Understanding Your ADHD Child's Learning Style

How does your child learn? In what ways does he or she learn new material best? What type of
learning style does your child favor?
Rory Stern, PsyD, therapist and DHD coach who speciali!es in wor"ing with DHD children and
their families, e#plains that there are three ma$or types of learning styles %although these are by no
means the only learning styles&'
(isual
uditory
)inaesthetic
Why Are These Different Styles Important?
Determining learning style can ma"e a big difference in your child*s school success' +he tric" is
getting a handle on what learning style or combination of learning styles wor" best for your child'
, simple way to understand these different learning styles is to consider what senses your child
relies on most when learning,- notes Dr' Stern' .nce parents and teachers understand the way a
child learns, teaching methods can be better geared to ma#imi!e the learning e#perience'
isual Learners
(isual learners learn visually, by seeing, e#plains Dr' Stern' ,In school, your child will do best from
seeing e#amples and having an opportunity to watch'- +hese children respond well to colourful
pictures and illustrations of the learning material, written lessons on the board or overhead pro$ector,
outlines, diagrams, charts, maps and educational videos / all things they can see to absorb the
information' +hey also tend to cue in well to a teacher*s facial e#pressions'
0ote ta"ing %depending on the student*s age& is helpful for visual learners' ,We want to ma"e sure
that this student is ta"ing good notes, and reviewing good notes,- says Dr' Stern' ,If your son or
daughter does not ta"e good notes, then we need to ma"e sure that he or she has a study buddy or
partner who is willing to share their notes'- +al" with your child*s teacher about helping you
coordinate this'
Auditory Learners
,+hese children learn and retain information when they have an opportunity to hear it,- says Dr'
Stern' uditory learners cue in to voice tone, speed, volume and inflection, as well as body language
and learn best by hearing class lectures and participating and listening to class discussions'
,.ne of the best strategies for these students is to allow them to record classroom lectures,- notes
Dr' Stern' ,1y recording a lecture or classroom instruction %depending on the child*s age&, the
pressure is off of your child scrambling to ta"e notes to "eep up' 1ecause we "now anyone who
tries to "eep up at a pace that doesn*t match his or her own, sacrifices really understanding the
material'-
n added benefit to recording classroom instruction? +he student can replay any material he or she
was not able to grasp fully and move along with learning at his or her own pace'
In addition to using a tape recorder, auditory learners benefit from reading te#t out loud and
presenting learned material orally' +hey may want to rephrase and repeat bac" new material to help
reinforce learning' Some en$oy music in the bac"ground when studying'
!inaestheti" Learners
,+hese children are often the ones labelled as DHD,- says Dr' Stern' ,Why? "inaesthetic learner
is very active and will appear to be fidgety and sometimes highly active'-
+hese students love to be wholly physically absorbed in the learning activity, actively e#ploring and
moving around' +hey may have trouble sitting for long periods of time, becoming bored and
distracted when they are not ,doing'- Hands2on, tactile teaching approaches in which a child is
allowed movement wor" best for "inaesthetic learners' Science labs and e#periments, involved unit
studies, field trips, crafts, s"its, model building / all help a "inaesthetic learner absorb new
information'
During the times when these students need to be seated, it is helpful for them to sit up front in a
classroom where there is a lot of activity going on as the teacher teaches' +his way it is easier to
stay engaged in the learning process'
Dr' Stern e#plains that it is sometimes helpful for a "inaesthetic learner to hold something in his or
her hands to fidget with while doing wor" / silly putty, a )oosh ball, holding the boo" while
reading %rather than setting it on the des"& 2 anything tactile wor"s well'
3any "inaesthetic learners benefit from being permitted to wor" standing up, though the rest of the
class may be seated'
+eaching to a child*s strengths and favoured learning style or combination of learning styles is
always more productive than a one2si!e2fits2all approach'
Studying with ADHD
Hyperactivity and attention defcit disorder
4ou are not alone if you have
attention2deficit hyperactivity disorder'
bout 56 of school age children are also affected'
In addition, other students have one or a few of the characteristics of DHD'
+hese strategies are suggested as part of a professionally organi!ed program of assistance' +hey are
derived from the merican description of DHD
7
' However, as a student, you also have your own
personal learning style, including 8intelligences8 %c'f' )olb&, personality types %c'f' 3yers21riggs&,
etc' +hese will be helpful to "now and develop in overcoming DHD
In class9
+o help you follow instructions9
Simplify instructions down to a basic one or two, and build from there.
Verify these with your teacher, or
Ask your teacher to break down assignments into steps for you to follow
nswering out of turn, or interrupting the class or teachers is normal for DHD, but it is best to
remember that you are trying to learn
Write your question or comment down on paper before speaking
Practice raising your hand before volunteering
efer to our !uide on Classroom Learning
+o ta"e good notes is tas" for all students' +hese techni:ues may give you an advantage9
"ring a tape recorder to class
Study with a classmate taking the same class
efer to our !uide on Taking Notes in Lectures
With A#$#, lecture is not the best form of learning. Ask your teacher for a
printed summary of the lecture, or alternative methods to get the same
information
Homewor"9
+o help you concentrate9
%ind a quiet place in your home, to avoid distraction such as movement
and noise of your family, pets, &V, telephones, music, etc.
'f space in your home is limited, your parents or tutor may (nd space in a
library, religious center, neighbor)s house, or other sympathetic place
Special *headsets* can block out noise and help you focus
get into a routine, a consistent time you study
efer to our !uide on Concentration
+o help you remember9
#evelop routines+habits,
%or e-ample, before going to school, organi.e your schoolwork in the
same way each day. $ave some one help you begin to establish this
pattern
/eep your assignments in the same pocket of your backpack. &ell your
teacher about it
/eep a list of things to remember in a pocket of your backpack.
+o help with details
eview your homework
with your parents, a classmate, a tutor
use grammar and spell checkers regularly for computer work
Remember that ma"ing mista"es, or overloo"ing details, is not for lac" of intelligence, but rather a
characteristic of this condition'
Help with learning
+a"e care of yourself; get the help you need9
Patience is a challenge for those with DHD'
If you are feeling angry, discouraged, or frustrated over your progress, find
some support' .ur learning involves family, teachers, professionals, as well
as ourselves' We all need patience' +heir messages should be steady and consistent, but try to
understand if they aren<t always so'
According to the American Surgeon !eneral *'nattention or attention de(cit
may not become apparent until the child enters the challenging environment of
elementary school. Such children then have di0culty paying attention to details
and are easily distracted by other events that are occurring at the same time1
they (nd it di0cult and unpleasant to (nish their schoolwork1 they put o2
anything that requires a sustained mental e2ort1 they are prone to make
careless mistakes, and are disorgani.ed, losing their school books and
assignments1 they appear not to listen when spoken to and often fail to follow
through on tasks.
*&here appears to be a *disconnect* between developmental or educational
3school4based5 assessments and health4related 3medical practice4based5
services.* 3#S64'V1 Waslick 7 !reenhill, 899:5.6ental $ealth, a eport from the
Surgeon !eneral, ;hapter <, as found at
http=++www.surgeongeneral.gov+library+mentalhealth+chapter<+sec>.html
3#ecember 88, ?@@@5 Auropean description of *A#$#*
http=++www.mentalhealth.com+icd+p??4ch@8.html Adits and revision with
appreciation to Bulia Cielson, ;ounsellor, Athabasca Dniversity, Alberta, ;anada.
"eing in ;ontrol. &he
Role of Biofeedback in Controlling ADD
by Bason Alster, 6Sc, http=++www.lessontutor.com+EaFbiofeedback.html includes
a link to a bibliography on A#$#
#$e"uti%e fun"tion deficits can create challenges for students with DHD' =uc"ily, there are
creative interventions teachers can use to help improve a student*s success in the classroom' 1elow
is a listing of several teaching accommodations that wor" well for students with DHD' +hey were
compiled by >hris Dendy, 3S and reprinted with her permission' 3s' Dendy is a leading DHD
e#pert and author, a former teacher with more than ?@ years* e#perience, and mother of two grown
sons and a daughter with DHD'
&eneral Tea"hing Strategies'
(a)e the Learning *ro"ess as Con"rete and isual as *ossi+le
Written #$pression
Dictate information to a ,scribe- or parents'
Ase graphic organi!ers to provide visual prompts'
Ase ,post2it- notes to brainstorm essay ideas'
(ath
Ase a peer tutor'
Ase paired learning %teacher e#plains problem, students ma"e up their own e#amples, swap
problems, and discuss answers&'
(emory
Ase mnemonics %memory tric"s&, such as acronyms or acrostics, e'g', H.3BS to remember
names of the Creat =a"es'
Ase ,visual posting- of "ey information on strips of poster board'
(odify Tea"hing (ethods
Ase an overhead pro$ector to demonstrate how to write an essay' %Parents may simply write
on paper or a computer to model this s"ill'&
Ase color to highlight important information'
Ase graphic organi!ers to help students organi!e their thoughts'
(odify Assignments , -edu"e Written Wor)
Shorten assignments'
>hec" time spent on homewor", and reduce it if appropriate %when total homewor" ta"es
longer than roughly 7D minutes per grade as recommended in a P+E0B Policy, e'g' Fth
grader G FD minutes&'
Write answers only, not the :uestions %photocopy :uestions&'
(odify Testing and &rading
Cive e#tended time on tests'
Divide long2term pro$ects into segments with separate due dates and grades'
verage two grades on essays 2/ one for content and one for grammar'
(odify Le%el of Support and Super%ision
ppoint ,row captains- to chec" to see that homewor" assignments are written down and
later turned in to the teacher'
Increase the amount of supervision and monitoring for these students, if they are struggling'
Use Te"hnology
Ase a computer as often as possible'
Ase software to help teach s"ills'