My child can read really quickly. Is this normal?

[OneBusyPinkRaven]

I’m not meaning this to be a braggy post. I’m just curious. I’ve been noticing how quickly my youngest reads books and the lack of stumbling over some long words that I’d have expected at her age (just turned 9). Her understanding is probably age appropriate, but I was curious about the speed.

I did a little test out of interest and we both read the same page of her novel at the same time. She was finished in about 2/3 of the time it took me, and then was able to accurately tell me about the text. The speed was such that it doesn’t make sense in my brain. Is this normal? How is she doing this? Sorry I know I sound ridiculous and appreciate reading doesn’t come easy for many kids, so I don’t mean to offend anyone. I’m just curious about how she is able to do this, and at only age 9.

I think it's more likely that you are a slow reader. A 9yo who likes reading wouldn't stumble over many words at all, and can blast along reading adult books.

She’s probably taught herself to speed read. I did it at the same age. It’s usually not intentional - in my case it was because I was a voracious reader and wanted to find out what was at the end! It can come in very handy but you can also miss bits - not ideal when you’re reading a sheet of exam questions as I found out to my cost.

Do you hear the words in your head as you read? It might be that she internalises the words without having to 'read' them. That's much faster.

I think this is what kids do as DD would read super quick to the point I thought she must be scanning. She promised she wasn’t

I'm your daughter. (Except I'm 42. And male. And not related to you.)

I could read stupidly fast at 6. I could still read stupidly fast at 9, and 14, and 18, and for that matter, at 42.

My parents thought this was a sign I was particularly intelligent. They were disappointed.

I'm fairly averagely intelligent. I'm just a very quick reader.

I am however aphantasic. I'm completely incapable of picturing anything in my mind. Most people "see" what they're reading as they read it. I don't. There's no TV show going on in mind, there's just words. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading, I love a good book. I just don't have to take the time to picture what I'm reading, so get through about 3 books a week.

I could read extremely fast at that age and younger. Still can. It’s just something some people can do, I think.

That’s interesting. I also have aphantasia and I’m a speed reader. I wonder if there’s a known link.

@VimesandhisCardboardBoots this is really interesting, both my mum and I are really fast readers but she also cannot picture anything, I wonder if it’s related

I speed read, don't skim, my parents didn't believe I was reading that fast and quizzed me about the same age. I could read at 2 but like above am not overly intelligent 😂. I am autistic but can picture the words I'm reading. I read a whole page almost in one go and can finish a novel in a couple of hours.

It seems fairly common from other conversations I've had.

We also tend to have a really good sense of direction, because we don't build up a false sense of our surroundings.

And we're less likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event, because we can't relive it in the way someone who can develop a mental image can.

My son was the same, when he was little he ised to read dozen of books while his peers read one or two. He is now 17 and just an average teenager who would not touch a book with a barge pole and prefer to watch tiktok (not sure if he scrolls faster than his peers though! 😂)
Enjoy your daughter’s reading 🤩

Me too!

Speed reading, skim reading and also the ability of reading a whole sentence at once rather than word by word if that makes sense.

Another aphantasic speed reader here. I’m also a super recogniser and never forget a face.

My partner doesn’t believe I can possibly read as fast as I do.

I think it's just something some people can do. I remember during the reading hour at school, I read through a whole shelf of books very quickly - was within a couple weeks - and the teacher didn't believe me when I asked to be able to take a book of thr next shelf up 😆 she stood and flicked through every book asking me about it to prove I'd read it!! Still rankles 😆 I was in Year 3 then, so a similar age to your DD.

Yet another aphantasic speed reader checking in! I remember my mum testing me on it because she didn't believe me. I read an average book in about 4 or 5 hours. I finish over 100 books a year mostly just reading at night for an hour.
I didn't even realise it was weird not to have a running movie in your head until I was in my late 30s.

I am a speed reader, not aphantasic, terrible sense of direction. I’m not autistic.

I am intelligent and am now a medical specialist. I can’t absorb a page at a time, but definitely a paragraph. If I slow to read each word individually I lose the gist of what I’m reading. Comprehension is great, sometimes I’ll pick up more details on a re read of a book but I think that’s normal.

I am the same, reading early, speed reading, autistic. I can picture it in my head though. I often experience reading like a film.

@mummytomumtobro
this is so interesting to me as I’m also a super speed reader, aphantasic and an exceptional facial recogniser who never forgets a face!!! I always thought I was a contradiction; in being both aphantasic and a facial recogniser, so I’m shocked and thrilled that I’m not alone! lol
so fascinating.

I've never heard of aphantasia and had to Google. I didn't realise people actually see things in their imagination! I guess I have aphantasia too. Also an early reader and speed read.

Me too .

SIL is a super speedy reader and says she can glance over a whole page and can take in all the words!

Your daughter would have been in Reception just as all the phonics schemes were really upping their game. The way children learn to read now is extremely synthetic and sciencey and they take off speed-reading a lot quicker than any of us did.

im a speedy reader, always ahead of age v reading age growing up. Aged 9/10 could quite easily read at speed a chunky book. (I loved famous five at the time)

My husband reads differently to me, he probably takes twice as long (or it feels that way to me)

I don’t think either of us are more brighter than the other, just different skill sets. He will read an instruction on something, feels to me very slowly though I can take a look and just get on with it. Drives me mad at times as I just want to get on with building/putting together what ever it may be as an example.

I've always read really fast, since I was a child. I'm not aphantasic or autistic and I have an appallingly bad sense of direction and ability to navigate! I can picture things if I do it deliberately, but I don't tend to when I'm reading, unless it's a book I've seen the film of. I'm a linguist and I think in my case it's just very fast language processing skill.