ADHD and Education: How to Support Young People’s Learning
July 14, 2025
What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people focus, manage impulses, and stay organised. It affects around 5% of children in the UK. ADHD can be categorised into three types:
- Inattentive: this can include symptoms such as trouble focusing and forgetfulness
- Hyperactive-Impulsive: this can include symptoms such as restlessness and impulsive actions
- Combined: this is a mix of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms
Young people with ADHD may struggle to focus their attention on a task, follow instructions, or stay engaged. This can negatively affect their education, emotional well-being, and home life.
How Does ADHD Affect Learning?
Students with ADHD can face challenges in school. These include difficulties paying attention, problems with organisation, and trouble completing assignments. Students with ADHD are also more likely to have lower academic performance compared to their peers. They also often experience lower confidence and self-esteem.
Despite these challenges, support strategies involving both schools and families can help students with ADHD thrive academically and socially.
How Can We Support Children With ADHD At School?
Adapt The Classroom Environment
Classrooms can be full of distractions. This can be especially overwhelming for students with ADHD. To support these students, educators must take steps to minimise distractions in the classroom. Below are some strategies to help with this:
- Seat the student near the front: Placing the student near the front can make it so they are less likely to be distracted by visual and auditory distractions.
- Keep the classroom quiet when giving instructions: Minimise noise and other distractions when providing instructions. Then check with the student for understanding afterwards.
- Remove distractions: Store noisy or visually stimulating items that are not relevant to the lesson, as these can be distracting.
- Provide fidget tools: Offering a selection of fidget tools can help students with ADHD regulate their energy and focus during class.
Make Assignments and Instructions Accessible
Students with ADHD may struggle to listen to or recall verbal instructions. This can make completing assignments and tasks feel more challenging. To make assignments and communication more accessible, consider these strategies:
- Provide verbal and visual instructions: In addition to verbal instructions, provide visual instructions. This can include instructions in written or pictorial representations. This aids communication, reinforces expectation, and ensures the student understands the requirements of the task.
- Break down the larger tasks: Large tasks and assignments can feel overwhelming, which can lead to procrastination and inattention. Try to break down tasks into more manageable sections to make larger tasks less overwhelming. For example, instead of saying “read this book”, break it into smaller parts such as “read chapter 1 by Wednesday, chapter 2 by Friday, and chapter 3 by Monday”. This creates clear goals and can reduce anxiety.
- Incorporate regular breaks: Regular breaks can help students with ADHD maintain focus. Try to make sure breaks are provided to provide other forms of stimulation; this can refresh their focus and keep them engaged. Consider offering activities in breaks, such as a stretching or dance break.
Using Technology and Supportive Tools to Build Structure
People with ADHD can often struggle with time perception, sometimes referred to as “time blindness”. This can make it harder for students with ADHD to complete tasks on time or realise how long they have been working on a task. Helpful supports include:
- Timers: Visual timers, such as countdown clocks or colour changing timers on the desk or whiteboard, can help students see how much time they have left. This can reduce anxiety and improve time management.
- Visual reminders: Place key concepts, routines, and deadlines clearly in the classroom.
- Organisers: Provide easy-to-use organisers to help students keep track of assignments and materials. These can be physical folders with accessible sections, or digital tools that provide notification reminders and help simplify the workload.
How Can Caregivers Support Learning At Home?
Learning doesn’t end at school, so it is important to provide a supportive environment to facilitate learning. Here are some suggestions for how caregivers can help:
Provide a Designated Workspace at Home
Students with ADHD can struggle more with completing their homework than students without ADHD. To help, set up a specific space that is solely dedicated to completing home or other educational tasks. This can make it easier for students to get into “work mode” and focus on their work.
In this workspace, limit distractions such as electronics that are not needed or noise that may make it harder to complete the work.
Timed Work Sessions and Breaks
As discussed, those with ADHD can struggle with time perception, which may make spending time on homework more challenging.
Set a visual timer at the start of each work session with a planned break once the session has finished. This creates a clear structure and helps maintain focus as it provides other stimulation.
Encourage Independence and Offer Support When Needed
Discuss the setup of work sessions beforehand. Does the young person want you to check on them regularly or leave them alone for the duration of the session? Interrupting them whilst they are in the “work zone” can make it harder for them to complete their work and may make the session more frustrating for them.
Working Together: Caregivers and Educators as a Team
The key thing that educators and caregivers can do to support a young person with ADHD is to communicate with one another. This can help build a consistent structure for the young person.
Share What Works
Keeping strategies used to support learning consistent between home and school is important to supporting learning for a young person with ADHD. If a time-management technique or learning strategy is effective at home or in the classroom, share it with the other side.
Share and Celebrate Progress
While it is important to recognise the challenges that young people with ADHD face in education to best support them, it is equally important to celebrate their progress and strengths. Acknowledge academic improvements and personal growth and share them between caregivers and educators. This can build confidence and strengthen the relationship between educators, caregivers, and the student.
Communicate During Important Transitions
Change can be difficult for anyone, but there are additional considerations when a young person has ADHD. Transitioning to secondary school, sixth form, or something else may be especially distressing for a young person with ADHD. There will be new educational challenges, new teachers to discuss needed support with, and the workload. Some helpful tips during these times include:
- Keeping communication open and consistent.
- Regularly check in with the student to help them feel supported and understand their needs and well-being.
- Prepare the student ahead of time with visual guides, schedules, and meeting new staff.
Proactive communication can make a significant difference in helping students with ADHD feel confident and prepared.
Young people with ADHD can experience challenges in education. However, there are strategies educators and caregivers can take in order to make education more inclusive and accessible. Through proactive communication, visual aids, structured breaks, and developing a better understanding of ADHD, we can support young people’s learning and their confidence in the classroom.