the educator mag May 24 (1) - Flipbook - Page 33
3. Motivation
6. Emotional Regulation
ADHD is linked to an ‘interest based nervous system’,
charged by interest, novelty, and adrenaline. This means
we may be able to hyper-focus on areas of interest, for
example, but struggle to do any work at all until the last
minute before a deadline.
Research has shown that children with ADHD have often
received 20,000 more negative comments than their peers
by age 12. Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD can have
a severe impact on our self-esteem, as we may believe
ourselves to be ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’, despite trying our best.
This is how I got through school - I got straight A’s in my A
Levels, but with extreme stress from cramming everything
in my brain at the last minute. One teacher even asked the
whole class if I’d cheated!
People with ADHD may also experience Rejection Sensitive
Dysphoria (extreme emotional pain at real or perceived
rejection), and have a higher likelihood of experiencing
mental health issues.
Educators can support students to work with their unique
motivational styles with artificial deadlines, varied teaching
methods, and incorporating novelty and interest. Helping
students to understand this trait supports them to build
strategies for motivation tailored to their unique brains.
For example, I used to secretly listen to music in class,
which helped me to concentrate!
Educators can make a real difference in the lives of students,
especially those with ADHD, by providing positive feedback,
reassurance, and psychological safety. Instead of shaming
and blaming, having supportive conversations and
building self-confidence can have a remarkable difference
on students’ ability to engage with education - and their life
in general.
4. Problem solving
As a school, providing training for all teachers on how to
support students with ADHD helps everyone to succeed whether they’re diagnosed or not.
Being neurodivergent means we literally think differently
to ‘most’ people, which makes us innovative problem
solvers. However, this can be challenging to experience in
educational settings with a strongly enforced ‘status quo’
and standardised expectations.
Neurodivergent students may have adapted ‘creative
adjustments’ to cope. For example, one young person I
coached kept missing a lesson they didn’t see as valuable on
purpose to have detention, so they could get their
homework done!
Providing example templates and crystal clear, SMART
instructions is very important to ensuring students
understand what is expected of them, how to achieve it, a
nd why. Having a collaborative approach to teaching
empowers students to incorporate their innovation into their
own learning.
5. Memory
The memory challenges associated with ADHD can be very
difficult to live with, especially if we don’t know we have it! As
a child, I was constantly forgetting my belongings and feeling
embarrassed about why I couldn’t just ‘pack my bag the night
before’. I didn’t know this was because of having ADHD until I
was diagnosed at 25!
Students who repeatedly forget or lose their belongings,
or important information such as dates may need
additional support. This could be by helping with routines
and reminders, or providing duplicate copies of equipment
as may be needed, for example.
Providing recordings, slides, and/or notes of lessons can
be extremely helpful for students to refer back to,
enabling them to focus on learning instead of spending
energy trying to memorise during class.
Leanne Maskell is an ADHD Coach, Director of ADHD Works
and author of ADHD an A-Z and ADHD Works at Work.
