Help ADHD language and learning
The way an individual with ADHD uses language, and communicates can be different to others. Challenges with concentration, auditory memory, organisational skills and impulsivity can all impact how a child learns and uses language. Their language development is also influenced by how the child/young person responds to language and interaction around them.
These children will also be easily distracted in busy environments, so their challenges with processing verbal information may be more noticeable in a classroom situation. Children will also struggle more when demands on their concentration are increased, such as during a school lesson.
Not all individuals with ADHD have language differences, and the types of language differences seen in ADHD can also be seen in those without ADHD.
Differences in language and communication in ADHD
- It can be more challenging to listen and follow instructions.
- It may take longer to process spoken information. They need more time for this.
- Smaller details may be missed, or it may be challenging to see the ‘bigger picture’ when listening for information.
- Vocabulary differences – it may be harder to learn and use new words, or to recall words that they do know, (word-finding difficulties). You may hear more phrases such as ‘that thing there’, ‘you know’, ‘thing-a-majig’.
- Sequencing, organising and telling stories can be more challenging and effortful.
- Following and holding a long conversation may be challenging.
- The individual may change subject quickly and find it hard to stick to one topic for a long time
- It may be challenging to listen to and/or see another’s point of view.
- Waiting your turn in conversation can be challenging. They may prefer fast paced conversations.
- Knowing how much personal space to give different people can be challenging.
- Eye contact may vary, it may be more limited and fleeting or may be long and quite intense.
- Challenges with reading comprehension tasks.
- Challenges with reasoning and inference – drawing conclusions, ‘reading between the lines’ and ‘looking beyond the obvious’.
ADHD can impact the way an individual learns and processes information. Individuals with ADHD will often benefit from strategies to support their learning and processing.
Learning and processing support strategies
- Say your child’s name to gain their attention before giving an instruction.
- Give information in bite-size chunks.
- Allow extra processing time, both for understanding instructions and when speaking.
- Check understanding by asking older children or young people to repeat back key points.
- Keep activities short and include movement breaks where possible.
- Use visual information to support.
Encourage independence and organisational skills by introducing checklists, planners, calendars etc.
Supporting verbal information with visual information can significantly increase attention, focus and understanding, rather than having to listen and process. Learning may happen best by:-
- Looking, watching and observing before having a go themselves
- Looking at posters, visual content on a smartboard, colours and graphics
- Watching videos
- Doodling and drawing
- Using mind maps or other visual information graphics
- Picturing items well inside their heads
Using physical activities can greatly increase focus and learning. This may include:-
- Using their hands and whole bodies to learn.
- Creating physical things.
Pulling things apart and rebuilding them to understand how they work.
Individuals may find it tricky to identify which specific strategies best help their learning; they may need explicit support to explore different strategies and to identify the most helpful strategies for them.