Overcoming distractions to get our desired results.
by Kelley Rosario
Distractions happen, especially when we’re trying to focus on tasks that require silence. Writing is one of those tasks. The moment we get distracted, our thoughts build a maze of unrelated ideas and we struggle to find our way back to the task at hand. For some of us, this is a minor inconvenience. We assume it’s time to take a break, so we step away for a moment and return later ready to record our original thoughts. However, for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), returning to the task may not be so easy. In fact, it may be impossible.
The Problem
According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 9.8% of American children between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. That’s 6 million children, of which 95% are school age. Our schools, a place where students are expected to sit still, be quiet, and pay attention, can be overwhelming for any child. For students who have the most common symptoms of ADHD - inability to focus, sit for extended periods of time, or regulate behavior; outbursts; difficulty controlling emotions; excessive talking; and trouble staying motivated - traditional school can be devastating. The symptoms typically affect a student’s ability to achieve good grades in school thereby giving the adults in his/her life the false impression that he/she has some sort of cognitive disability or is generally apathetic about learning.
ADHD affects a wide variety of skills, but the most pertinent to this context is writing. As students with these conditions approach writing, they find themselves facing difficulty concentrating, organizing thoughts on paper, meeting deadlines; and sustaining work on a single task as well as spelling and proofreading issues. Sitting down to write for an assigned task will likely intimidate or frustrate any student who faces even one of these challenges, let alone all of them. In public schools across the country, College & Career Readiness curriculum requires that students be able to write for extended periods of time as well as shorter time frames, so how do students who can’t sit still or focus for even the shorter time frames become effective writers? What can be done to ensure that this population acquires the writing skills they need to be ready for college and career?
The Solution
It’s important to first understand that there is no magic fix. There are interventions designed to help students regulate their behavior in the classroom and they’re effective enough that they curb distractions and disruptive behavior, but how do we help those students succeed in writing?
The key to unlocking those writing skills is specific differentiation strategies implemented across all content areas as well as at home.
First, we need to accommodate the most prominent symptom of ADHD: difficulty focusing. Instructions for tasks should be clear and concise enough that they don’t leave much room for interpretation or assumption. Give explicit directions, reiterate them, and check for understanding by prompting students to repeat and explain the directions to you in their own words. Break instructions into bulleted steps and assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks. An essential part of this breakdown is organizing ideas. Students with ADHD benefit from outlines, mind-mapping, sentence starters, and a wide variety of other strategies as part of the writing process. The practice of breaking down information and tasks into more easily digested parts can help prevent students feeling overwhelmed and losing motivation.
The next strategy can be a challenge in the classroom because it requires a full mindset shift: allow time for procrastination. Students with ADHD struggle to meet deadlines. As teachers, we should give enough grace to cover delays in assignment completion and submission. With or without ADHD, formal writing can be difficult for many people. Educators can’t always determine why a student submits assignments after the deadline, but we can allow students some time to resolve any issues that may be barring their ability to produce clear and coherent writing. Whether delays in turn-in are the result of a recognized condition or challenging circumstances outside of school, allowing students additional time to submit assignments without penalty empowers students to do their best work without the looming threat of failure brought on by punitive grading. It also shows a measure of grace that will foster a trusting relationship between teacher and student.
Finally, the use of spellcheckers, dictionaries, and thesauruses can be helpful. Spelling issues are common and the most effective tools are those built right into the technology students will use to write. Students can use these tools as they write their drafts as well as during the proofreading step. Students with ADHD also struggle with the final editing of their writing. Just as we can break instructions and drafting into smaller tasks, proofreading can be chunked into a bulleted list of steps. Many of us use checklists to remind us what to do throughout the day. Similarly, a proofreading checklist can help students focus on one task at a time and remove the intimidation of having to identify and correct every error in five paragraphs at one time.
Although many of these solutions seem simple, they can be challenging to individualize. An easy approach is Choose to Use. Offer these tools and strategies to all students. Those who think they don’t need them can proceed without them. They can choose to use to not. The majority of students have a strong desire to succeed in every task, so those who need them will use them.
How Can Greater Writing Help?
We understand that each student is different. Every tool won’t work for every student. During consultations, we meet with students and families to learn about their specific needs. If we can help, we curate content and recommend a course of action to guide the client toward success. If we can’t help, we connect families with the help they need through our partnerships with other tutoring services. Learn more about the tools Greater Writing can offer by scheduling a free consultation at www.greaterwritingtutor.com/consultation.
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