Question
Hi Jerry,

I'm 16 and for the past few years I have suffered with my semi reading disability.  Actually I'm not sure whether this is a reading disability so I call it a semi reading disability.  So let me explain to you what I have been experiencing.

In English I find some books to be tedious and in History I can hardly read out of our book.  But when I'm at home reading a book I like with sci-fi or mystery genre I absorb all of it and have no problem staying focused.

Because of this I have an "F" in (AP) History and a "C" in English. Is this a reading disability?
And how do I know if I have a learning disability?
And lastly, do you know why (English) teachers want you (in general) to look up a definition in the dictionary (book) rather than on the internet or a computer?

Answer
Hi, I don't think you need to worry about having a reading disability.  The reason you can read SciFi and absorb it all as opposed to English or History is because you have more of an interest in SciFi than English or History.  See, you read SciFi because you WANT to read SciFi, you like it, it interests you so you pay more attention to it and absorb it more. You read English and History because you HAVE to read it.  It doesn't interest you as much as SciFi so you don't pay as much attention to it and you don't absorb it as much.  I was the same way. 90% of the students out there are this way with some topic.  You aren't different and I doubt if you have a disability.  You'll find as you get older that your concentration will get better.  If your worried that you might have a learning disability tell this to your school Guidance Counselor.  There are tests they can do to figure this out for you.  I think that if you try to pay closer attention to your History and English when you are reading them, then this problem will fix itself.

As for the dictionary, I think teachers want to see how well you can use the "book" as opposed to the computer. They probably figure that you are not always going to be near a computer when you might need to spell a word, but dictionaries are always within reach.  Also, you gotta remember that your teachers didn't grow up with the Internet so they might not understand it. Anyhow, I think it would benefit you if you learned Both ways to look up a word.

If you have any other question please feel free to ask me.
I hope I helped you out. Take it easy.

Jerry C.
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