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You are not alone if you have
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
About 4% of school age children have this.
In addition, other students have one or a few of the characteristics of
ADHD.
Characteristics:
The strategies below are
suggested as part of a professionally organized program of assistance.
They are derived from the American description of ADHD1.
However, as a student, you also have your own personal learning style,
including "intelligences" (c.f. Kolb), personality types (c.f.
Myers-Briggs), etc. These will be helpful to know and develop in
overcoming ADHD
In class:
To help you follow instructions:
- Simplify instructions down to a basic one or two, and
build from there. Verify these with your teacher, or
- Ask your teacher to break down assignments into steps for
you to follow
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Answering out of turn, or interrupting the
class or teachers is normal for ADHD, but it is best to remember
that you are trying to learn
- Write your question or comment down on paper before
speaking
- Practice raising your hand before volunteering
- Refer to our Guide on Classroom
Learning
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To take good notes is task for all
students. These techniques may give you an advantage:
- Bring a tape recorder to class
- Study with a classmate taking the same class
- Refer to our Guide on Taking
Notes in Lectures
- With ADHD, lecture is not the best form of learning.
Ask your teacher for a printed summary of the lecture, or
alternative methods to get the same information
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Homework:
To help you concentrate:
- Find a quiet place in your home, to avoid distraction such
as movement and noise of your family, pets, TV, telephones,
music, etc.
- If space in your home is limited, your parents or tutor may
find space in a library, religious structure, neighbor's
house, or other sympathetic place
- Special "headsets" can block out noise and help
you focus
- get into a routine, a consistent time you study
- Refer to our Guide on Concentration
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To help you remember:
- Develop routines/habits!
For example, before going to school, organize your schoolwork
in the same way each day. Have some one help you begin
to establish this pattern
- Keep you assignments in the same pocket of your backpack.
Tell your teacher about it
- Keep a list of things to remember in a pocket of your
backpack.
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To help with details
- Review your homework
with your parents, a classmate, a tutor
- use grammar and spell checkers regularly for computer work
Remember that making mistakes, or overlooking details, is not
for lack of intelligence, but rather a characteristic of this
condition.
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Help with
learning
 Take
care of yourself; get the help you need:
Patience is a challenge for those with ADHD.
If you are feeling angry, discouraged, or frustrated over your
progress, find some support. Our learning involves family,
teachers, professionals, as well as ourselves. We all need
patience. Their messages should be steady and consistent,
but try to understand if they aren't always so.
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According to the American Surgeon General
"Inattention or attention deficit may not become apparent until the
child enters the challenging environment of elementary school.
Such children then have difficulty paying attention to details and are
easily distracted by other events that are occurring at the same time;
they find it difficult and unpleasant to finish their schoolwork; they
put off anything that requires a sustained mental effort; they are prone
to make careless mistakes, and are disorganized, losing their school
books and assignments; they appear not to listen when spoken to and
often fail to follow through on tasks.
... "There appears to be a "disconnect"
between developmental or educational (school-based) assessments and
health-related (medical practice-based) services." (DSM-IV;
Waslick & Greenhill, 1997).Mental
Health, a Report from the Surgeon General, Chapter 3, as found at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec4.html
(December 11, 2000)
1.
American description of ADHD http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-ch01.html
See also: European description of
"ADHD" http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-ch01.html
Edits and revision with appreciation to Julia Nielson,
Counsellor, Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada.
See also: Practical Tips for Managing Emotion,
Learning & Behaviour in the ADD/ADHD Child
by Dr. Ron Weinstein,
A.D.D. & Family Support Centre, http://www.addcentre.co.uk/newindex.html
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The Study Guides and Strategies web site was created and is
maintained by Joe
Landsberger,
academic web site developer at the University
of St. Thomas (UST), St. Paul, Minnesota. It is collaboratively
maintained across institutional and national boundaries, and last revised
September 04, 2002 .
Permission is granted to freely copy, adapt, print,
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