ADHD in the classroom

What is ADHD and how does it impact on learning?

The main features of ADHD that manifest in the classroom are:

Inattention

significant difficulty sustaining attention during lesson inputs or tasks that do not provide a high level of stimulation or reward

Impulsivity

a tendency to act in response to immediate stimuli, without deliberation or consideration of the effects, risks or consequences

Hyperactivity

excessive motor activity and difficulties with remaining still.

Children with ADHD can have behaviours from some or all of these categories. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a link for particular differences in girls with ADHD. Remember that each child is an individual, though, and therefore the difficulties they present will be unique.

These behaviours can seem difficult to deal with in a traditional learning environment, and it can be helpful for teaching staff to remind themselves that these behaviours are part of the child’s ADHD and not deliberate.

Children with ADHD may…

inattentive behaviours

have a poor short-term memory (remembering things they are asked to do, remembering steps in a task)

find it hard to sustain attention or mental effort; may not be able to continue with activities or tasks for very long without attention/movement breaks

talk and fidget when they are trying to sit quietly

often appear not to hear you when you speak to them – mind seems elsewhere, and if you ask them to do something they will often forget minutes later

have a very active brain, which means that they like to be kept busy and will notice any distractions

be easily distracted by others or by external or internal events, noises, movements or sensations

find it hard to organise themselves – e.g. struggle to keep track of their pen, pencil or glasses

find it hard to organise and structure their work because they do not necessarily think in a methodical way – work can be messy and illogical, with careless mistakes due to finding it hard to pay close attention to details

move from one activity to another without finishing anything

hyperactive/ impulsive behaviours

have poor coordination in gross motor skills (for example running and playing games) and/or fine motor skills (such as writing or using cutlery).

hate to wait (in line, to talk, to have a turn, etc.) – therefore will do anything to avoid being bored

interrupt when people are talking, blurt out an answer before the question has been completed

be reckless, impulsive and prone to accidents.

fidget constantly, make noises, talk all the time, sit in creative ways or otherwise seek sensory input (noise/taste/smell/touch/movement)

often leave seat in situations where this is not desirable

often be unable to work, play or engage in activities quietly – talks incessantly

find it hard to understand or respect boundaries: may use people’s things without asking or intrude into games or activities without asking or being invited

Highly sensitive emotions

Children who have ADHD may also be very emotional children in that they are very sensitive and can be highly anxious. It has been described as having all emotions and sensations permanently turned up to volume 10. This means that they can appear to over-react (by somebody else’s perspective), and can, for example, believe that other children are making fun of them when this may not be the case, or take things very personally. They might then lash out verbally or physically.

Adults can easily end up in a negative battle with the child, with everyone getting upset, whereas a more positive strategy takes into account the child’s initial sensitivity and gives them time to calm before resolving conflicts.

Differences in girls with ADHD

Because it has been highlighted (1) that girls are often missed in referrals for ADHD and so don’t get the extra support to help them thrive, click here to read about some of the differences that may be seen in girls with ADHD.

Skogli, E. W., Teicher, M. H., Andersen, P. N., Hovik, K. T., & Øie, M. (2013). ADHD in girls and boys--gender differences in co-existing symptoms and executive function measures. BMC psychiatry, 13, 298. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-298