Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders. Though typically diagnosed in childhood, ADHD is a lifespan disorder affecting adults as well as children. There are three types of ADHD: Inattentive (previously referred to as ADD), Hyperactive, and Combination. ADHD impacts a student's writing skills by making the person easily distracted resulting in problems with reading comprehension, note taking, and completing assignments and tests on time.
For more information: Accommodations Unit, R&R>

How ADHD May Impact Writing

• Limited attention/Concentration;
• Limited listening skills;
• Limited memory recall;
• Erratic note taking in class due to distractibility;
• Problems with reading comprehension;
• Ineffectual time management;
• Difficulty planning;
• Difficulty following directions;
• Difficulty completing tasks;
• Difficulty sitting still for sedentary tasks like reading;
• Difficulty sitting for lengthy periods;
• Difficulty transitioning from topic to topic or activity to activity.

Possible Writing or Classroom Accommodations for ADHD

Assignment Design and Delivery

• Employ UDL principles in assignment design and delivery;
• In developing an assignment, recognize that the assignment's goal can be accomplished through a variety of means. Offer flexibility in assignment tasks to make the overall learning goal accessible to all students;
• Clearly present goal(s) of assignment to students on instruction sheet and during in-class assignment review;
• Provide assignments in alternate formats (print, online, audiotape) for greater accessibility;
• Review assignment instructions in class;
• Emphasize drafting and revision;
• Provide frequent opportunities for feedback on writing;
• Meet individually with student to discuss paper components;
• Provide assistance with assignment structure.

Classroom Accommodations

• Have student sit in the most distraction free area of the classroom (away from doors, air conditioners, windows, or other possible distractions). For example, invite student to sit in the front of the room for greater focusing;
• Have student take exams in a distraction reduced environment;
• Encourage student to write papers in a distraction reduced environment;
• Provide extended time on exams, in-class writing, and/or lengthy writing assignments;
• Suggest using a note taker to compensate for difficulty focusing and concentrating during class;
• Provide study questions, study guides and other study aids in multiple formats.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology for students with ADHD helps these students in removing distractions and staying focused. Some of the common and highly effective devices college writers with ADHD may use include:
• Earphones/plugs during exams or in-class writing;
• Laptop or portable word processor to take notes in class and to do in-class writing assignments or essay exams;
• Textbooks on tape;
• Scanners for digitizing articles and handout material to be used with text to speech software;
• Audio recorders to record lectures so student can concentrate on lecture;
• Audio recorders to compose papers orally and then transfer them to text through voice recognition software;
• Word prediction software to assist with word-retrieval difficulties;
• Portable electronic spell checker/ dictionary;
• Discipline specific dictionaries software that integrates with Microsoft Word such as medical, legal, science, and technology dictionaries;
• Bibliographic citation software to compile a bibliography that follows a specific citation style such as MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago.

Resources for ADHD

The Ohio State University Partnership Grant Fast Facts for Faculty Series:

http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/