Study tips for ADHD students
One of the most common mental disorders affecting children is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many adults suffer from ADHD too. Its symptoms include inattention (inability to focus), hyperactivity (an excessive movement that is inappropriate for the situation), and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur at the moment without thought).
While the disorder is highly challenging, there are some things that can be done to enable these students to learn better. If you are an adult or a student struggling with ADHD, we would highly recommend you try these tips.
Recording Important details
The wandering mind wandering, fidgeting and external distractions may keep you from concentrating in class. Students with ADHD can benefit highly from class recordings. Since all classes are not on zoom, recording can be in the form of visuals like mind maps and doodles. They can be created either manually or by using apps like Notability and Livescribe. These apps enable one to keep hand-written, text and audio files in one place and will help you learn with amazing visuals.
Capture Fleeting Thoughts
Keep notepads around the house or on you always to capture those thoughts running in your head. Handwritten notes work better than typed ones because they are a lot more personal. There is more motion when you write and that also helps you remember better. If you tend to forget appointments, deadlines, or random thoughts, this habit will help you remember things, free up your mental space and will help you focus on more complex activities than random thoughts that clutter your mind.
Work with procrastination (not against it)
Included procrastination in your study plans. The time spent daydreaming, scrolling through Instagram or talking is not usually considered in schedules, but should be. For eg. If someone says that the assignment would take eight hours, give yourself sixteen. This will also allow you to make fake deadlines, work without panic, make lesser mistakes and even get work done before the actual ones.
Auditory Cues and Reminders
Suppose you read for an hour on a topic but don't remember what you read. This was because you tried to focus on something without being aware of it. Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, can help here. You must consciously direct your attention to what you are attempting to accomplish. Auditory cues such as listening to music or setting alarms can help students in returning to the present. They can be used to prompt the question, "What am I thinking right now?" Such prompts can assist you in refocusing your mind and can be used as often as necessary. For example, set an alarm every thirty minutes while studying, or set a specific song in your playlist after every 40 min. These alarms will remind you to check up on your thoughts regularly.
Other small tips:
Wake up early so you have more time to work.
Eat a healthy, big breakfast. If thinking about food is all we are doing, that is another source of distraction. Eat healthy and have some snacks throughout the day.
Work in different places like dining table, couch, porch etc. A change of scenery may prevent you from getting bored.
Complete small tasks beforehand. Taking out the trash, doing the dishes, exercising or sending that email, complete the small tasks before studying so that you have fewer things on your mind to focus on.
Have a break to release the energy. Take a 10-minute dance break or a short run/workout to release all the excitement, so that you can stop fidgeting and be calm.
Keep your phone away in another part of the room or on charging such that you cannot look at it directly while studying. You can go back to the phone during breaks but be mindful of the time you spend. You can use auditory clues to get back to work.
Make work more fun: We found new cool research on ADHD that says that if students find works that are fun and engaging, they are more likely to be attentive and less fidgety.
Try these tips for yourself or share them with people who have ADHD, and let us know if you have any additional tips and ideas in the comments below.