We often hear that campuses are under siege by students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) eager to steal resources from everyone else. Those of us with ADHD are simultaneously viewed both as weak and as threatening to justify the refusal of said resources.
But what if the idea that those with ADHD are deficient and draining was not only morally inept but wildly inaccurate? ADHD is associated with a range of strengths and challenges. It cuts across race, class, gender and culture, far beyond the stereotype of the young white boy who can’t sit still. Many people with ADHD can hyperfocus on things they find interesting, which can yield high levels of productivity.
With increased awareness of neurodiversity, the vast differences in the ways that brains function, comes greater understanding of ADHD. This presents tremendous opportunities for students, staff and institutions. Increased understanding of the realities of ADHD and how to take a strengths-based, challenge-aware approach can move the needle on success, motivation and retention.
Make the abstract tangible
The working memory system allows our brains to “hold” information while we mentally work with it to learn. For those with ADHD who have a more porous working memory, completing time-bound tasks can be difficult. This is doubly true when we are expected to hold abstract concepts in our minds without tangible, visual supports.
To support your students with ADHD, place clocks and use timers where possible, and encourage the use of written agendas. Provide written instructions in multiple locations and identify and make visible any inconspicuous information around your campus. Use checklists to put abstract plans into clear prioritised steps.
Help students land the plane
People with ADHD are full of ideas. When trying to finish a project, this means they may veer off on tangents that stimulate them creatively but prevent them from finishing tasks. While extra time may be useful in some situations, it doesn’t always address the issue at hand. We don’t typically need more time in the air; we need someone to help us land the plane. Body doubling, where students with ADHD co-work with another student, or text reminders offer accountability. Consider academic coaching services for students with ADHD, too. Coaching can quickly pay for itself if it helps to prevent dropouts.
- Spotlight guide: Make learning accessible to all in higher education
- Make team-based learning work for neurodivergent students
- Is digital learning making ADHD worse?
Support interest-based nervous systems
Some ADHD researchers argue that people with ADHD tend to have interest-based rather than priority-based nervous systems. This is possibly due to lower dopamine levels, the hypothesis being that this could prompt them to seek novel experiences. You may find your students with ADHD have more intense and varied interests than those without. Harness this passion! Whenever possible, allow them to weave their interests into learning experiences to improve motivation. I teach a course where students choose a local problem that they resonate with to research and design solutions. While all students can benefit from personally relevant learning opportunities, students with ADHD are particularly resistant to focusing on work that feels boring or irrelevant. When their passions are involved, their enthusiasm can be contagious and motivate other students, too.
Educate everyone
What if your university took a strengths-based rather than a deficit-based approach to neurodiversity? Some institutions have established neurodiversity centres to educate all staff and students and improve the academic experience for neurodivergent students.
Often born out of offices and committees that focus on disability and inclusive educational practices, they work best when they integrate academic and student affairs staff and students. While starting any new initiative can present challenges, particularly in this lean era for higher education, what you have on your side is a groundswell of increased interest in the neurodiversity movement. Harnessing social media and word of mouth can help to overcome any potential resistance and build momentum.
It’s not babysitting
When I recommend that other educators use timers, reminders, texts or other forms of support to help their students with ADHD to stay on track, I sometimes hear: “I’m not a babysitter. They’re adults, and they need to manage their own lives.” But these are assistive devices that make learning accessible, in the same way that wheelchairs, crutches and glasses do for students with other disabilities.
We’ve all internalised ableist attitudes, but we should commit to co-creating an accessible world with our students, for the benefit of all.
Karen Costa is adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, US. She is the author of An Educator’s Guide to ADHD: Designing and Teaching for Student Success.
If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.
comment