing information. Reading paperwork, books or recipes may feel overwhelming. Words might start to swim on the page or you could forget the paragraph you just read. Here are some things that could help.

Environment:

• Work at the time of day when you have the most energy

• Read in a place without distractions. Or, have the right kind of distractions like music.

Vision:

• Cover up the words that you aren’t reading. Try using a line guide like another sheet of paper, ruler, or index card. 

• Print documents on light tan or light blue paper. 

• Take a break after 15 minute of reading.

• Use a slanted  binder or book stand so your paper isn’t flat on the table. 

Attention:

• Set your focus before you start. Decide what you want to read, and how long it’s reasonable to read at one time. 

• Set a timer to help you stay focused on one thing for a length of time. 

• Monitor your attention and fatigue levels. Take breaks as needed. 

• Read out loud.

• Read one section at a time. At the end of the section, summarize what you read to check if you were paying attention and you understood what you read. 

Memory:

• Star or highlight key ideas as you go. 

• Write the paragraph’s main idea in the margin.

• When reading directions, talk out loud and visualize yourself doing them.

Self-monitoring: 

• After you finished reading, ask yourself how it went. Make adjustments as needed, like taking more breaks or slowing down. 

Finally, know your limits. After I read that report my brain went into shutdown mode so I can’t imagine that these strategies would have helped in that moment. If you can’t get the job done on your own, even with strategies, you should defer it for later or ask for help. With a document, ask someone to read it with you section-by-section and highlight important details.