A child diagnosed with ADHD may struggle with getting assignments done, studying for tests and completing projects on time, all of which can be stressful. This can impact the child’s grades and attitude toward education. But there are strategies tutors and parents can add to their bag of tricks to help keep a child with ADHD be successful in school.
Joel Nigg, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and behavioral neuroscience at Oregon Health and Science University and author of “What Causes ADHD,” Adrianne Meldrum, a professional private tutor and author of The Tutor House blog, and Phylicia Cartwright, a certified teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, share tips for tutoring a child with ADHD.
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Tailor Your Tutoring
Children with ADHD respond differently to tutoring practices than non-ADHD peers. Make sure you tailor any tutoring sessions to the child’s strengths. “Every child’s learning style is different, so ask questions to figure out what the child’s style is and adapt to it,” says Nigg.If the child prefers talking about what he is learning over writing everything down, have a structured discussion. If the child is a visual learner, suggest drawing pictures to help understand and retain what you’re studying.
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Deal With Motivation Problems
Additionally, you’ll face more motivational issues with a child who has ADHD. “Many ADHD kids experience learned helplessness,” Cartwright explains. “They figure out that they can use their disability as an excuse for not doing the work and that misbehavior gets them out of doing things they don’t want to do. Don’t give in.” As a result, you’ll have to provide motivation and organizational tactics that a more typically developing child may not need. -
Work in Small Chunks
Children with ADHD find it difficult to sit still for a prolonged length of time, so it’s important to work in small chunks. “Find ways to take a bigger subject and break it down into manageable mini lessons for your student,” Meldrum suggests. For example, if a child has an hour and a half of homework and studying to do, consider breaking it into three half-hour chunks with breaks of 10 to 15 minutes in between. Breaks can and should include some moving around. -
Incorporate Hands-on Activities
“All students learn better when they are allowed to learn by doing hands-on activities,” shares Meldrum. “Provide lots of manipulatives when working on math concepts, pull out play dough and form letters in difficult-to-spell words, get their whole body involved while practicing math facts while bouncing a basketball.” -
Use Incentives
“Build rewards into the lesson,” suggests Cartwright. “Provide incentives to help him stay focused. Use pictures to help redirect his attention and keep focused if you need to.” For example, if the child you are tutoring is working on two- or three-dimensional shapes, consider a reward to be to building something with the shapes at the end of the lesson. Anything the child can manipulate and use for creative purposes is a fun and learning-centered reward. -
Provide Variety
Recognize different learning styles. Look at pictures, have structured discussions and watch YouTube videos to educate and engage the student. Also remember to provide meta-cognitive skills, skills that involve thinking about thinking, developing a plan for what to do when you have no plan, or what to do when you don’t know what to do. Allowing the student to shift positions can improve focus, too. “You will be amazed at the differences in their attention span when they are allowed to move slightly while working” Meldrum explains. -
Find the Passion
Identify an area of passion and build on it. Does the child love science? Find ways to incorporate it into other subjects. “Do a survey with your student to tap into their likes and dislikes” says Meldrum. “Find ways to incorporate them into tutoring or your incentive system. For example, I had a student that loved to play basketball. We found a way to practice his math facts while playing basketball.” -
Avoid Assumptions
“Do not assume the same thing will work with all children with ADHD. Be ready to try different techniques,” Nigg says. Be patient and keep a positive attitude, building on any success the child has along the way. Meldrum adds that you should, “Try not to be bothered by their wiggling and movements while tutoring, resist the urge to ask them to sit still and be quiet.”
While tutoring a child with ADHD can be challenging, there are ways to ensure your student develops the skills he or she will need to become a self-directed learner, which will reap a lifetime of benefits.
Amanda Mole has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Her work can be found here.
