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Writing Problems Common for Students With ADHD

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• ADHD and Writing Skills
• Common Challenges
• Helpful Writing Strategies

Children with ADHD are more likely to develop writing problems than children without ADHD, regardless of gender. Among both boys and girls with ADHD who also have a reading disability, however, girls have an even higher chance of developing a written language disorder, creating even more challenges for girls in the classroom.

At a Glance

ADHD is a form of neurodivergence that can make writing more challenging for some students. ADHD traits can affect a student's ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, stay on task, and stay organized, impacting their writing skills. Keep reading to learn more about how ADHD can affect children's writing skills—and how appropriate accommodations and support can help these students succeed.

ADHD Can Impact Skills Important for Writing

The technique of expressing oneself through writing is quite a complex, multi-step process. It requires integrating several skills, including:

• Planning, analyzing, and organizing thoughts
• Prioritizing and sequencing information
• Remembering and implementing correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules
• Fine motor coordination

As students age and move into high school and college , the expectations around writing become even more demanding. Essays and reports that require students to communicate what they know on paper factor more prominently into the curriculum.

It is no wonder that writing can create such anxiety in students with ADHD. Simply starting the process and getting ideas and thoughts out of their head in an organized manner and down on paper can feel like an uphill battle.

This can create problems for students with ADHD since research has found that writing abilities longitudinally predict the academic outcomes of kids with this form of neurodivergence .

Signs of Writing Problems in Kids With ADHD

Some of the signs that a student might be struggling with their writing due to ADHD characteristics include:

• Taking longer than their classmates to complete their work
• Producing less written work—shorter reports, less "discussion" on discussion questions, and fewer sentences on each test question—as compared to their peers without ADHD
• Struggling to turn in written assignments by the required deadline
• Making spelling errors due to rushing through the writing process or not being able to stay on task
• Failing to proofread and edit assignments before turning them in

ADHD Challenges That May Lead to Writing Difficulties

Why is it so tough for students with ADHD to produce well-crafted, thoughtful, carefully edited writing? Here are nine of the top reasons:

• Keeping ideas in mind long enough to remember what one wants to say
• Maintaining focus on the "train of thought" so the flow of the writing does not veer off course
• Keeping in mind the big picture of what you want to communicate while manipulating the ideas, details, and wording
• With the time and frustration it can take to complete work, there is often no time (or energy) remaining to check over the details, edit assignments, and make corrections.
• Students with ADHD generally have problems with focus and attention to detail, making it likely that they will make errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
• If a child is impulsive, they may also rush through schoolwork. As a result, papers are often filled with "careless" mistakes.
• The whole proofreading and editing process can be quite tedious, so if students attempt to review work, they may easily lose interest and focus.
• Challenges with fine motor coordination can complicate writing ability further. Many students with ADHD struggle with fine motor coordination, resulting in slower, messier penmanship that can be very difficult to read.
• Simply sustaining the attention and mental energy required for writing can be a struggle for someone with ADHD.

Research indicates that it is less the overt behavioral traits (like restlessness and impulsivity) that influence writing problems in kids with ADHD. Instead, it is typically struggles with executive functions (such as working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attentional control) that play the most significant role in causing writing problems for kids with ADHD.

Writing Strategies for Kids With ADHD

Students with ADHD can work on strategies to improve writing skills that address common learning problems that can interfere with written language expression. Appropriate accommodations and support can help students with ADHD manage the challenges that might affect their writing abilities. Some strategies that can help include:

Giving Clear Instructions

Students with ADHD benefit from having concise instructions that clearly outline the steps to follow in an assignment. Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks can also help.

Help With Organization

Organizational strategies like outlining can help. Some people may find index cards breaking down writing tasks into small steps helpful, but students with ADHD often get bogged down if they have to deal with many smaller tasks. In such instances, setting a timer and devoting a specific block of time to writing can be a great way to make progress on writing tasks without getting overwhelmed.

Provide Extra Time

Because students with ADHD may take longer with writing assignments, providing extra time to complete these tasks can be a helpful accommodation that helps ensure academic sucess. This can give kids the time they need to produce quality work and finish their assignments.

Extra time, clear instructions, and help with organization can help kids with ADHD managing writing assignments more easily. However, it is important to remember that each kid is different. Experimenting with different methods and supports can help each child figure out what works best for them.

Keep in Mind

It is important to remember that while students with ADHD might struggle with writing skills, having the right accommodations and support can help them succeed in academic settings. Finding ways to support kids in overcoming their writing challenges can help them manage their ADHD effectively, foster more positive academic self-esteem, and strengthen their writing skills.

Molitor SJ, Langberg JM, Evans SW. The written expression abilities of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder .  Res Dev Disabil . 2016;51-52:49-59. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.01.005

Molitor SJ, Langberg JM, Bourchtein E, Eddy LD, Dvorsky MR, Evans SW. Writing abilities longitudinally predict academic outcomes of adolescents with ADHD .  Sch Psychol Q . 2016;31(3):393-404. doi:10.1037/spq0000143

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ADHD in the classroom: Helping children succeed in school .

Mokobane M, Pillay BJ, Meyer A. Fine motor deficits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary school children . S Afr J Psychiatr . 2019;25:1232. doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v25i0.1232

Soto EF, Irwin LN, Chan ESM, Spiegel JA, Kofler MJ. Executive functions and writing skills in children with and without ADHD .  Neuropsychology . 2021;35(8):792-808. doi:10.1037/neu0000769

By Keath Low  Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD.

How to Tackle an Essay (an ADHD-friendly Guide)

6 steps and tips.

Most of the college students I work with have one major assignment type that gets them stuck like no other: the dreaded essay. It has become associated with late nights, requesting extensions (and extensions on extensions), feelings of failure, and lots of time lost staring at a screen. This becomes immensely more stressful when there is a thesis or capstone project that stands between you and graduation.

The good news?

An essay doesn’t have to be the brick wall of doom that it once was. Here are some strategies to break down that wall and construct an essay you feel good about submitting.

Step 1:  Remember you’re beginning an essay, not finishing one.

Without realizing it, you might be putting pressure on yourself to have polished ideas flow from your brain onto the paper. There’s a reason schools typically bring up having an outline and a rough draft! Thoughts are rarely organized immediately (even with your neurotypical peers, despite what they may say). Expecting yourself to deliver a publishing-worthy award winner on your first go isn’t realistic. It’s allowed to look messy and unorganized in the beginning! There can be unfinished thoughts, and maybe even arguments you aren’t sure if you want to include. When in doubt, write it down.

Step 2: Review the rubric

Make sure you have a clear understanding of what the assignment is asking you to include and to focus on. If you don’t have an understanding of it, it’s better to find out in advance rather than the night before the assignment is due. The rubric is your anchor and serves as a good guide to know “when you can be done.” If you hit all the marks on the rubric, you’re looking at a good grade.

I highly recommend coming back to the rubric multiple times during the creative process, as it can help you get back on track if you’ve veered off in your writing to something unrelated to the prompt. It can serve as a reminder that it’s time to move onto a different topic - if you’ve hit the full marks for one area, it’s better to go work on another section and return to polish the first section up later. Challenge the perfectionism!

Step 3: Divide and conquer

Writing an essay is not just writing an essay. It typically involves reading through materials, finding sources, creating an argument, editing your work, creating citations, etc. These are all separate tasks that ask our brain to do different things. Instead of switching back and forth (which can be exhausting) try clumping similar tasks together.

For example:

Prepping: Picking a topic, finding resources related to topic, creating an outline

Gathering: reading through materials, placing information into the outline

Assembling: expanding on ideas in the outline, creating an introduction and conclusion

Finishing: Make final edits, review for spelling errors and grammar, create a title page and reference page, if needed.

Step 4: Chunk it up

Now we’re going to divide the work EVEN MORE because it’s also not realistic to expect yourself to assemble the paper all in one sitting. (Well, maybe it is realistic if you’re approaching the deadline, but we want to avoid the feelings of panic if we can.) If you haven’t heard of chunking before, it’s breaking down projects into smaller, more approachable tasks.

This serves multiple functions, but the main two we are focusing on here is:

• it can make it easier to start the task;
• it helps you create a timeline for how long it will take you to finish.

If you chunk it into groups and realize you don’t have enough time if you go at that pace, you’ll know how quickly you’ll need to work to accomplish it in time.

Here are some examples of how the above categories could be chunked up for a standard essay. Make sure you customize chunking to your own preferences and assignment criteria!

Days 1 - 3 : Prep work

• ‍ Day 1: Pick a topic & find two resources related to it
• Day 2: Find three more resources related to the topic
• Day 3: Create an outline

Days 4 & 5 : Gather

• ‍ Day 4: Read through Resource 1 & 2 and put information into the outline
• Day 5: Read through Resource 3 & 4 and put information into the outline

Days 6 - 8 : Assemble

• ‍ Day 6: Create full sentences and expand on Idea 1 and 2
• Day 7: Create full sentences and expand on Idea 3 and write an introduction
• Day 8: Read through all ideas and expand further or make sentence transitions smoother if need be. Write the conclusion

Day 9: Finish

• ‍ Day 9: Review work for errors and create a citation page

Hey, we just created an outline about how to make an outline - how meta!

Feel like even that is too overwhelming? Break it down until it feels like you can get started. Of course, you might not have that many days to complete an assignment, but you can do steps or chunks of the day instead (this morning I’ll do x, this afternoon I’ll do y) to accommodate the tighter timeline. For example:

Day 1: Pick a topic

Day 2: Find one resource related to it

Day 3: Find a second resource related to it

Step 5: Efficiently use your resources

There’s nothing worse than stockpiling 30 resources and having 100 pages of notes that can go into an essay. How can you possibly synthesize all of that information with the time given for this class essay? (You can’t.)

Rather than reading “Article A” and pulling all the information you want to use into an “Article A Information Page,” try to be intentional with the information as you go. If you find information that’s relevant to Topic 1 in your paper, put the information there on your outline with (article a) next to it. It doesn’t have to be a full citation, you can do that later, but we don’t want to forget where this information came from; otherwise, that becomes a whole mess.

By putting the information into the outline as you go, you save yourself the step of re-reading all the information you collected and trying to organize it later on.

*Note: If you don’t have topics or arguments created yet, group together similar ideas and you can later sort out which groups you want to move forward with.

Step 6: Do Some Self-Checks

It can be useful to use the Pomodoro method when writing to make sure you’re taking an adequate number of breaks. If you feel like the 25 min work / 5 min break routine breaks you out of your flow, try switching it up to 45 min work / 15 min break. During the breaks, it can be useful to go through some questions to make sure you stay productive:

• How long have I been writing/reading this paragraph?
• Does what I just wrote stay on topic?
• Have I continued the "write now, edit later" mentality to avoid getting stuck while writing the first draft?
• Am I starting to get frustrated or stuck somewhere? Would it benefit me to step away from the paper and give myself time to think rather than forcing it?
• Do I need to pick my energy back up? Should I use this time to get a snack, get some water, stretch it out, or listen to music?

General Tips:

• If you are having a difficult time trying to narrow down a topic, utilize office hours or reach out to your TA/professor to get clarification. Rather than pulling your hair out over what to write about, they might be able to give you some guidance that speeds up the process.
• You can also use (and SHOULD use) office hours for check-ins related to the paper, tell your teacher in advance you’re bringing your rough draft to office hours on Thursday to encourage accountability to get each step done. Not only can you give yourself extra pressure - your teacher can make sure you’re on the right track for the assignment itself.
• For help with citations, there are websites like Easybib.com that can help! Always double check the citation before including it in your paper to make sure the formatting and information is correct.
• If you’re getting stuck at the “actually writing it” phase, using speech-to-text tools can help you start by transcribing your spoken words to paper.
• Many universities have tutoring centers and/or writing centers. If you’re struggling, schedule a time to meet with a tutor. Even if writing itself isn’t tough, having a few tutoring sessions scheduled can help with accountability - knowing you need to have worked on it before the tutoring session is like having mini deadlines. Yay, accountability!

Of course, if writing just isn’t your jam, you may also struggle with motivation . Whatever the challenge is, this semester can be different. Reach out early if you need help - to your professor, a tutor, an ADHD coach , or even a friend or study group. You have a whole team in your corner. You’ve got this, champ!

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Writing Strategies for Students With ADHD

Here are six challenges and solutions, based on task simplicity and clear instruction, for helping students with ADHD develop their essay-writing skills.

Too often, students with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) get labeled as "problem students." They often get shuffled into special education programs even if they show no signs of developmental disability. Though these students' brains do work differently, studies prove that it doesn't preclude them from being highly intelligent. That means teachers should pay special attention to help students with ADHD discover their potential and deal with the challenges they face in their learning process.

As essay writing is both the most common and the most complicated assignment for students, writing instruction for students with ADHD requires special efforts. Each step of writing process may present certain difficulties for these young people. Here are some practical solutions for teachers to encourage, motivate, and focus their students on writing process.

1. Difficulty Concentrating on Assignment

Research proves that ADHD doesn’t result in less intelligence, but rather in difficulties controlling emotions, staying motivated, and organizing the thoughts. So a teacher's first task is teaching students focus enough on a writing assignment.

Solution: Give clear, concise instructions.

When assigning an essay or other writing project, be specific and clear about what you expect. Don't leave a lot of room for interpretation. Instead of the assignment "Write about a joyous moment," include instructions in your writing prompt, such as:

• Think about the last time you felt happy and joyful.
• Describe the reasons for your happiness.
• What exactly made you feel joy?
• What can that feeling be compared to?

Make sure every student knows that he or she should come to you directly with any questions. Plan to take extra time reviewing the instructions with students one to one, writing down short instructions along the way.

2. Difficulty Organizing Thoughts on Paper

Several studies have found that students with ADHD struggle with organizing their thoughts and mental recall. These students can often speak well and explain their thoughts orally, but not in writing.

Solution: Get them organized from the start.

Start each project with a simple note system. Give students the freedom to take their own notes and review them together if possible. Have students pay special attention to filing these notes in a large binder, folder, or other method for making storage and retrieval simple.

To help students understand how to organize their written thoughts, teach them mind mapping . A semantic mind map for an essay may include major nouns, verbs, and adjectives, as well as phrases to use in writing each paragraph. Some introductory and transition sentences will also come in handy. Another step after mind mapping is advanced outlining . Begin and end the initial outline with the words "Intro" and "Conclusion" as placeholders. Then have students expand that outline on their own.

3. Difficulty With Sustained Work on a Single Task

ADHD can make it difficult for students to focus on long-term goals, leading to poor attention and concentration when the task requires work for an extended period of time.

Solution: Create small, manageable milestones.

Since accomplishing a five-page essay takes a lot of time, you can chop it into smaller, easier-to-manage pieces that can be worked on in rotation. Each piece may be checked separately if time allows. Treating every issue and section as an independent task will prevent students from feeling overwhelmed as they work toward a larger goal.

4. Difficulty in Meeting Deadlines

Deadlines are the things that discourage students with ADHD, as they work on assignments more slowly than their classmates, are often distracted, and tend to procrastinate.

Solution: Allow for procrastination.

It may sound ridiculous, but build procrastination into the writing process by breaking up the work and allowing for extra research, brainstorming, and other activities which diversify students' work while still focusing on the end result.

5. Spelling Issues

Students with ADHD often have difficulties with writing, especially in terms of spelling. The most common issues are reversing or omitting letters, words, or phrases. Students may spell the same word differently within the same essay. That's why lots of attention should be paid to spelling.

Solution: Encourage spell checkers, dictionaries, and thesaurus.

There are plenty of writing apps and tools available to check spelling and grammar. As a teacher, you can introduce several apps and let students choose which ones work better for writing essays. When checking the submitted papers and grading the work, highlight the spelling mistakes so that students can pay special attention to the misspelled words and remember the correct variant.

6. Final Editing Issues

Students with ADHD may experience problems during the final editing of their work since, by this time, they will have read and reviewed it several times and may not be paying attention to mistakes.

Solution: Teach them to review their writing step by step.

Take an essay template as an example and show students how to revise it. Go through the editing process slowly, explaining the "why" behind certain changes, especially when it comes to grammatical issues. Assign students the task of revising each other's essays so that when they revise their own final draft, they'll know what to pay attention to and what common mistakes to look for.

Addressing the challenges unique to students with ADHD will help these students find ways to handle their condition effectively and even use it to their advantage. Their unique perspective can be channeled into creative writing, finding new solutions to problems, and most of all, finding, reaching, and even exceeding their goals and fulfilling their full potential.

ADHD and Writing: Challenges and Strategies

Writing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) poses a challenge to both children and adults living with the disorder. Many with ADHD struggle with dysgraphia , a learning disorder that makes writing difficult on several levels. Problems range from the physical act of writing to organizing essays. After discussing ADHD and creativity in my last post, I wanted to go into more depth about why writing with ADHD can be so hard and what we can do about it.

Writing with ADHD and Dysgraphia

ADHD and writing are often complicated by dysgraphia, a disorder with symptoms such as illegible writing or incomplete words. As a child, I loved to draw. However, whenever art classes graded on the ability to trace, color within the lines, or wield scissors, I fell short. Another nightmarish task required writing essays in pen—without whiteout. Though writing was one of my strong points, I found it virtually impossible to write even a paragraph in pen without making a single mistake.

Thanks to computers, good penmanship no longer has the significance it once did. This is fortunate for the many with ADHD and/or dysgraphia who have bad handwriting . They sometimes struggle with fine motor skills, spatial judgment, and the ability to recall shapes and letters of words on command.

Writing, ADHD, and Working Memory

Poor working memory also plagues many ADHDers and makes it hard to remember specific vocabulary and grammatical rules. Working memory involves storing, prioritizing, and utilizing information; so, even though I have a decent vocabulary, I often struggle to find the right word at the right time.

Problems with working memory also result in disorganized and unfocused writing, for one has to have the ability to prioritize and follow a train of thought in order to clearly communicate with a reader. People with ADHD tend to possess stronger verbal skills, but, even in discussions, we tend to ramble and go off on tangents ( ADHD Challenges: Mind Going Blank? ).

Having an excess of ideas also muddies the planning process. Too much structure can feel limiting and stifling, but too little structure might result in paralysis due to an infinite number of possible writing topics. I spend a lot of time determining what information needs to be left out and what points are of highest priority.

Impulsivity and boredom also hamper many an ADHDer when it comes to writing. Editing and proofreading are essential but sometimes tedious parts of the writing process. When it is finally time to edit, someone with ADHD probably wants to move on to something new. This results in poor attention to detail, which in turn results in careless mistakes and a draft that is never fully polished.

Video with ADHD Writing Strategies

Do not lose hope. People with ADHD have a lot to give when it comes to writing, and there are ways to make it easier. When I started taking my ADHD medication , I was better at organizing information and actually able to complete projects. The right medications can also reduce anxiety and make it easier to get started. In the video below, I talk about other steps you can take to make the process of writing with ADHD easier.

• HealthyPlace. Laurie Dupar. ADHD Challenges: Mind Going Blank?
• ADDitude. Chris Zeigler Dendy. How to Remove Hurdles to Writing for Students with ADHD .
• Advanced Education Services, Las Cruces (New Mexico) Public Schools. Niki Mott. Teaching Writing to Students Who Are Gifted and ADHD .
• Goins, Writer. Ryan McRae. The ADHD Guide to Building a Writing Habit .
• Verywell Mind. Keath Low. Writing Problems Common for Students With ADHD .

APA Reference Matteson, N. (2018, April 17). ADHD and Writing: Challenges and Strategies, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, April 14 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/livingwithadultadhd/2018/04/adhd-and-writing-challenges-and-strategies

Author: Noelle Matteson

Find Noelle on Twitter , Facebook  and her blog .

Hi, I to have given up on my masters in Social Policy, the mantra 'if I read your work I have to read everyone elses' I do have a degree in Social Welfare Law and I have a complaint going in. You are right about positive regard and how it is ignored. They fail to follow their own University Policy.

I have given up my masters course because the lecturers do not understand that writing about my structure on my assignment paper is not going to get any better without help. They spout about grey areas but, the Equality Act 2010 is quite clear, looking at 'positive regard'. I wonder if the lecturers are using the grey area as an excuse.

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The Impact of ADHD on Academic Performance

The importance of advocating for your child with their educators..

Posted February 17, 2023 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

• What Is ADHD?
• Find a therapist to help with ADHD
• ADHD symptoms contribute to poor academic performance.
• The symptoms of inattentive-type ADHD make it difficult diagnose in school-age children.
• Advocating for your child with educators can improve their academic performance.
• Working with your child’s ADHD is key to their academic success.

A major concern for parents of ADHD children is their performance in school, and parents often worry over criticizing their children for behaviors like difficulty finishing homework . Poor academic performance can result in failing grades, skipping school, dropping out of high school, or not attending college.

Inattentive-type ADHD is difficult to identify

Children with the inattentive subtype of ADHD can fly under the radar at school and at home with symptoms of inattention, forgetfulness, and disorganization. Michael Jellineck, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, has estimated children with ADHD could receive as many as 20,000 corrections for their behavior in school by the time they are 10 years old. The symptom of inattentive-type ADHD, including behaviors like disappearing to the bathroom or nurse’s office during class to avoid a disliked task, are difficult to identify correctly as the inattentive subtype and can often be confused with other behavioral problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control 2017 report, nine out of ten children with ADHD received classroom accommodations in school. However, most children with ADHD are not in special education programs and their teachers may know little about ADHD behaviors. Knowledge of ADHD, including symptoms, behaviors, prognosis, and treatment, varies among teachers (Mohr-Jennsen et al., 2019), and educators are most knowledgeable about the “hallmark” symptoms of ADHD, like students fidgeting or squirming in their seat and being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli (Scuitto et al., 2016).

Advocating for your child

Since my son’s inattentive ADHD is not outwardly apparent (i.e., he isn’t hyperactive or disruptive in the classroom), advocating for him, and teaching him to advocate for himself, is one of my most important jobs as a parent. I was inspired by the story of a father who would send letters to his son’s teachers explaining the boy’s learning disability. Knowing my son’s performance did not always reflect his capabilities, I emailed my son’s middle and high school teachers at the beginning of each semester detailing his ADHD, his weaknesses, and, most importantly, his strengths. I was pleasantly surprised that the reaction from many of my son’s teachers over the years was positive; they were grateful for parental communication and support. Teachers with a greater understanding of ADHD recognize the benefit of behavioral and educational treatments and are more likely to help their students (Ohan et al., 2008). In my son’s case, educators who either had ADHD themselves, or sought to learn about it, had the biggest impact in terms of my son’s academic success.

Practical strategies for common academic struggles

Due to the executive function deficits that accompany ADHD, our kids cannot just “try harder” to get good grades. They are already working harder than their peers to stay afloat in school. According to Mayes and Calhoun (2000) more than half of ADHD children struggle with written expression, my son included. Executive function deficits in ADHD make organizing ideas, planning, and editing difficult. I helped my son by having him talk it out when he had to write an essay for school (this was also an accommodation in his 504 plan to help him answer essay questions on tests and other assignments). I would start by asking him to tell me one fact about his essay’s topic. I found that he knew what he wanted to say, but organizing his thoughts on the page was an overwhelming and difficult task for him. I would furiously type while he talked, then gave him the notes, making it much easier for him to compose his essay. Another strategy was to have him incorporate something about a topic he was interested in, if possible. Anytime my son could write something about outer space or rockets he struggled less, even being selected as a national finalist in a NASA-sponsored essay contest about traveling to Mars.

Approximately 25-40% of patients with ADHD have major reading and writing difficulties, and ADHD frequently co-occurs with other learning disabilities like dyslexia, which makes reading difficult. In addition, the inattention symptoms of ADHD likely interfere with reading ability, resulting in reading the same paragraph over and over without retaining the information. As parents, we have to accept that our ADHD kids learn differently and not be concerned with the traditional, or 'right' way of doing something. My son retained information from required reading in school much better when he listened to an audiobook, rather than trying to painstakingly read the book. What did it matter if my son read the book or listened to it being read? Let’s take a cue from our ADHD kids and think outside the box.

Learning to work with my son’s ADHD gave me a better understanding of his strengths and weaknesses when it came to his academic performance. As a result, I was a better advocate for him and was able to work with his teachers to ensure his academic success.

Albert, M., Rui, P., & Ashman, J.J. (2017). Physician office visits for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents Aged 4–17 Years: United States, 2012–2013 . National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/ databriefs/db269.htm.

Mayes, S.D. & Calhoun, S. (2000, April). Prevalence and degree of attention and learning problems in ADHD and LD. ADHD Reports , 8 (2).

Mohr-Jensen, C., Steen-Jensen, T., Bang Schnack, M., &Thingvad, H. (2019). What do primary and secondary school teachers kno about ADHD in children? Findings from a systematic review and a representative, nationwide sample of Danish teachers. Journal of Attention Disorders 23(3): 206-219.

Ohan, J. L., Cormier, N., Hepp, S. L., Visser, T. A. W., & Strain, M. C. (2008). Does knowledge about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder impact teachers' reported behaviors and perceptions? School Psychology Quarterly, 23 (3), 436–449.

Sciutto, M.J., Terjesen, M.D., Kučerová, A., Michalová, Z., Schmiedeler, S., Antonopoulou, K., Shaker, N.Z., Lee, J., Lee, K., Drake, B., & Rossouw, J. (2016). Cross-national comparisons of teachers’ knowledge and misconceptions of ADHD. International Perspectives in Psychology 5(1): 34-50.

Kristin Wilcox, Ph.D. , has spent over 20 years in academia as a behavioral pharmacologist studying drug abuse behavior and ADHD medications at Emory University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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ADHD and Graduate Writing

What this handout is about.

This handout outlines how ADHD can contribute to hitting the wall in graduate school. It describes common executive function challenges that grad students with ADHD might experience, along with tips, strategies, and resources for navigating the writing demands of grad school with ADHD.

Challenges for graduate students with ADHD

Many graduate students hit the wall (lose focus, productivity, and direction) when they reach the proposal, thesis, or dissertation phase—when they have a lot of unstructured time and when their external accountability system is gone. Previously successful strategies aren’t working for them anymore, and they aren’t making satisfactory progress on their research.

In many ways, hitting the wall is a normal part of the grad school experience, but ADHD, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, can amplify the challenges of graduate school because success depends heavily on executive functioning. ADHD expert Russell Barkley explains that people with ADHD have difficulty with some dimensions of executive function, including working memory, motivation, planning, and problem solving. For grad students, those difficulties may emerge as these kinds of challenges:

• Being forgetful and having difficulty keeping things organized.
• Not remembering anything they’ve read in the last few hours or the last few minutes.
• Not remembering anything they’ve written or the argument they’ve been developing.
• Finding it hard to determine a research topic because all topics are appealing.
• Easily generating lots of new ideas but having difficulty organizing them.
• Being praised for creativity but struggling with coherence in writing, often not noticing logical leaps in their own writing.
• Having difficulty breaking larger projects into smaller chunks and/or accurately estimating the time required for each task.
• Difficulty imposing structure on large blocks of time and finishing anything without externally set deadlines.
• Spending an inordinate amount of time (like 5 hours) developing the perfect plan for accomplishing tasks (like 3 hours of reading).
• Having trouble switching tasks—working for hours on one thing (like refining one sentence), often with no awareness of time passing.
• Conversely, having trouble focusing on a single task–being easily distracted by external or internal competitors for their attention.
• Being extremely sensitive to or upset by criticism, even when it’s meant to be constructive.
• Struggling with advisor communications, especially when the advisors don’t have a strict structure, e.g., establishing priorities, setting clear timelines, enforcing deadlines, providing timely feedback, etc.

If you experience these challenges in a way that is persistent and problematic, check out our ADHD resources page and consider talking to our ADHD specialists at the Learning Center to talk through how you can regain or maintain focus and productivity.

Strategies for graduate students with ADHD

Writing a thesis or dissertation is a long, complex process. The list below contains a variety of strategies that have been helpful to grad students with ADHD. Experiment with the suggestions below to find what works best for you.

Reading and researching

Screen reading software allows you to see and hear the words simultaneously. You can control the pace of reading to match your focus. If it’s easier to focus while you’re physically active, try using a screen reader so you can listen to journal articles while you take a walk or a run or while you knit or doodle–or whatever movement helps you focus. Find more information about screen readers and everything they can do on the ARS Technology page .

Citation management systems can help you keep your sources organized. Most systems enable you to enter notes, add tags, save pdfs, and search. Some allow you to annotate pdfs, export to other platforms, or collaborate on projects. See the UNC Health Sciences Library comparison of citation managers to learn more about options and support.

Synthesis matrix is a fancy way of saying “spreadsheet,” but it’s a spreadsheet that helps you keep your notes organized. Set the spreadsheet up with a column for the full citations and additional columns for themes, like “research question,” “subjects,” “theoretical perspective,” or anything that you could productively document. The synthesis matrix allows you to look at all of the notes on a single theme across multiple publications, making it easier for you to analyze and synthesize. It saves you the trouble of shuffling through lots of highlighted articles or random pieces of paper with scribbled notes. See these example matrices on Autism , Culturally Responsive Pedagogy , and Translingualism .

Topic selection

Concept maps (also called mind maps) represent information visually through diagrams, flowcharts, timelines, etc. They can help you document ideas and see relationships you might be interested in pursuing. See examples on the Learning Center’s Concept Map handout . Search the internet for “concept-mapping software” or “mind-mapping software” to see your many choices.

Advisor meetings can help you reign in all of the interesting possibilities and focus on a viable, manageable project. Try to narrow the topics down to 3-5 and discuss them with your advisor. Be ready to explain why each interests you and how you would see the project developing. Work with your advisor to set goals and a check-in schedule to help you stay on track. They can also help you sort what needs to be considered now and what’s beyond the scope of the dissertation—tempting though it may be to include everything possible.

Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Break the dissertation project down into bite-sized pieces so you don’t get overwhelmed by the enormity of the whole project. The pieces can be parts of the text (e.g., the introduction) or the process (e.g., brainstorming or formatting tables). Enlist your advisor, other grad students, or anyone you think might help you figure out manageable chunks to work on, discuss reasonable times for completion, and help you set up accountability systems.

Tame perfectionism and separate the processes . Writers with ADHD will often try to perfect a single sentence before moving on to the next one, to the point that it’s debilitating. Start with drafting for ideas, knowing that you’re going to write a lot of sentences that will change later. Allow the ideas to flow, then set aside times to revise for ideas and to polish the prose.

List questions you could answer as a way of brainstorming and organizing information.

Make a slideshow of your key points for each section, chapter, or the entire dissertation. Hit the highlights without getting mired in the details as you draft the big picture.

Give a presentation to an imaginary (or real) audience to help you flesh out your ideas and try to articulate them coherently. The presentation can be planned or spontaneous as a brainstorming strategy. Give your presentation out loud and use dictation software to capture your thoughts.

Use dictation software to transcribe your speech into words on a screen. If your brain moves faster than your fingers can type, or if you constantly backspace over imperfectly written sentences, dictation software can capture the thoughts as they come to you and preserve all of your phrasings. You can review, organize, and revise later. Any device with a microphone (like your phone) will do the trick. See various speech to text tools on the ARS Technology page .

Turn off the monitor and force yourself to write for five, ten, twenty minutes, or however long it takes to dump your brain onto the screen. If you can’t see the words, you can’t scrutinize and delete them prematurely.

Use the Pomodoro technique . Set a timer for 25 minutes, write as much as you can during that time, take a five-minute break, and then do it again. After four 25-minute segments, take a longer break. The timer puts a helpful limit on the writing session that can motivate you to produce. It also keeps you aware of the passage of time, helping you stay focused and keeping your time more structured.

Sprints or marathons? Some people find it helpful to break down the writing process into smaller tasks and work on a number of tasks in smaller sprints. However, some people with ADHD find managing a number of tasks overwhelming, so for them, a “marathon write” may be a good idea. A marathon write doesn’t have to mean last-minute writing. Try to plan ahead, stock up on food for as many days as you plan to write, and think about how you’ll care for yourself during the long stretch of writing.

Minimize distractions . Turn off the internet, find a suitable place (quiet, ambient noise, etc.), minimize disruptions from other people (family, office mates, etc.), and use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs if they help. If you catch your thoughts wandering, write down whatever is distracting and you can attend to it later when you finish.

Seek feedback for clarity . Mind-wandering is a big asset for people with ADHD as it boosts creativity. Expansive, big-picture thinking is also an asset because it allows you to imagine complex systems. However, these things can also make graduate students with ADHD struggle with maintaining logical coherence. When you ask for feedback, specify logical coherence as a concern so your reader has a focus. If you’d like to look at your logic before you seek feedback, see our 2-minute video on reverse outlining .

Seek feedback for community . Talking to people about your ideas for writing will help you stay connected at a time when it’s easy to fade into a dark hole. Check out this handout on getting feedback .

Time management and accountability

Enlist your advisor . Graduate students with ADHD might worry about the perception that they’re “gaming the system” if they disclose their ADHD. Or they might struggle with an advisor with a more hands-off mentoring style. It will be helpful to be explicit about your neurodiversity and your potential need for a structure. Ask your advisor to clarify the expectations specifically (even quantify them), and work with them to come up with a clear timeline and a regular check-in schedule.

Enlist other mentors . Your advisor may be less understanding and/or may not be able to provide enough structure, or you may think it’s a good idea to have more than one person on your structure team. Look for other mentors on your faculty (inside or outside of your committee), and talk to senior grad students about their strategies.

Pay attention to your body rhythms . When do you feel most creative? Most focused? Most energetic? Or the least creative, focused, energetic? What activities could you engage in during those times? How can you do them consistently?

Think about task vs. time . It can be difficult to estimate how long a task is going to take, so think about setting a time limit for working on something. Set a timer, work for that amount of time, and change tasks when the time is over.

Tame hyperfocus . If you have trouble switching tasks, ask a friend or colleague to “interrupt” you, or figure out a system you can use to interrupt yourself. For example, when you find yourself trying to fix a sentence for 30 minutes, you can call a friend for a brief conversation about another topic. People with ADHD often find this helps them to look at the work from a more objective perspective when they return to it.

Set SMART goals . Check out the handout on setting SMART goals to help you set up a regular research and writing routine.

Set up a reward system . Tie your research or writing goal to an enjoyable reward. Note that it can also be pre-ward – something you do beforehand that will help you feel refreshed and motivated to work.

Find accountability buddies . These can be people you update on your progress or people you meet with to get work done together. Oftentimes, the simple presence of other people is able to motivate and keep us focused. This “body-doubling” strategy is particularly helpful for people with ADHD. Look for events like the Dissertation Boot Camp or IME Writing Wednesdays .

Find virtual accountability partners . There are a number of online platforms to connect you with virtual work partners. See this article on strategies and things to consider.

Use productivity and focus apps . Check out some recommendations among the Learning Center’s ADHD/LD Resources . To find the best options for you, try Googling “Apps for focus and productivity” to find reviews of timers and other focus apps.

Learn more about accountability . See the Learning Center’s Accountability Strategies page for great information and resources.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Barkley, R. (2022, July 11). What is executive function? 7 deficits tied to ADHD . ADDitude: Inside the ADHD Mind. https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/

Hallowell, E. and Ratey, J. (2021). ADHD 2.0: New science and essential strategies for thriving with distraction—from childhood through adulthood . Random House Books.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Harnessing ADHD for Successful Essay Writing: A Guide to 7 Effective Techniques

Table of contents

Did you know that some of the most celebrated authors, such as George Bernard Shaw and Seth Godin, have also dealt with the challenges of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

If you have ADHD, you might worry about writing a well-structured essay, be unsure about where to begin, or even worry about overlooking important details while editing. Hang in there – with the right strategies, you can write a great essay while staying calm and focused.

Why is it so hard to write essays with ADHD?

People with ADHD often face challenges in maintaining focus on tasks that demand extended periods of attention. They find it difficult to effectively organize and structure their ideas, and they tend to have a greater tendency to procrastinate. As writing involves multiple tasks, it can overwhelm students with ADHD, resulting in mental fatigue and decreased efficiency.

We reached out to Matt, one of our expert writers who have ADHD, to bring you these seven effective techniques that will help you focus while writing essays, despite ADHD.

1. Establish a structured writing routine

While creating a structured routine is common advice for anyone who has trouble writing, it is particularly vital for college students with ADHD.

When you designate specific times for writing and consistently stick to it, your mind tends to get accustomed to the writing process during these dedicated hours, making it easier for you to focus and write your essays. It starts associating certain times with writing sessions.

So, find the time you feel most alert and productive, and dedicate it to writing. Consider factors like your energy levels, environmental conditions, and personal preferences. For some, it could be early morning, for others, it could be around midnight when everyone’s asleep.

Remember : establishing a routine just a week before your deadline is not enough. To make it effective, it’s important to implement and practice the routine early on so it becomes a habit over time.

Do people with ADHD make good writers?

Yes! They have the ability to think creatively and bring a fresh perspective to their writing. Additionally, their intuition and sensitivity enable them to convey complex emotions effectively. While writing abilities vary from person to person, there is no reason to believe those with ADHD can’t be good writers.

2. Organize your research notes

How often do you waste time locating specific information you thought you came across while doing research? Failure to track sources, mixing up research findings, and difficulty in finding information while drafting are all consequences of poor research organization skills.

What you need is a structured note-taking system.

This is crucial for maintaining focus because it can be challenging for ADHD students to keep track of information. An organized system ensures your research is well-organized, accurate, and readily accessible when you get down to writing your essay.

Here are some practical ways to organize your research notes :

• Use note-taking apps to document information;
• Sort your research material based on subtopics, arguments, or even by the order in which they will appear in your essay;
• Summarize key points while doing research;
• Highlight important information or quotes that you might need to refer to or use;
• Create an annotated bibliography as you write.

Investing a few extra hours in organizing your notes during the research stage will prove to be a lifesaver when you begin drafting your essay.

3. Create an outline

Do you find yourself muddled with racing thoughts, not knowing how or where to begin? You tell yourself, “I’ll come to it later” but you keep putting the writing process off until you can’t anymore, and what follows is a rushed job.

This is the story of many students who experience ADHD.

The most effective way to avoid such a situation is to start the essay writing process by creating an outline. An essay outline serves as a roadmap that helps you organize your thoughts, structure your ideas, and maintain focus while writing.

When you create an outline, you’re able to see the ‘big picture’ which is the first step to writing a well-structured essay. This is the basic outline of any essay:

a. Introduction

• Thesis statement
• Topic sentence
• Supporting evidence

c. Conclusion

• Closing thoughts

Tailor this to your topic, add your ideas as bullet points, and there you go – you have an outline!

If you need help creating an outline or writing an essay from scratch, consider taking help from a writing service for students like Writers Per Hour .

We assign the most suitable writer for your assignment, guaranteeing a high-quality, well-researched essay that meets your expectations and is delivered on time.

4. Set mini goals

One of the techniques that transformed essay writing for Matt was setting mini-goals.

He sets targets to complete each paragraph within a specific timeframe. “Every time I achieve these mini goals, I feel a sense of accomplishment which motivates me to work on the next section,” he says.

A simple but highly effective technique well-suited for ADHD college students.

Once you have the outline ready, divide the essay into smaller, manageable chunks. For instance, the first milestone could be to finish the introduction in five hours, followed by the first paragraph of the body in 2 hours, and so on.

Every milestone you meet is proof of steady progress, leaving you with a sense of satisfaction and renewed motivation to tackle the next one with more determination.

However, be realistic about your goals. Don’t try to take on too much that may lead to frustration and burnout.

5. Implement the Pomodoro technique

Expanding upon the previous point, the Pomodoro technique is a great way to stay focused on writing essays.

This technique breaks the writing process into manageable intervals. Let’s say you decide to work on an essay section for 25 minutes. During that time, you will have to focus entirely on the essay and immerse yourself in the writing process.

After 25 minutes, you can take a break of 5 minutes after which you will get back to 25 minutes of intense work. Once you’re done with 4 such Pomodoros (25 minutes of concentration), you can take an extended break of 15-30 minutes.

By working in such concentrated bursts, you’ll be able to harness your ADHD tendencies and make significant process in your essay. Moreover, there are lesser chances of stress and burnout because you’re giving yourself enough time to rest in between.

Are people with ADHD slow writers?

People with ADHD may not necessarily be slow writers, but they tend to face certain challenges such as focusing difficulties, impulsive tendencies, and overthinking that might impact the speed of their writing process.

6. Minimize distractions

Studies suggest that people with ADHD are easily distracted, which is why you need to take extra efforts to keep distractions at bay while writing essays. Even minor interruptions can divert your attention and disrupt your writing flow.

Measures to minimize distractions to maintain focus while writing essays

• Find a dedicated space to write – this can be your room, a quiet corner in your house, your college library, or anywhere else you think you can concentrate properly;
• Consider using noise-canceling headphones;
• Put your phone in ‘do not disturb mode or keep it away when you’re writing;
• Use focus apps such as Freedom and Cold Turkey to prevent you from browsing social media platforms and other websites that are not relevant to your essay;
• Ask your family, friends, and roommates not to disturb you during this time.

7. Keep an editing checklist

As someone with ADHD, editing can be tough because you may find it hard to focus on the small details and concentrate. On the other hand, you may become so absorbed in one part of your essay that you might overlook other important elements.

The solution is to have an editing checklist you can use while writing essays. Use it to be consistent in your writing, review the important details and manage your time effectively.

Elements you can include in your editing checklist

• Overall structure of the essay;
• Logical representation of ideas and arguments;
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation;
• Check for wordiness and confusing sentences;
• Sufficient evidence and examples to support your arguments;
• Adherence to citation and formatting guidelines.

Alternatively, you can also hire a college paper editing service for expert help.

Key takeaway

It’s also a good idea to join communities and connect with others who struggle with ADHD. This is a good way to share coping strategies and learn from each other.

We agree it’s not easy having ADHD and having to write an essay while adhering to strict deadlines. However, don’t let self-doubt come in the way.

With practice and the right strategies, you will be able to approach your essays in a structured and organized manner – and enjoy the writing process.

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ADHD College Students: Use This Strategy To Write Papers

ADHD College Students : Here at ADHD Collective, we love highlighting the experiences and perspectives of like-minded people with ADHD. Izzy Walker started attending the weekly coworking sessions we launched in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.  She showed up week after week and put in the hard work as she neared the semester’s end at University. When she accepted my invitation to share what she learned with our readers, I was thrilled, and I know you will be too. Please share Izzy’s helpful tips in your social circles, if you know a college student with ADHD who could benefit.

ADHD and College

Making it to university was a milestone I often thought I would never make. However, my experience was gloomy. Everything was disproportionately difficult, lectures were a confusing din, and every assignment was a mammoth struggle.

I changed university naively thinking it would be different somewhere else. It wasn’t. But it was there at my new university that my story of hope began, as one friend saw the immense struggle I was having and suggested that it could be ADHD.

This conversation was a catalyst for change, and set the ball rolling for me in my journey. It led to a heck of a lot of personal research, but also a meeting with an Educational Psychologist who after a series of testing gave me the diagnosis of ADHD and Dyspraxia .

When I read these words I felt an odd, overwhelming sense of relief. I wasn’t dumb, lazy, incapable, or ‘just not cut out to study’.

School reports year after year would echo the words, ‘distracted and distracting’, ‘capable but often off-task’, and ‘constantly questioning’. On paper I was doing well, the product of my work was good, so no flags had been raised, but deep down behind closed doors I was not doing well, the process was far from good. This has been the case throughout the whole of my education, and I just put it down to my capability.

Since diagnosis I have finished my 1 st assignment, and then my 2 nd , and then my 3 rd , and I am now looking onwards to my final year before being a qualified teacher. This time with hope and acceptance of who I am and who I can be with the right strategies and support in place.

Here are some that I have found the most game-changing when working on projects/assignments:

Give Yourself a New Deadline

I set myself a deadline a few days (at least) before the actual one. I have a real tendency to be scrambling right to the last minute and this helps avoid a lot of stress.

The whole point of this was to prevent a lot of unnecessary scrambling and stress. This also gave me time to edit (more on that later).

As much as you can, it’s helpful to treat this earlier date as your actual deadline. One way I did this was only scheduling this earlier date on the calendar so it felt more real.

By finishing 5-6 days early, it offered me a  window of time for editing and getting it ready to turn in. It also gave time to improve the paper should I have any middle of the night revelations…which I so often do!

Break Your Paper Down into Smaller Pieces

When I was presented with a 5,000 word assignment I felt immediately overwhelmed. I broke the assignment down into sections and assigned a word count to each one.

when I considered what my paper actually entailed, it didn’t seem so bad. Here's what the requirements consisted of:

• Introduction - 1 section
• Argument FOR - 3 sections
• Argument AGAINST - 3 sections
• Conclusion - 1 Section
• Total length of the paper had to be 5,000 words.

It may seem very overly meticulous, but by spending 30 minutes doing this prevented what could have been HOURS of cutting back word count in the editing stages, and could also run the risk of having no clear structure.

I am a waffler, so without this structure, I would probably have gone WAY over the word limit anyway.

I also went one step further by writing a title for each of the points (on my plan only) and any key things I wanted/needed to mention.

For example, in an assignment on why outdoor learning should be a part of the primary curriculum, my points would be titled ‘educational benefits’, ‘health benefits’ and ‘social benefits’.

The contrary points could be titled ‘behavioural issues’, ‘lack of funding’, and ‘lack of training’. By breaking it down into bite size chunks I felt it was much more manageable.

Focus on One Section a Day

After breaking it down, I dedicated a day to each of the sections. For example, intro – Monday, section 1 – Tuesday, etc.

From my experience, I have found that having a specific measurable target makes it almost like a game. I found it very motivating watching the word count for that section going down as I typed.

By scheduling the sections out and putting them in my calendar, it allowed me to know when this assignment could realistically be finished by, rather than taking a guess and hoping for the best.

When I woke up, I was thinking, 'I have to write 650 words today!’ rather than ‘oh my goodness 5,000 words!?

I would recommend doing this step as soon as you get the assignment and the deadline date…even if you do nothing else towards it, so that you know when you must start.

Set a Mid-Way Checkpoint

it will save you a LOT of time in the editing stages if you do a little editing as you go along. 

With the word count on this particular assignment being so big, I thought it would be wise to set a mid-way checkpoint to read through everything so far and make changes as necessary. 

Normally, this would be done at the end but I knew I would have lost all interest and motivation by this point…so it would be better to save myself such a huge job. This also filled me with confidence because when I was writing the second half of the assignment and needed the extra boost, I knew that the first half was to a good standard.

Do Something Every Day (No Matter How Small)

I’m not going to lie, not everyday was as straightforward as ‘write one section a day’. 

Some days I was crippled by demotivation, lethargy and not wanting to do ANYTHING. 

The key times I noticed this was if I had worked too hard the previous day or if I had hit a difficult part. Believe me, working TOO hard is a THING. 

My biggest piece of advice is…know your limits! 

I’m no ADHD scientist, but I find my brain must be working harder because of the increased effort I am investing to even stand a chance of being able to concentrate. 

Whilst I may feel just about fine at the time, the next day it takes its toll…big time…and maybe the work I did in my ‘overtime’ wasn’t even of the best quality anyway. 

"If you just aren’t feeling it, do just one sentence, or find just one piece of theory. Just do one something ..."

This is another reason why my structured plan was really useful because it prevented me from unnecessarily going overboard…and meant that there was no real reason to anyway as I was already on track to finish on time. 

If it’s the latter reason, that I’ve hit a difficult part, then there is nothing worse than putting it off another day because this ‘mental wall’ will just get HIGHER. 

What did I find useful? If you just aren’t feeling it…do just ONE sentence, or find just ONE piece of theory you just use. Just do ONE something…so then you can feel at least partially accomplished and it’s not a blank section for when you do get back to it. 

Best case scenario…that ONE something, could roll into TWO or THREE or FOUR somethings…and before you know it that section is done. Often it is just starting that is the difficult bit. 

But worse case scenario…you tried and you can give it another shot tomorrow when your brain is a bit fresher. Productive days happen, utilise these and ride the waves…as do unproductive days…don’t allow the guilt to creep in.

Declutter Your Workspace

I even went to the extreme of removing the pen pot off the desk…in front of me all I had was paper, 1 pen, my lamp, and my laptop.

Minimalism has been a saviour for me during this time of discovering what works for me and what doesn’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that reducing physical clutter consequently reduces mental clutter. I also found the inverse to be true too, clearing my physical space gave me mental clarity.

Whilst this is a visible practice in much of my life, it is especially apparent with my workspace . You’d be amazed what I can get distracted by when writing an assignment…even something as small and monotonous as a pen pot!

Firstly…I would recommend to ALWAYS have a work station with a proper chair when you are writing an assignment and never work from your bed. You must set yourself up for success.

Secondly, I have only the bare essentials in front of me…a pen, a lamp, paper, and my laptop. By keeping it minimal it also means it is easily portable if you want to ‘hot seat’ in your own house if you get bored of that scenery!

Use ADHD Coworking Sessions (and the Pomodoro Technique)

At the start of lockdown I stumbled upon a weekly coworking group ran by Adam from ADHD Collective. I can honestly put down a lot of my success to this…it was amazing!

Firstly, I felt so understood because the group was aimed at people with ADHD. This meant that everyone could share their experiences and not feel judged, but instead find themselves in a supportive community where they could also ask advice.

Each session was 2 hours long and attracted between 4 and 12 people, depending on the week.

It would start with each person sharing (with specifics) what task they wanted to achieve within the next 25 minute block.

By being specific it allowed for a strong element of accountability because at the end of the block, Adam, the ADHD coach and group host would check your progress and whether you had achieved what you wanted to achieve.

Working in 25 minute blocks is often referred to as the Pomodoro Technique . Whilst everyone else in the group is sharing their progress, it gives your brain the opportunity for a short break before starting the next block.

By having short bursts of activity I was able to concentrate and thus achieve more than I would have done if I tried to work for hours without breaks.

Additionally, having the accountability was an incentive for me because it was motivation and almost turned it into a game to try and get the activity finished in time.

I hope these college writing tips give you several options that might help you with your ADHD experience.

Now over to you!

Share the tools, strategies, and tips in the comments below that have helped you in your own journey with ADHD and college writing!

Izzy Walker

Izzy Walker is a trainee teacher in her final year at University in Newcastle, UK. When not studying, she can be found on spontaneous adventures, and meeting new people! To follow her as she navigates through the adventures of ADHD, student life, and teacher...find her on Instagram at @if.walker

Thank you so much.

I am an over 50 returning student trying to finish my undergraduate degree. I never knew I had ADHD until I started taking classes that required retention, organizing, and WRITING. At times, I even wondered if I lacked the skills to even finish. I, at times, self sabotage myself of success because of my struggles. I truly appreciate you sharing your experience. I’ve become desperate and will try anything at this point. I’m just glad to know that others understand my journey. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for this! In addition to these, I also find it really helpful to keep a “Random thoughts” notepad near me to jot down unrelated urges as I have them. Things like “refill water bottle” or “text Casey back” will still be there in 25 minutes, and knowing in advance that thoughts like ‘this will only take a second’ are lies makes them easier to put on the back burner.

Wow. Thank you, so much, Izzy. I developed ADHD only 3 years ago from a medication. I also decided to go back to college as a mom of 3 boys and the mental exhaustion and burnout is no joke. Papers have been the most challenging and this is the single most helpful tool I’ve found yet. I could feel the relief wash over me as I read through your guide. I feel inspired to tackle my papers in a new way now.

Hi, I am a mid-career student here going back for an MA part-time, while also working. I’ve never been formally diagnosed, but I tick all the boxes and I know now it is why I struggled with papers in college the first time around and why I developed so many systems to be organized in my work life. Was feeling a little burned out today while writing an academic paper and was looking for advice. I was amazed to see that your system is very similar to what I’ve been doing for myself to get through paper-writing! It’s reinforcing in a very good way. Thank you for sharing this. Best of luck to everyone with finding the solutions and tricks that work for them.

Hi Espy, appreciate the comment. Very cool to hear your intuitive system is similar (nice intuition!). If an additional accountability/community component would ever be useful, you’re always invited to our Wednesday ADHD Coworking Sessions. They’re free and we do them every Wednesday (you can sign up for upcoming sessions here: https://adhdcollective.com/adhd-coworking-session-online/ ). Would love to have you, Espy!

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• laurensevier
• Mar 9, 2023

DO PEOPLE WITH ADHD STRUGGLE TO WRITE ESSAYS?

Today's topic is one that is very near and dear to my heart. One of the biggest obstacles I've overcome in my writing journey is my struggle with ADHD. I'm so excited to start this blog series where I'll talk in depth about different aspects of ADHD and writing, how ADHD can be the ace up your sleeve or the trap door beneath your feet in any creative endeavor but especially writing.

I was first diagnosed when I was four-years-old, which as a young girl, wasn't happening very often at the time. In fact, when I was growing up the medical world was still learning a lot about ADHD. The medications at the time were high doses of stimulants, one that had to be reformulated because it was found to actually cause Tourette's syndrome in small children. One of my earliest memories of taking ADHD medication were getting a Little Debbie cake each morning before school started. At the time, I thought I was getting a cool treat, but really it was the only way my mom knew how to give me a pill since I didn't know how to swallow them yet.

Over the years, I went through more medications than I can even list. Stimulants. Non-stimulants. Fast acting. Slow release. A combination of both.

But the thing is, I wasn't sick. The world around me was.

ADHD, as we've come to understand more about the condition, isn't a problem in and of itself. The problem comes from expecting people who are neurodivergent to operate in a neurotypical world as if they don't have executive dysfunction. ADHD can be incredibly limiting if you're trying to live up to expectations that were never meant for you in the first place. On the other hand, some of the world's most creative and critical thinkers were also neurodivergent.

Because our brains are wired to see and experience the world differently, we oftentimes are insanely good problem solvers and can think outside the box better than most. Oftentimes in social situations when it seems like we're 'zoning out' it's usually because we've anticipated the punchline to the joke a couple words in, and are already thinking of new stories for the conversation. This is a beautiful thing. And it can make you an exceptional writer, if you let it.

Our brains are like supercomputers. They work hard, fast, and have multiple tabs open... all the time.

Today, we're talking about writing Essays. Not creative fiction, but structured assignments for work or school. Although I love to write, and am always bursting with creative ideas... essay writing is one of the things I struggled with the most. Why? Why is essay writing more difficult for people with ADHD?

Well, there are a few different reasons that writing essays can be problematic for people with executive dysfunction. The first thing I think about when writing an essay is decision fatigue .

Picking a topic is truly one of the worst things about essay writing. When you get your assignment to write an essay you usually get a list of topics to choose from or EVEN WORSE your boss or teacher could be cruel enough to say write about anything . Remember those multiple tabs I talked about a few lines up? Imagine infinite tabs leading to infinite black hole google searches. Yeah, that's what my brain does when I have to pick my own topic.

Cruel, unusual punishment in 12 pt. Roman font, double-spaced, in MLA format.

I've wasted so much time on assignments over the years agonizing over topic choice. So, now what do I do to combat this, you ask? I make it fun. Either I do a topic draft, or mortal combat style determine which topic could beat the others in a back alley fight (which is super fun to imagine depending on the subject btw), flip a coin, or pull a topic from a hat. Making the decision tactile, silly, or just plain interesting keeps me from overanalyzing each option, so I never freeze up. The beauty of it is, once the topic is chosen... it's done. I can get down to the real work of creating the essay.

Here comes our next obstacle: research, resources, and structure.

If structure was a person, it'd be a person attempting to murder me with a death laser in a creepy lair. My arch nemesis... who I sometimes flirt with.

Let's be honest, people with ADHD absolutely hate structure. It's almost a universal fact. Only, we don't really. In fact, structure is really good for us. What we really hate is that we're bad at implementing structure into our own lives. When it's forced on us, like regular work or school hours, we thrive. Our bodies get into a routine and then our brains know what to expect too. But implementing it ourselves can be really difficult. Why wouldn't it? We're constantly thinking about how to break the rules.

Don't lie. You're constantly thinking about how to break the rules.

When researching the topic, it's easy to start straying into other areas of research. Why? Well, because it's how we're programmed. We wander and consume knowledge, constantly trying to see a problem or topic from all angles. This isn't good for staying on task when researching something specific, but it's part of what makes us great problem-solvers and pretty great debaters too. (Or maybe I'm just argumentative?)

So how do you keep yourself on task? There's no real easy answer to this one I'm afraid. I still struggle with this and have to set timers to 'checkpoint' if I'm still on task or not when I'm working. I think being aware that this can be a problem is the first step. Then you just try to catch yourself when you're doing it and keep plugging ahead. If any of you have better tips on how to keep yourself from wandering down an alternate research-hole... I'm all ears. Comment below.

So, do people with ADHD struggle to write essays?

Short answer, I think most of us do. But, we also love a challenge and are capable of anything. Do we have to learn a few tips and tricks on how to work with our brains instead of against them? Of course. But that hasn't stopped any of us before, and it certainly won't stop any of us now. ADHD is a complicated, creative, beautiful part of who I am. One that I fought against for many years of my life, but I've learned to love the chaotic, quirky, formidable part of my brain. If you're reading this and also have ADD, ADHD, OCD, ODD, Autism, or any other neurodivergent disorder, I hope you love that part of yourself too. After all, it's what makes you... you.

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The Written Expression Abilities of Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Stephen j. molitor.

a Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States

Joshua M. Langberg

Steve w. evans.

b Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States

Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience deficits in academic achievement. Written expression abilities in this population have not been extensively studied but existing prevalence estimates suggest that rates of comorbid writing underachievement may be substantially higher than rates of comorbid reading and mathematics underachievement. The current study examined written expression abilities in a school-based sample of 326 middle school age students with ADHD. The prevalence of written expression impairment, the associations between written expression and academic outcomes, and specific patterns of written expression were investigated. Students with ADHD in this sample experienced written expression impairment (17.2% – 22.4%) at a similar rate to reading impairment (17.0% – 24.3%) and at a slightly lower rate than mathematics impairment (24.7% – 36.3%). Students’ written expression abilities were significantly associated with school grades and parent ratings of academic functioning, above and beyond the influence of intelligence. Analyses of patterns suggest that students with ADHD exhibit greater deficits in written expression tasks requiring organization and attention to detail, especially in the context of a complex task.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with sustained attention and/or hyperactive and impulsive behaviors ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Prevalence estimates purport that 6–7% of school-age children meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD based on DSM-IV - TR standards, although the alteration in age of onset from 7 to 12 years of age for the DSM-5 may increase these estimates ( Vande Voort, He, Jameson, & Merikangas, 2014 ). Youth diagnosed with ADHD are at high risk of experiencing significant academic impairments ( DuPaul & Langberg, 2014 ). One reason for this is that as many as 45% of students diagnosed with ADHD may meet criteria for a comorbid learning disability ( DuPaul, Gormley, and Laracy, 2013 ; Tannock 2013 ). Currently, it is clear that youth with ADHD are significantly more likely than their peers to have deficits in basic reading and mathematics skills ( Spira & Fischel, 2005 ). However, there is considerably less research on the written expression abilities (i.e., spelling, appropriate grammar/punctuation, and organization of written work) of students with ADHD. Some studies of writing in ADHD samples have estimated prevalence rates above 60% (e.g., Mayes & Calhoun, 2006 ). Given the importance of writing abilities for academic success ( McHale & Cermak, 1992 ; Poplin, Gray, Larsen, Banikowski, & Mehring, 1980 ) additional research is needed to evaluate the prevalence of writing impairment in youth with ADHD and the impact of deficits in writing on academic functioning.

Written expression is a broad construct that requires the use and management of many skill sets. Writers must coordinate everything from fine motor skills to executive functions to produce a written work. As a result, it can be challenging to accurately capture and quantify written expression impairment. One of the major goals of measuring written expression abilities is to identify students whose abilities do not meet expected milestones or standards. According to the DSM-5, a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) diagnosis requires that skills in reading, mathematics, or written expression are significantly lower than expected and negatively impacting academic performance ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Written Expression SLD can manifest as impairment in spelling, grammar/punctuation, and/or organization of the written product.

One of the most important steps in evaluating a student for a diagnosis of SLD is to develop operationalized criteria for determining whether the student is exhibiting academic skills that are below what is expected of them. Several methods are available in the current literature. For example, discrepancy models identify students with significant discrepancies between their basic cognitive abilities and their academic achievement ( Erickson, 1975 ; Mercer, Jordan, Allsopp, & Mercer, 1996 ). Critics of discrepancy models argue that they may under-diagnose students with SLD who also have low intelligence ( Stanovich, 1986 ). An alternative strategy that is particularly popular in educational systems is the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach. RTI follows a continuous pattern of intervention and assessment, and students in this model who do not respond to universal interventions may be eligible for an SLD diagnosis ( Fuchs, Mock, Morgan, & Young, 2003 ). However, there is not a consensus on how to identify when a child is or is not responding to intervention in an RTI model (i.e., what degree of improvement should be observed), and therefore would meet criteria for an SLD diagnosis ( Burns, Jacob, & Wagner, 2008 ).

Other approaches emphasize the role that academic underachievement should play in diagnosing individuals with SLD, ( Fletcher et al., 2002 ; Siegel, 1999 ). A promising model proposed by Dombrowski, Kamphaus, and Reynolds (2004) is an underachievement model that incorporates a focus on academic impairment and consists of two simple yet important criteria. First, students must exhibit impairment on a norm-referenced measure of academic achievement as evidenced by a standard score at least 1 standard deviation below the normative group mean (i.e., a score at or below 85). Second, students must demonstrate impairment in the classroom setting through poor grades or parent/teacher report. These criteria maximize the likelihood that children who are experiencing significant impairment in relation to their peers will be identified, but allows that this impairment may be related to low overall cognitive ability.

Written Expression Abilities of Students with ADHD

The available evidence suggests that youth with ADHD generate less organized written work, write fewer words, and make more mechanical errors (e.g., misspelled words and poor handwriting) in comparison to their peers ( Casas, Ferrer, & Fortea, 2013 ; Re, Pedron, & Cornoldi, 2007 ; Resta & Eliot, 1994 ). Further, they appear to struggle in comparison to their non-ADHD peers even when they have equivalent knowledge about the basic rules of writing ( Re & Cornoldi, 2010 ). However, there has been minimal research in the area and several significant limitations remain to be addressed.

First, prevalence estimates of written expression SLD vary significantly in this population, with rates ranging from as low as 9% ( Del’Homme, Kim, Loo, Yang, & Smalley, 2007 ) to as high as 63% ( Mayes & Calhoun, 2006 ). Further, the largest prevalence samples were obtained either exclusively or significantly from mental health clinics ( DeBono et al., 2012 ; Mayes & Calhoun, 2007 ), which typically present with greater overall impairment in comparison to community samples ( Gadow, Sprafkin, & Nolan, 2001 ; Goodman et al., 1997 ). Examining written expression SLD prevalence in a large school-based sample of students with ADHD may provide a more representative prevalence estimate.

Second, it is unclear whether written expression impairment contributes to the poor academic outcomes associated with a diagnosis of ADHD above and beyond other factors common in students with ADHD that also affect academics. Specifically, intelligence has been associated with many aspects of academic achievement ( Mayes, Calhoun, Bixler, & Zimmerman, 2009 ; Watkins, Lei, & Canivez, 2007 ) and children with ADHD score 5–6 points lower on average on standardized tests of intelligence than children without the disorder ( Frazier, Demaree, & Youngstrom, 2004 ). The severity and presentation (i.e., primarily inattentive or combined) of ADHD symptoms has also been shown to affect students’ academic performance ( Barry, Lyman, & Klinger, 2002 ; Riccio, Homack, Jarratt, & Wolfe, 2006 ), and symptoms of oppositionality, which are highly comorbid in children with ADHD, have been found to have negative effects on aspects of academic functioning ( Abikoff et al., 2002 ). Finally, psychostimulant medication – a primary mode of treatment for students with ADHD – may improve aspects of academics and writing in particular, although the evidence is currently mixed ( Evans et al., 2001 ; Langberg & Becker, 2012 ). Accordingly, research is needed to evaluate whether written expression abilities contribute to the academic functioning of youth with ADHD above and beyond these factors.

Third, research has not investigated whether there are distinct patterns of written expression impairment in youth with ADHD. Previous studies have established that youth with ADHD struggle with several aspects of written expression ( Casas et al., 2013 ; Re et al., 2007 ; Resta & Eliot, 1994 ). These results may indicate that a portion of students with ADHD struggle with all facets of written expression, but it is also plausible that groups of students struggle in different areas. For example, some students may be able to effectively organize their written work, but struggle with grammatical errors while other students may write grammatically correct work that is poorly organized.

Current Study

The current study examined written expression abilities in a large (N = 326), school-based sample of adolescents with ADHD and sought to accomplish three main goals. First, the prevalence of written expression impairment was assessed and compared to the prevalence of impairment in other domains (e.g., reading and mathematics impairment). An RTI approach is not plausible in the context of the current study. As a result, prevalence rates were assessed using the remaining methods. The underachievement model was our primary model of interest, as current research suggests that these models are more valid than their discrepancy-based counterparts. Specifically, we followed the recommendations made by Dombrowski and colleagues (2004) to identify students who performed one standard deviation or more below the normative sample on a WIAT Composite score as impaired. Although there are questions about its validity, discrepancy models are still regularly used, so prevalence was also assessed using this method. To follow recommendations of Mercer and colleagues (1996) and to remain consistent with the underachievement model, a one standard deviation discrepancy criterion between performance on the abbreviated WISC-IV and the WIAT-III was used. It was hypothesized that the prevalence rates of written expression impairment in this sample would be lower than rates reported from clinic-referred samples (e.g., Mayes & Calhoun, 2006 ). Second, regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between written expression abilities and academic performance above and beyond cognitive abilities, ADHD/ODD symptoms, and ADHD medication use. Two follow-up exploratory analyses examined which specific aspects of writing may most prominently impact academics. Due to the increased role of written expression for middle school students, it was hypothesized that written expression abilities would significantly predict academic outcomes above and beyond covariates. Third, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to determine if distinct patterns of written expression impairment emerged within the sample. To date, no other subject-centered analyses of written expression for students with ADHD have been reported. The LPA is an exploratory analysis, and therefore no a priori hypotheses were made.

Participants

Participants who provided data for the current study were recruited as part of a larger study evaluating school-based interventions for middle school age adolescents with ADHD. All data evaluated in the present study were collected at baseline, prior to participants receiving any intervention. 326 middle-school students (grades 6–8) from nine public middle schools in the Eastern United States were recruited over three academic years. Participants were recruited using study announcement letters, fliers posted in each school, and direct referral by school staff. The mean household income for participant families was $63,500 ( SD = 55,500), and the mean level of maternal education was 14 years ( SD = 2.3).The majority of the sample (232 participants;71%) was male and 94 (19% of sample) were female. 77% of the sample self-identified as Caucasian, 12% identified as African American, 8% identified as Biracial, and 2% identified with another race. 101 participants (31%) were receiving accommodations at school through either Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans, and 153 participants (47%) were taking medication for ADHD. The basic cognitive functioning of this sample appeared to be average in relation to the general student population, as evidenced by a mean Estimated IQ score of 100.31 ( SD = 13.62).

Parents (or primary caregivers) who were interested in participating in the study contacted the research team and a brief telephone screen was conducted. A full inclusion/exclusion evaluation was scheduled if on the phone screen parents reported that their child had a previous diagnosis of ADHD or if they endorsed the presence of at least 4 DSM symptoms of inattention at clinically significant levels. During the evaluation, students were comprehensively assessed for an ADHD diagnosis. Each student and at least one parent was administered the Parent Children’s Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes (P-ChIPS; Weller, Weller, Fristad, Rooney, & Schecter, 2000) by a doctoral student supervised by a licensed clinical psychologist. The P-ChIPS has shown high internal consistency and test-retest reliability ( Fristad, Teare, Weller, Weller, & Salmon, 1998 ) and high convergent validity in relation to the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents—Revised–Child Version ( Teare, Fristad, Weller, Weller, & Salmon, 1998 ). Parents and teachers of the students also completed the Disruptive Behavior Disorders rating scales (DBD; Pelham, Evans, Gnagy, & Greenslade, 1992 ). Finally, students completed a brief battery assessing their cognitive and academic achievement abilities, including four subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003 ), and all subtests from the WIAT-III required to generate the Basic Reading, Mathematics, and Written Expression composites (see measures section for more detail). Participants were considered eligible for the study if they met full DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive or Combined presentation, had an estimated FSIQ of at least 80 according to performance on the WISC-IV, and did not meet diagnostic criteria for any pervasive developmental disorder, bipolar disorder, psychosis, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Students with other comorbid diagnoses were allowed to participate in the study. Enrollment was limited to students with Inattentive and Combined Type because of the questionable validity of the Hyperactive-Impulsive type after elementary school ( Willcut et al., 2012 ) and because this was a school-based study and ADHD symptoms of inattention largely drive impairment in academic functioning (e.g., Galera et al., 2009 ; Massetti et al., 2008 ). Data collected from the evaluation of each student was comprehensively assessed by two doctoral level psychologists to determine study eligibility and any relevant comorbid diagnoses. Within the sample, 49% of students were diagnosed with ADHD, Combined Subtype and the remaining participants were diagnosed with ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Subtype.

Written Expression/Academic Achievement Measures

Wechsler individual achievement test, third edition (wiat-iii).

The WIAT-III ( Wechsler, 2009 ) is a measure of academic achievement that has been standardized on a nationally representative sample. The Basic Reading, Mathematics, and Written Expression Composite scores were used in this study, and all demonstrate high internal consistency (α ≥ .94) and moderate to strong correlations with comparable composite scores of the previous edition of the WIAT ( r s ≥ .83). The subtests of the Written Expression Composite- Spelling, Sentence Composition, and Essay Composition- exhibit high internal consistency (α ≥ .85) and strong 2-week test-retest reliability (α ≥ .79). The Spelling subtest requires students to accurately write a word provided verbally and produces a single standard score for the subtest. The Sentence Composition subtest first requires students to combine multiple complete sentences (e.g., “Dogs have fur. Cats have fur.”) into a single sentence. Students are then asked to build a sentence from a key word (e.g., “than”). A separate component score is produced from each part of the Sentence Composition subtest. For the Essay Composition Subtest, students are given 10 minutes to write an essay about their favorite game and provide at least three reasons why they like the game. Two component scores are generated for this subtest: one score that evaluates the student’s development and organization of ideas and another that evaluates a student’s productivity (i.e., a word count). A supplemental score can also be generated based on the student’s appropriate use of grammar and mechanics.

For the current study, all subtests of the Written Expression Composite were scored by a team of research assistants supervised by a licensed clinical psychologist. Each scorer was trained by a lead scorer, which involved reading the WIAT manual thoroughly, scoring sample essays simultaneously with the lead scorer until agreement was achieved, and then scoring several essays on their own. The lead scorer then scored the same essays to check for inter-rater agreement. The lead scorer also conducted periodic checks of scored essays throughout the project in order to prevent drift.

Other Measures

Disruptive behavior disorders rating scale (dbd).

The DBD ( Pelham et al., 1992 ) is a parent-report measure that examines the presence of both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms of ADHD as well as the core symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). The 45-item scale asks parents to rate each symptom on a 4-point Likert scale. Internal consistencies for each domain examined by the DBD are strong (α values ≥ .81). For the current study, the total scores from the inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and ODD symptoms domains were examined as potential covariates in the regression analyses.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

GPA is a numerical system commonly used for quantifying letter grades. A four point scale (4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, 2.0 = C, 1.0 = D, 0 = F) was used for the current study. Grades from the core subjects- English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies- were collected for each student. For the current study, grades were analyzed from the same semester that the evaluation appointment was conducted. Each grade was converted into a GPA, and then all four course GPAs were averaged into an overall GPA.

Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS)

The parent report version of the WFIRS ( Weiss, 2000 ) is designed to assess an individual’s overall functioning. This 50 item measure asks parents to rate how frequently or extensively their child’s emotional or behavioral difficulties affect their functioning in a variety of life domains. Ratings are made on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = never or not at all, 3 = very often or very much), and it is important to note that higher scores are indicative of greater impairment (i.e., more problems). The WFIRS assesses functioning in 6 different domains: family, school, life skills, self-concept, social activities, and risky activities. Within the school domain, items assess either impairment in learning (e.g., “Needs tutoring”) or impairment in behavior (e.g., “Suspended or expelled from school”). The WFIRS demonstrates high internal consistency across subscales, with α values ranging from .75–.93. For the current study, impairment in learning was analyzed as an outcome.

Analytic Plan

Before conducting analyses, Little’s Missing Completely at Random (MCAR) test was used to ensure that data were not missing from subjects in a systematic manner ( Little, 1988 ). Additionally, correlations comparing inattentive symptoms, hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, ODD symptoms, and medication status to GPA and WFIRS ratings were examined before conducting analyses. If one of these variables was significantly correlated with an academic outcome, it was controlled for in the hierarchical regression analysis.

To assess the prevalence of written expression impairment, the overall Written Expression Composite score was compared to the Basic Reading and Mathematics Composite scores. Impairment in all three domains was assessed using both the discrepancy model (1 SD difference between cognitive and academic scores) and the underachievement model (1 SD below the mean of the norm-referenced sample (i.e., a composite score below 85). As noted earlier, the one standard deviation threshold was selected in adherence to the recommendations made by Dombrowski et al. (2004) for the underachievement model and Mercer et al. (1996) for the discrepancy model. These thresholds have also been used in multiple other ADHD and LD comorbidity studies (e.g., Langberg, Epstein, Urbanowicz, Simon, & Graham, 2010 ; Dietz & Montague, 2006 ), making comparisons between the studies easier. A Chi-Square test of independence was conducted to evaluate whether the underachievement and discrepancy methods identified significantly different groups of students as meeting criteria for written expression impairment.

To identify associations between written expression and academic outcomes, regression analyses were conducted. Because of the strong associations between intelligence and both academic outcomes and written expression abilities, regression analyses included estimated IQ as a covariate. Two hierarchical analyses included IQ and any covariates identified in the correlation matrix in the first step of the model and the Written Expression Composite score in the second step. Two additional exploratory analyses were also conducted, which included each Written Expression component/supplementary score and the Spelling subtest score as simultaneous predictors of the dependent variables. To reduce the number of variables in the models, no covariates were included in the exploratory analyses.

To examine patterns of written expression abilities, WIAT scores were analyzed through a latent profile analysis (LPA), which was conducted using Mplus Version 6.11 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998–2010). Six available standard scores that represent different written expression abilities were used as indicators to build the model. The model included students’ estimated IQ scores as a covariate. Five criteria for determining the appropriate number of profiles for this sample were used: theoretical rationale, the presence of profiles that may be reasonably replicated (i.e., no profile contains less than 5% of entire sample), the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the Vuong-Lo-Mendell-Rubin test (LMR), and the bootstrapped parametric likelihood ratio test (BLRT). A model is considered a better “fit” to the data if its BIC value is lower than other models and a model with k profiles is considered better than a model with k −1 profiles if the LMR and/or the BLRT are significant ( Nylund, Asparouhov, & Muthén, 2007 ).

Pre-Analysis

All independent variables met the assumptions of normality, so transformation was not necessary, and Little’s MCAR test resulted in a nonsignificant p-value ( p = .45). When correlating academic outcomes with parent reports of ADHD and ODD symptoms, both ADHD symptom domains and ODD symptoms were significantly correlated with WFIRS ratings ( r s = .27 to .39), but none were correlated with GPA ( r s = −.06 to −.11). Conversely, medication status was significantly correlated with GPA ( r = .21), but not with WFIRS ratings ( r = −.105). Thus, symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and oppositionality were included as covariates in the regression for WFIRS ratings, and medication status was controlled for in the GPA regression. The Written Expression Composite score was moderately correlated with both GPA and WFIRS ratings (.358 and −.277, respectively). These correlations were similar to the correlations between the academic outcomes and the Basic Reading Composite (.296 and −.255) as well as the Mathematics Composite (.445 and −.273).

WIAT-III Written Expression Performance and Prevalence of Impairment

Descriptive statistics for students’ Written Expression, Basic Reading, and Mathematics Composite scores of the WIAT-III are presented in Table 1 . Students’ estimated FSIQ scores are also provided in this table. Table 2 presents the rates of reading, mathematics, and written expression impairment in this sample according to the discrepancy model and the underachievement model. Approximately 46% of the sample was identified as impaired in at least one of the three domains according to the underachievement method, a figure which is remarkably consistent with the recent DuPaul and colleagues (2013) review. Students were most commonly impaired in mathematics according to both methods, consistent with other studies documenting high prevalence of math problems among samples of ADHD (e.g., Capano, Minden, Chen, Schacher, & Ickowicz, 2008 ). After students were classified for written expression impairment via each method, a Chi-Square test of independence was conducted to determine whether knowing a student’s diagnostic status based on one method was significantly related to their diagnostic status based on the method. The results of the Chi-Square test were nonsignificant (χ 2 = 2.72, p = .10), suggesting that different groups of students were identified through the two methods.

Descriptive Statistics of Students’ FSIQ, Reading, Mathematics, and Written Expression Scores

Prevalence Rates of Academic Impairment in Reading, Mathematics, and Written Expression

Associations Between Writing and Outcomes

Table 3 shows the results of the two hierarchical multiple regression analyses when the Written Expression Cluster score was included as a predictor. For the first model, GPA was the academic outcome of interest. The final model was statistically significant, and Written Expression Composite scores significantly predicted students’ GPA above and beyond the effect of IQ and reading abilities. Written Expression scores accounted for an additional 1% of the variance in GPA for this sample. The second regression model used WFIRS School-Learning subscale scores as the outcome. The first step of the model included IQ, inattentive symptoms, hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, and ODD symptoms. The second step included the Written Expression Composite. Like the GPA model, this final model was also statistically significant, and Written Expression Composite score significantly predicted students’ GPA above and beyond the effect of the covariates. Written Expression scores accounted for an additional 5% of the variance.

Hierarchical Regression Models for WIAT Written Expression Scores Predicting Academic Outcomes

Because both hierarchical regression models were significant, follow-up exploratory multiple regression analyses for GPA and WFIRS scores were conducted. Each of these models included students’ component/supplementary scores from the Sentence Composition and Essay Composition subtests and Spelling subtest scores as predictors in each model. These scores were modestly to moderately correlated with one another ( r s = .13 −.55) and all variables demonstrated acceptable VIF values (< 10), indicating that the scores were not multicollinear. Together, the component/supplementary scores significantly predicted both student GPA and WFIRS scores in their respective models ( p values <.001). For the model predicting GPA, the Theme Development and Organization of Text component score was the only significant predictor ( β = .17). In contrast, Spelling scores ( β = −.15) and Grammar and Mechanics scores ( β = −.17) were significant predictors in the model predicting the WFIRS.

Latent Profile Analysis of Written Expression Abilities

The majority of fit statistics for the LPA indicated that either a four-profile or a five-profile solution best fit the data. The four-profile solution met all required model fit criteria. In contrast, the five-profile solution violated two selection criteria. Specifically, the five-profile solution produced a nonsignificant LMR test and included a profile that only consisted of 2.2% (n = 7) of individuals from the sample. Therefore, the four-profile solution was determined to be the optimal model for this sample, and the estimated mean scores for each WIAT score are presented in Figure 1 . In this model, a general pattern was observed within each profile; specifically, the tasks that required the most organizational skills and attention to detail (e.g., Theme Development/Organization of Text and Grammar/Mechanics) were among the lowest scores in the profiles. The “Poor Writer” profile exhibited this pattern with mean scores generally at or below 90, and the “Average Writer” profile, exhibited this pattern with mean scores within the Average range of the normative sample (90–110). The “Poor Essayist” Profile also exhibits this pattern, although there is a larger discrepancy between the highest and lowest scores. Interestingly, the “Good Writer” profile does not appear to exhibit this same pattern, but instead shows mean scores above the normative mean in all tasks.

4-class Solution for Latent Profile Analysis of Written Expression Abilities

Note. Percentages displayed next to class names indicate total proportion of sample whose scores are best represented by the estimated mean scores of that particular class.

This study sought to evaluate the prevalence of written expression impairment in a large sample of middle school age adolescents with ADHD and associations between writing abilities and academic impairment. In addition, specific patterns of writing abilities were explored using Latent Profile Analyses. Approximately 1 in 5 (22%) of students were identified as impaired in their written expression abilities using an underachievement method, and 17% were identified as impaired using a discrepancy method. Importantly, written expression abilities were associated with both school grades and parent perceptions of academic functioning above and beyond the influence of intelligence. Overall, the findings indicate that written expression impairment in ADHD exhibits a global pattern, with a majority of students exhibiting greater difficulty with tasks that require more attention to detail and organizational skills.

In regards to the prevalence of written expression impairment, the results supported the hypothesis that rates would be lower than previously reported estimates from clinic-based samples. Indeed, the prevalence of written expression underachievement in this sample (22%) was significantly lower than clinic-based estimates (e.g., 63%; Mayes & Calhoun, 2006 ). Previous research has shown that clinic-based samples tend to exhibit greater impairment in a variety of domains in comparison to non-clinic samples ( Gadow et al., 2001 ; Goodman et al., 1997 ). Therefore, clinic-based prevalence rates likely provide an overestimate of the true prevalence of writing impairment associated with ADHD. The two diagnostic methods also identified different groups of students as impaired, which is consistent with previous literature ( Siegel, 1999 ; Stanovich, 1986 ). Interestingly, the discrepancy method resulted in a smaller proportion of students in the sample being identified with written expression impairment. This finding supports the hypothesis that differences in prevalence rates found in this study as compared to past research are likely due to sample characteristics, rather than to the methods used to identify impairment. It is important to note that although the rate of written expression impairment in this sample was lower than previous clinic-based ADHD estimates, the rate according to the underachievement model (22%) is still higher than estimates reported in general population samples (8–15%) ( Lyon, 1996 ; Yoshimasu et al., 2011 ), and is similar to the rate of reading impairment found in this sample (24%).

The results of the hierarchical regression analyses generally supported the hypothesis that written expression abilities are significantly associated with academic outcomes. At the bivariate level, writing was significantly associated with GPA ( r = .358) and with parent-rated academics ( r = −.277) at levels comparable to that of reading ( r s = .296 and −.255) and mathematics ( r s = .445 and −.273). It should be noted that in the regressions written expression abilities accounted for only a small increase in the predictive ability of the models above and beyond covariates, explaining an additional 1% of the variance for GPA and 5% for WFIRS ratings. In the final model predicting GPA, intelligence accounted for the largest portion of the variance and in the model predicting parent ratings of academics, inattentive symptoms accounted for the most variance (see Table 3 ). The results of the exploratory regression analyses with all of the written expression subscales included separately varied depending on the academic outcome of interest. Specifically, students’ ability to develop organized and coherent written products was significantly associated with their GPA. In contrast, their spelling and grammar abilities were associated with their parents’ perceptions of their learning on the WFIRS. These associations may result from differences in teacher and parent experiences. Given that there is a shift to complex writing tasks as a central form of evaluation as students transition to middle school ( Poplin et al., 1980 ), teachers are likely to place high value on the content of students’ work. Parents, on the other hand, are more likely to have spent significant time helping their children with homework by checking for careless mistakes with spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Specifically, lack of attention to detail and making careless mistakes are core symptoms of ADHD, and parents frequently report that their children with ADHD rush through homework assignments ( Power, Werba, Watkins, Angelucci, & Eiraldi, 2006 ). Indeed, multiple studies have found that students with ADHD made significantly more grammatical mistakes and spelling errors than their non-ADHD peers, and these differences emerge as early as nine years of age ( Casas et al., 2013 ; Re et al., 2007 ). Thus, although middle school teachers are focused on teaching and evaluating complex writing skills such as theme organization and these skills in turn impact grades (i.e. GPA), careless mistakes with spelling and punctuation are likely to remain most salient from the parent perspective.

The individual writing subscales included in the exploratory regression analyses were also evaluated in an LPA. Of the profiles presented in the model, the majority appears to indicate that students with ADHD have more difficulty with tasks requiring increased attention to detail and organizational abilities. Profiles presented in a graded fashion; for example, mean scores in the “Poor Writer” profile were consistently lower than profiles in the “Average Writer” profile. The “Poor Essayist” profile showed the largest disparity between the scores of the basic writing tasks and the tasks requiring more organizational skills and attention to detail. This is not surprising, given that lack of attention to detail and difficulties with organization are core symptoms of ADHD. The “Good Writer” profile, however, did not fit this global pattern. The estimated mean scores in this profile were consistent across all tasks. This profile may represent a resilient group of students with ADHD who have average to above-average writing abilities in comparison to their non-ADHD peers.

Limitations

Although the current study makes several significant contributions to the literature, its methodology also presents some limitations. The cross-sectional nature of the data precludes causal relationship conclusions from being drawn regarding students’ written expression abilities and their academic outcomes. The cross-sectional data also fails to provide information about changes in written expression abilities over time. As a result, it is not clear whether the patterns elicited from the LPA are stable over time. For example, it is possible that the unique group of students struggling to put their skills together to generate a high quality essay may merge with those students who are globally skilled writers as they get more practicing creating complex written products. Finally, this study purposely limited the academic outcomes examined to two; one school-based metric (i.e. GPA) and one based upon parent perceptions. There are many ways to evaluate academic functioning and it is unclear whether the findings would generalize to other metrics, such as student or teacher perceptions of academics or statewide achievement tests.

Clinical Implications

The results of this study have a number of important clinical implications for educators and clinicians who work with middle school age adolescents with ADHD. First, written expression impairment is clearly a common phenomenon in this population. Therefore, it is important to consider specifically screening students’ written expression abilities if they meet criteria for ADHD. However, the methodology used in the current study presents a practical limitation for educators and clinicians. The WIAT Written Expression subtest requires a significant time commitment to administer (30 minutes) and score (30–45 minutes) and may not be feasible to administer for screening purposes. Other, more feasible strategies include using a brief screening tool or evaluating a written assignment using holistic ratings or CBM strategies. Regardless of the method chosen, it is important to note that there are questions about the stability of LD diagnoses when relying on standardized testing. For example, Silver and colleagues (1999) found that only around half of students who met criteria for an LD diagnosis based on testing results met criteria at a 19-month follow-up. These findings suggest that testing from a single time point may be unreliable and that additional evidence is needed for a diagnosis even if students screen positively for LD based on test scores. Schools using the RTI model would likely use a more comprehensive strategy, such as broadly and quickly screening at Tier 1 and following up with those students who are struggling despite evidence-based classroom practices with more intensive screening at Tier 2. Alternatively, educators could first focus on the educational impairment aspect of Dombrowski et al.’s (2004) dual-deficit model. This strategy could involve a systematic review of students’ grades and statewide standardized achievement scores and gathering feedback from parents and teachers regarding written expression abilities. Students who are classified as exhibiting writing impairment using those methods would then be assessed using the WIAT or another appropriate tool. It should also be noted that evaluating student performance on standardized tests of academic achievement is only one aspect of a complex process of determining the validity of an SLD diagnosis. The student’s academic history should be considered, and a number of alternative explanations for poor academic performance (e.g., sensory/motor deficits, language barriers) should be examined before a diagnosis is given.

The association found in this study between written expression abilities and academic outcomes above and beyond reading and intelligence suggests that targeted writing intervention could lead to improved academic outcomes. Unfortunately, current psychosocial interventions for ADHD do not incorporate writing skills ( Evans, Owens, & Bunford, 2014 ), and evidence for interventions that target written expression abilities is scarce. The few interventions that have been investigated in the literature are varied in their focus. For example, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is an intervention – which can be implemented in a one-on-one, small group, or classroom-wide setting – designed to improve students’ planning and organization skills when creating written work ( Jacobson & Reid, 2012 ; Lane et al., 2008 ). In contrast, assistive technology interventions (e.g., word processing programs) target the skills necessary to translate a general plan into a written product ( Hetzroni & Shrieber, 2004 ; Quinlan, 2004 ). For some students, specifically those who appear to struggle with the complex task of composing an essay, using an intervention such as SRSD that focuses on helping students plan and organize their written work is likely to lead to improvement on its own. However, given the results of the current study suggest written expression impairment in students with ADHD is largely global in nature, using interventions that only target a subset of writing skills may leave students impaired in other domains. Finally, writing interventions may need to be tailored to be effective for students with ADHD who often have significant difficulty maintaining focus during academic tasks. Specifically, it seems likely that at a minimum, evidence-based behavior management strategies will need to be incorporated into the writing intervention curriculum.

Future Directions

To expand upon this study’s findings, future research should seek to accomplish several goals. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to evaluate the association between writing and academic outcomes in a sample of youth with ADHD, above and beyond important covariates. However, the study was cross-sectional and a significantly more compelling case for intervention would exist if there were evidence that written expression abilities at an earlier time point predicted academic outcomes at a later point. Similarly, a longitudinal evaluation of changes in written expression abilities would also advance the literature. It is possible that students with ADHD are simply delayed in their written expression development, and they may eventually catch up to their peers. On the other hand, these patterns may persist over time or worsen as the importance of written expression for academic success continues to increase in high school and postsecondary education settings. In essence, longitudinal studies would shed light on whether there is truly a need for specific writing interventions for students with ADHD. Further research also needs to be conducted to determine how current ADHD treatment options – specifically stimulant medication use – impacts written expression. Current evidence is mixed, but there is some support that stimulant medication may lead to indirect improvement in academic skills, including written expression ( Evans et al., 2001 ). Stimulants may have similar effects on the writing process. Completing a writing assignment requires long periods of sustained attention, and stimulant medication may facilitate students’ abilities to maintain their attention throughout the task. However, medication will likely have a smaller impact on students’ coherent organization of ideas. Additional work is needed to determine what, if any, improvements can be observed through stimulant medication use.

Conclusions

In summary, in a large school-based sample of adolescents with ADHD, approximately 1 in 5 students exhibited written expression impairment. Further, written expression abilities were found to be associated with both grades and parent perceptions of academic success above and beyond intelligence and other relevant covariates. The majority of students in the sample exhibited competence in basic writing tasks (e.g., spelling and sentence composition) and worse performance in more complex tasks (e.g., essay composition). One group, labeled “poor essayist” (16% of sample), demonstrated above average competence in basic writing tasks but had average scores on the essay composition tasks that were nearly two standard deviations below their basic writing scores. Future longitudinal research is needed to uncover the full impact of writing abilities on the academic success of students with ADHD, especially as the importance of writing continues to increase as students move through middle school and into high school.

• Written Expression impairment examined in sample of 326 adolescents with ADHD
• Rates of written expression impairment were similar to reading and math impairment
• Rates in this school sample were lower than previously reported clinical samples
• Writing abilities predicted GPA and parent ratings beyond IQ and other covariates
• Organization and attention to detail were most difficult aspects of writing process

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by grant number R01 MH082865 awarded to Joshua Langberg and Steve Evans by the National Institute of Mental Health.

The contents of this article do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health and do not imply endorsement by the federal government.

Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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• Writing Help for ADHD Students

Updated 2024.

Typically, students with ADHD produce a wealth of ideas about an essay writing topic. Yet over 60% of students with ADHD struggle to get their ideas down on paper.

For most students with ADHD, writing assignments are torturous.

Because students with ADHD often have trouble separating dominant (main) ideas from less dominant (subordinate) ideas, even starting a writing assignment can be an arduous and anxiety filled experience.

But none of these difficulties needs to keep your ADHD child from writing successfully in school. Use the eight strategies below to help your child write more easily and successfully.

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Blog > Common App , Essay Advice , Personal Statement > How to Write a College Essay About ADHD

How to Write a College Essay About ADHD

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University Admissions

Key Takeaway

ADHD and ADD are becoming more prevalent, more frequently diagnosed, and better understood.

The exact number of college students with ADHD is unclear with estimates ranging wildly from just 2% to 16% or higher.

Regardless of the raw numbers, an ADHD diagnosis feels very personal, and it is not surprising that many students consider writing a college essay about ADHD.

If you are thinking about writing about ADHD, consider these three approaches. From our experience in admissions offices, we’ve found them to be the most successful.

First, a Note on the Additional Information Section

Before we get into the three approaches, I want to note that your Common App personal statement isn’t the only place you can communicate information about your experiences to admissions officers.

You can also use the additional information section.

The additional information section is less formal than your personal statement. It doesn’t have to be in essay format, and what you write there will simply give your admissions officers context. In other words, admissions officers won’t be evaluating what you write in the additional information section in the same way they’ll evaluate your personal statement.

You might opt to put information about your ADHD (or any other health or mental health situations) in the additional information section so that admissions officers are still aware of your experiences but you still have the flexibility to write your personal statement on whatever topic you choose.

Three Ways to Write Your College Essay About ADHD

If you feel like the additional information section isn’t your best bet and you’d prefer to write about ADHD in your personal statement or a supplemental essay, you might find one of the following approaches helpful.

1) Using ADHD to understand your trends in high school and looking optimistically towards college

This approach takes the reader on a journey from struggle and confusion in earlier years, through a diagnosis and the subsequent fallout, to the present with more wisdom and better grades, and then ends on a note about the future and what college will hold.

If you were diagnosed somewhere between 8th and 10th grade, this approach might work well for you. It can help you contextualize a dip in grades at the beginning of high school and emphasize that your upward grade trend is here to stay.

The last part—looking optimistically towards college—is an important component of this approach because you want to signal to admissions officers that you’ve learned to manage the challenges you’ve faced in the past and are excited about the future.

I will warn you: there is a possible downside to this approach. Because it’s a clear way to communicate grade blips in your application, it is one of the most common ways to write a college essay about ADHD. Common doesn’t mean it’s bad or off-limits, but it does mean that your essay will have to work harder to stand out.

2) ADHD as a positive

Many students with ADHD tell us about the benefits of their diagnosis. If you have ADHD, you can probably relate.

Students tend to name strengths like quick, creative problem-solving, compassion and empathy, a vivid imagination, or a keen ability to observe details that others usually miss. Those are all great traits for college (and beyond).

If you identify a strength of your ADHD, your essay could focus less on the journey through the diagnosis and more on what your brain does really well. You can let an admissions officer into your world by leading them through your thought processes or through a particular instance of innovation.

Doing so will reveal to admissions officers something that makes you unique, and you’ll be able to write seamlessly about a core strength that’s important to you. Of course, taking this approach will also help your readers naturally infer why you would do great in college.

3) ADHD helps me empathize with others

Students with ADHD often report feeling more empathetic to others around them. They know what it is like to struggle and can be the first to step up to help others.

If this rings true to you, you might consider taking this approach in your personal statement.

If so, we recommend connecting it to at least one extracurricular or academic achievement to ground your writing in what admissions officers are looking for.

A con to this approach is that many people have more severe challenges than ADHD, so take care to read the room and not overstate your challenge.

Key Takeaways + An Example

If ADHD is a significant part of your story and you’re considering writing your personal statement about it, consider one of these approaches. They’ll help you frame the topic in a way admissions officers will respond to, and you’ll be able to talk about an important part of your life while emphasizing your strengths.

And if you want to read an example of a college essay about ADHD, check out one of our example personal statements, The Old iPhone .

As you go, remember that your job throughout your application is to craft a cohesive narrative —and your personal statement is the anchor of that narrative. How you approach it matters.

Liked that? Try this next.

The Incredible Power of a Cohesive College Application

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12 Common App Essay Examples (Graded by Former Admissions Officers)

How to Write a Personal Statement for Colleges

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Psychiatry & Mental Health — Adhd

ADHD ( Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Essay Examples

Adhd essay topics and outline examples, essay title 1: understanding adhd: causes, symptoms, and treatment.

Thesis Statement: This research essay aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), including its possible causes, common symptoms, and various treatment approaches.

• Introduction
• Defining ADHD: An Overview
• Possible Causes of ADHD: Genetic, Environmental, and Neurological Factors
• Symptoms and Diagnosis: Recognizing ADHD in Children and Adults
• Treatment Options: Medication, Behavioral Therapy, and Lifestyle Interventions
• The Impact of ADHD on Daily Life: School, Work, and Relationships
• Current Research and Future Directions in ADHD Studies
• Conclusion: Enhancing Understanding and Support for Individuals with ADHD

Essay Title 2: ADHD in Children: Educational Challenges and Supportive Strategies

Thesis Statement: This research essay focuses on the educational challenges faced by children with ADHD, explores effective strategies for supporting their learning, and highlights the importance of early intervention.

• Educational Implications of ADHD: Academic, Social, and Emotional Impact
• Supportive Classroom Strategies: Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans
• Teacher and Parent Collaboration: Creating a Supportive Learning Environment
• Alternative Learning Approaches: Montessori, Waldorf, and Inclusive Education
• ADHD Medication in the Educational Context: Benefits and Considerations
• Early Intervention and the Role of Pediatricians and School Counselors
• Conclusion: Nurturing Academic Success and Well-Being in Children with ADHD

Essay Title 3: ADHD in Adulthood: Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Stigma

Thesis Statement: This research essay examines the often overlooked topic of ADHD in adults, discussing the challenges faced, coping mechanisms employed, and the impact of societal stigma on individuals with adult ADHD.

• ADHD Persisting into Adulthood: Recognizing the Symptoms
• Challenges Faced by Adults with ADHD: Work, Relationships, and Self-Esteem
• Coping Strategies and Treatment Options for Adult ADHD
• The Role of Mental Health Support: Therapy, Coaching, and Self-Help
• ADHD Stigma and Misconceptions: Impact on Diagnosis and Treatment
• Personal Stories of Triumph: Overcoming ADHD-Related Obstacles
• Conclusion: Raising Awareness and Providing Support for Adults with ADHD

Behavioral Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Support

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The Effect of ADHD on The Life of an Individual

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ADHD: The Child/teacher Struggle

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How Fidgeting Actually Contributes to a Lack of Focus in Students

Diagnosing dyscalculia and adhd diagnosis in schools, the issue of social injustice of misdiagnosed children with adhd.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by excessive amounts of inattention, carelessness, hyperactivity (which evolves into inner restlessness in adulthood), and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing, and otherwise age-inappropriate.

The major symptoms are inattention, carelessness, hyperactivity (evolves into restlessness in adults), executive dysfunction, and impulsivity.

The management of ADHD typically involves counseling or medications, either alone or in combination. While treatment may improve long-term outcomes, it does not get rid of negative outcomes entirely. Medications used include stimulants, atomoxetine, alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists, and sometimes antidepressants. In those who have trouble focusing on long-term rewards, a large amount of positive reinforcement improves task performance.ADHD stimulants also improve persistence and task performance in children with ADHD.

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162 ADHD Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for ADHD topics to write about? ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a very common condition nowadays. It is definitely worth analyzing.

🔝 Top 10 ADHD Research Topics

🏆 best adhd essay examples, 💡 most interesting adhd topics to write about, 🎓 exciting adhd essay topics, 🔥 hot adhd topics to write about, 👍 adhd research paper topics, ❓ research questions about adhd.

In your ADHD essay, you might want to focus on the causes or symptoms of this condition. Another idea is to concentrate on the treatments for ADHD in children and adults. Whether you are looking for an ADHD topic for an argumentative essay, a research paper, or a dissertation, our article will be helpful. We’ve collected top ADHD essay examples, research paper titles, and essay topics on ADHD.

• ADHD and its subtypes
• The most common symptoms of ADHD
• The causes of ADHD: genetics, environment, or both?
• ADHD and the changes in brain structures
• ADHD and motivation
• Treating ADHD: the new trends
• Behavioral therapy as ADHD treatment
• Natural remedies for ADHD
• ADD vs. ADHD: is there a difference?
• Living with ADHD: the main challenges
• Learning Disabilities: Differentiating ADHD and EBD As for the most appropriate setting, it is possible to seat the child near the teacher. It is possible to provide instructions with the help of visual aids.
• Everything You Need to Know About ADHD The frontal hemisphere of the brain is concerned with coordination and a delay in development in this part of the brain can lead to such kind of disorder.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD / ADHD) Some critics maintain that the condition is a work of fiction by the psychiatric and pharmacists who have taken advantage of distraught families’ attempts to comprehend the behaviour of their children to dramatise the condition.
• Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Real? In fact, the existence of the condition, its treatment and diagnosis, have been considered controversial topics since the condition was first suggested in the medical, psychology and education.
• Cognitive Therapy for Attention Deficit Disorder The counselor is thus expected to assist the self-reflection and guide it in the direction that promises the most favorable outcome as well as raise the client’s awareness of the effect and, by extension, enhance […]
• “Stress” Video and “A Natural Fix for ADHD” Article There certainly are some deeper reasons for people to get stressed, and the video documentary “Stress: Portrait of a Killer” and the article “A Natural Fix for A.D.H.D”.by Dr.
• ADHD and Its Effects on the Development of a Child In particular, this research study’s focus is the investigation of the impact of household chaos on the development and behavior of children with ADHD.
• The History of ADHD Treatment: Drug Addiction Disorders Therefore, the gathered data would be classified by year, treatment type, and gender to better comprehend the statistical distribution of the prevalence of drug addiction.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Recommended Therapy The condition affects the motivational functioning and abnormal cognitive and behavioural components of the brain. Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex contributed to a lack of alertness and shortened attention in the brain’s short-term memory.
• Rhetorical Modes Anthology on Attention Deficit Disorder It clearly outlines the origin and early symptoms of the disorder and the scientist who discovered attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Summary & Validity: This article describes the causes of hyperactivity disorder and the potential factors […]
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Young Girl The particular objective was to assist Katie in becoming more focused and capable of finishing her chores. The patient received the same amount of IR Ritalin and was required to continue taking it for an […]
• Similarities and Differences: SPD, ADHD, and ASD The three disorders, Sensory Processing Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, are often confused with each other due to the connections and similarities that exist.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness According to Sayal et al, ADHD is common in young boys as it is easier to identify the problem. The disorder is well-known, and there is no struggle to identify the problem.
• Assessing the Personality Profile With ADHD Characteristics On the contrary, the study was able to understand significant changes in the emotional states and mood of the children when the observations and the tests ended.
• Aspects of ADHD Patients Well-Being This goal can be achieved through the help of mental health and behavioral counselors to enhance behavioral modification and the ability to cope with challenges calmly and healthily.
• ADHD and Problems With Sleep This is because of the activity of a person in the middle of the day and the condition around them. The downside of the study is that the study group included 52 adults with ADHD […]
• The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment It has been estimated that when medicine and therapy are applied as treatment together, the outcomes for children with ADHD are excellent.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Organization’s Mission Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is an organization that is determined to handle individuals affected by ADHD. The organization was founded in 1987 following the rampant frustration and isolation that parents experienced due to […]
• Case Conceptualization: Abuse-Mediated ADHD Patient The case provides insight into the underlying causes of James’s educational problems and the drug abuse of his parents. The case makes it evident that the assumption from the first case conceptualization about James’s ADHD […]
• Change: Dealing With Patients With ADHD In the current workplace, the most appropriate change would be the increase in the awareness of nurses regarding the methods of dealing with patients with ADHD.
• Dealing With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Although my experience is not dramatic, it clearly shows how untreated ADHD leads to isolation and almost depression. However, the question arises of what is the norm, how to define and measure it.
• Parents’ Perception of Attending an ADHD Clinic The main principles of the clinic’s specialists should be an objective diagnosis of the neurological status of the child and the characteristics of his/her behavior, the selection of drug treatment only on the basis of […]
• ADHD: Mental Disorder Based on Symptoms The DSM-5 raised the age limit from 6 to 12 for qualifying the disorder in children and now requires five instead of six inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.
• Understanding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Thus, the smaller sizes of the reviewed brain structures associated with ADHD result in problems with attention, memory, and controlling movement and emotional responses.
• Effective Therapies for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder The problem at hand is that there is a need to determine which of the therapies administered is effective in the management of ADHD.
• Participants of “ADHD Outside the Laboratory” Study The participants in the testing group and those in the control group were matched for age within 6 months, for IQ within 15 points and finally for performance on the tasks of the study.
• Variables in “ADHD Outside the Laboratory” Study The other variables are the videogames, matching exercise and the zoo navigation exercise used to test the performance of the boys.
• Different Types of Diets and Children’s ADHD Treatment The last factor is a trigger that can lead to the development of a child’s genes’ reaction. Thus, diet is one of the factors that can help prevent the development of ADHD.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children The consistent utilization of effective praises and social rewards indeed results in the behavioral orientation of the child following the treatment goals.
• Reward and Error Processing in ADHD: Looking Into the Neurophysiological and the Behavioral Measures The study was mainly concerned with looking into the neurophysiological and to some extent the behavioral measures utilized in self regulation particularly in children suffering from attention – deficit hyperactivity disorder and those who are […]
• Vyvanse – ADD and ADHD Medicine Company Analysis It is produced by Shire and New River Pharmaceuticals in its inactive form which has to undergo digestion in the stomach and through the first-pass metabolic effect in the liver into L-lysine, an amino acid […]
• Dealing With the Disruptive Behaviors of ADHD and Asperger Syndrome Students While teaching in a class that has students with ADHD and Asperger syndrome, the teacher should ensure that they give instructions that are simple and easy to follow.
• Behavioral Parenting Training to Treat Children With ADHD These facts considered, it is possible to state that the seriousness of ADHD accounts for the necessity of the use of behavioral parental training as the treatment of the disorder.
• Current Issues in Psychopharmacology: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder This is the area that is charged with the responsibility for vision control as well as a regulation of one’s brain’s ability to go to aresynchronize’ and go to rest.
• Cognitive Psychology and Attention Deficit Disorder On top of the difficulties in regulating alertness and attention, many individuals with ADD complain of inabilities to sustain effort for duties.
• ADHD Symptoms in Children However, there are some concerns in identifying the children with ADHD.described in a report that support should be initiated from the parents in, recognizing the problem and seeking the help of the educational professionals.2.
• Adult and Paediatric Psychology: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder To allow children to exercise their full life potential, and not have any depression-caused impairment in the social, academic, behavioral, and emotional field, it is vital to reveal this disorder as early in life, as […]
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Biological Testing The research, leading to the discovery of the Biological testing for ADHD was conducted in Thessaloniki, Greece with 65 children volunteering for the research. There is a large difference in the eye movement of a […]
• Issues in the Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children Concept theories concerning the nature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder influence treatment, the approach to the education of children with ADHD, and the social perception of this disease.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Care Controversy The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy, in terms of symptoms and function, and safety of “once-daily dose-optimized GXR compared with placebo in the treatment of children and adolescents aged 6 17 […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Interventions The authors examine a wide range of past studies that reported on the effects of peer inclusion interventions and present the overall results, showing why further research on peer inclusion interventions for children with ADHD […]
• Sociodemographic and Cultural Factors of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children at this age have particular difficulties in retaining and concentrating attention and in controlling behavior, and this stage is sensitive to the development of these abilities. The general problem is the increase in prevalence […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a Child A child counselor works with children to help them become mentally and emotionally stable. The case that is examined in this essay is a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drug-Free Therapy The proposed study aims to create awareness of the importance of interventions with ADHD among parents refusing to use medication. The misperceptions about ADHD diagnosis and limited use of behavioral modification strategies may be due […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Psychosocial Interventions The mentioned components and specifically the effects of the condition on a child and his family would be the biggest challenge in the case of Derrick.
• The Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD Cortese et al.state that cognitive behavioral therapy is overall a practical approach to the treatment of the condition, which would be the primary intervention in this case.
• The Attention Deficit Hypersensitivity Disorder in Education Since ADHD is a topic of a condition that has the potential to cripple the abilities of a person, I have become attached to it much.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Comorbidities Due to the effects that ADHD has on patients’ relationships with their family members and friends, the development of comorbid health problems becomes highly possible.
• Medicating Kids to Treat ADHD The traditional view is that the drugs for the disorder are some of the safest in the psychiatric practice, while the dangers posed by untreated ADHD include failure in studies, inability to construct social connections, […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Signs and Strategies Determining the presence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a child and addressing the disorder is often a rather intricate process because of the vagueness that surrounds the issue.
• Attention Deficit Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment The patient lives with her parents and 12-year-old brother in a middle-class neighborhood. Her father has a small business, and her mother works part-time in a daycare center.
• Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism It is possible to state that the book provides rather a high-quality review of the issues about the identification, education, and upbringing of the 2e children.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Case Review On the other hand, Mansour’s was observed to have difficulties in the simple tasks that he was requested to perform. Mansour’s appears to be in the 3rd phase of growth.
• Treatment of Children With ADHD Because of the lack of sufficient evidence concerning the effects of various treatment methods for ADHD, as well as the recent Ritalin scandal, the idea of treating children with ADHD with the help of stimulant […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Medicalization This paper discusses the phenomenon of medicalization of ADHD, along with the medicalization of other aspects perceived as deviant or atypical, it will also review the clash of scientific ideas and cultural assumptions where medicalization […]
• Medication and Its Role in the ADHD Treatment Similar inferences can be inferred from the findings of the research conducted by Reid, Trout and Schartz that revealed that medication is the most appropriate treatment of the symptoms associated with ADHD.
• Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder The purpose of the present research is to understand the correlation between the self-esteem of children with ADHD and the use of medication and the disorder’s characteristics.
• Psychology: Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder It is important to pay attention to the development of proper self-esteem in children as it can negatively affect their development and performance in the future.
• Natural Remedies for ADHD The key peculiarity of ADHD is that a patient displays several of these symptoms, and they are observed quite regularly. Thus, one can say that proper diet can be effective for the treatment of attention […]
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Children With ADHD The study revealed that the skills acquired by the children in the sessions were relevant in the long term since the children’s behaviors were modeled entirely.
• Is Attention Deficit Disorder a Real Disorder? When Medicine Faces Controversial Issues In addition, it is necessary to mention that some of the symptoms which the children in the case study displayed could to be considered as the ones of ADHD.
• Foods That Effect Children With ADHD/ ADD Therefore, it is the duty of parents to identify specific foods and food additives that lead to hyperactivity in their children.
• Toby Diagnosed: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder The symptoms of the disorder are usually similar to those of other disorder and this increases the risks of misdiagnosing it or missing it all together.
• Identifying, Assessing and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder For these criteria to be effective in diagnosing a child with ADHD, the following symptoms have to be present so that the child can be labelled as having ADHD; the child has to have had […]
• ADHD Should Be Viewed as a Cognitive Disorder The manifestation of the disorder and the difficulties that they cause, as posited by the American Psychiatric Association, are typically more pronounced when a person is involved in some piece of work such as studying […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Influence on the Adolescents’ Behavior That is why the investigation was developed to prove or disprove such hypotheses as the dependence of higher rates of anxiety of adolescents with ADHD on their diagnosis, the dependence of ODD and CD in […]
• Stroop Reaction Time on Adults With ADHD The model was used to investigate the effectiveness of processes used in testing interference control and task-set management in adults with ADHD disorder.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Causes Family studies, relationship studies of adopted children, twin studies and molecular research have all confirmed that, ADHD is a genetic disorder.
• Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD The diagnosis of ADHD has drawn a lot of attention from scientific and academic circles as some scholars argue that there are high levels of over diagnosis of the disorder.
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder As it would be observed, some of the symptoms associated with the disorder for children would differ from those of adults suffering from the same condition in a number of ways.
• Working Memory in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Whereas many studies have indicated the possibility of the beneficial effects of WM training on people with ADHD, critics have dismissed them on the basis of flawed research design and interpretation.
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Basic Information in a Nutshell In the case with adults, however, the definition of the disorder will be quite different from the one which is provided for a child ADHD.
• How ADHD Develops Into Adult ADD The development of dominance is vital in processing sensations and information, storage and the subsequent use of the information. As they become teenagers, there is a change in the symptoms of ADHD.
• Medical Condition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder A combination of impulsive and inattentive types is referred to as a full blown ADHD condition. To manage this condition, an array of medical, behavioral, counseling, and lifestyle modification is the best combination.
• Effects of Medication on Education as Related to ADHD In addition, as Rabiner argues, because of the hyperactivity and impulsivity reducing effect of ADHD drugs, most ADHD suffers are nowadays able to learn in an indistinguishable class setting, because of the reduced instances of […]
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment Generally the results indicate that children with ADHD had a difficult time in evaluating time concepts and they seemed to be impaired in orientation of time.
• The Ritalin Fact Book: Stimulants Use in the ADHD Treatment Facts presented by each side of the critical issue The yes side of the critical issue makes it clear that the drugs being used to control ADHD are harmful as they affect the normal growth […]
• Behavior Modification in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Introduction The objective of the article is to offer a description of the process of behavior modification for a child diagnosed with ADHD.
• What Is ADHD and How Does It Affect Kids
• The Benefits of Physical Activities in Combating the Symptoms of ADHD in Students
• The Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity as Intervention for Children with ADHD
• What Are the Effects of ADHD in the Classroom
• Are Children Being Diagnosed with ADHD too Hastily
• The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on ADHD
• Understanding ADHD, Its Effects, Symptoms, and Approach to Children with ADHD
• ADHD Stimulant Medication Abuse and Misuse Among U.S. Teens
• Severity of ADHD and Anxiety Rise if Both Develop
• The Best Approach to Dealing with Attention Deficit/Herpactivity Disorder or ADHD in Children
• An Analysis of the Potential Causes and Treatment Methods for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Young Children
• The Best Way to Deal with Your Child Who Struggles with ADHD
• Response Inhibition in Children with ADHD
• Behavioral and Pharmacological Treatment of Children with ADHD
• Symptoms And Symptoms Of ADHD, Depression, And Anxiety
• Bioethics in Intervention in the Deficit Attention Hyperkinetic Disorder (ADHD)
• The Effects of Children’s ADHD on Parents’ Relationship Dissolution and Labor Supply
• The Effects of Pharmacological Treatment of ADHD on Children’s Health
• The Educational Implications Of ADHD On School Aged Children
• Differences in Perception in Children with ADHD
• The Effects Of ADHD On Children And Education System Child
• Students With ADD/ADHD and Class Placement
• The Advantage and Disadvantage of Using Psychostimulants in the Treatment of ADHD
• How to Increase Medication Compliance in Children with ADHD
• Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD
• Scientists Probe ADHD Treatment for Long Term Management of the Disease
• Should Stimulants Be Prescribed for ADHD Children
• The Rise of ADHD and the an Analysis of the Drugs Prescribed for Treatment
• The Correlation Between Smoking During Pregnancy And ADHD
• Exploring Interventions Improving Workplace Behavior In Adults With ADHD
• The Promise of Music and Art in Treating ADHD
• The Struggle Of ADHD Medication And Over Diagnosis
• The Problems of Detecting ADHD in Children
• The Harmful Effects of ADHD Medication in Children
• The Symptoms and Treatment of ADHD in Children and Teenagers
• The Impact of Adult ADD/ADHD on Education
• The Experience of Having the ADHD Disorder
• The Young Children And Children With ADHD, And Thinking Skills
• The Use of Ritalin in Treating ADD and ADHD
• The Ethics Of Giving Children ADHD Medication
• The Importance of Correctly Diagnosing ADHD in Children
• The Rise in ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment within the United States of America
• The World of ADHD Children
• The Use of Drug Therapies for Children with ADHD
• What Are the Effects of ADHD in the Classroom?
• Does ADHD Affect Essay Writing?
• What Are the Three Main Symptoms of ADHD?
• How Does ADHD Medication Affect the Brain?
• What Can ADHD Lead To?
• Is ADHD Legitimate Medical Diagnosis or Socially Constructed Disorder?
• How Does Art Help Children With ADHD?
• What Are the Four Types of ADHD?
• Can Sports Affect Impulse Control in Children With ADHD?
• What Age Does ADHD Peak?
• How Can You Tell if an Adult Has ADHD?
• Should Antihypertensive Drugs Be Used for Curing ADHD?
• How Does ADHD Affect Cognitive Development?
• Is Adult ADHD a Risk Factor for Dementia or Phenotypic Mimic?
• How Are People With ADHD Seen in Society?
• Can Additional Training Help Close the ADHD Gender Gap?
• How Does School Systems Deal With ADHD?
• Are Children With Low Working Memory and Children With ADHD Same or Different?
• How Does ADHD Affect School Performance?
• Should Children With ADHD Be Medicated?
• How Does Society View Children With ADHD?
• What Do Researches Tell Us About Students With ADHD in the Chilean Context?
• Why Should Teachers Understand ADHD?
• Does DD/ADHD Exist?
• What Are Some Challenges of ADHD?
• Why Is ADHD an Important Topic to Discuss?
• Is ADHD Born or Developed?
• Can ADHD Cause Lack of Emotion?
• Does ADHD Affect Females?
• Is ADHD on the Autism Spectrum?
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ADHD is my superpower: A personal essay

A Story About a Kid

In 1989, I was 7 years old and just starting first grade. Early in the school year, my teacher arranged a meeting with my parents and stated that she thought that I might be “slow” because I wasn’t performing in class to the same level as the other kids. She even volunteered to my parents that perhaps a “special” class would be better for me at a different school.

Thankfully, my parents rejected the idea that I was “slow” out of hand, as they knew me at home as a bright, talkative, friendly, and curious kid — taking apart our VHS machines and putting them back together, filming and writing short films that I’d shoot with neighborhood kids, messing around with our new Apple IIgs computer!

The school, however, wanted me to see a psychiatrist and have IQ tests done to figure out what was going on. To this day, I remember going to the office and meeting with the team — and I even remember having a blast doing the IQ tests. I remember I solved the block test so fast that the clinician was caught off guard and I had to tell them that I was done — but I also remember them trying to have me repeat numbers back backwards and I could barely do it!

Being Labeled

The prognosis was that I was high intelligence and had attention-deficit disorder (ADD). They removed the hyperactive part because I wasn’t having the type of behavioral problems like running around the classroom (I’ll cover later why I now proudly identify as hyperactive). A week later, my pediatrician started me on Ritalin and I was told several things that really honestly messed me up.

I was told that I had a “learning disability” — which, to 7-year-old me, didn’t make any sense since I LOVED learning! I was told that I would take my tests in a special room so that I’d have fewer distractions. So, the other kids would watch me walk out of the classroom and ask why I left the room when tests were happening — and they, too, were informed that I had a learning disability.

As you can imagine, kids aren’t really lining up to be friends with the “disabled” kid, nor did they hold back on playground taunts around the issue.

These were very early days, long before attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was well known, and long before people had really figured out how to talk to kids with neurodiversities . And as a society, we didn’t really have a concept that someone who has a non-typical brain can be highly functional — it was a time when we didn’t know that the world’s richest man was on the autism spectrum !

Growing Past a Label

I chugged my way through elementary school, then high school, then college — getting consistent B’s and C’s. What strikes me, looking back nearly 30 years later, is just how markedly inconsistent my performance was! In highly interactive environments, or, ironically, the classes that were the most demanding, I did very well! In the classes that moved the slowest or required the most amount of repetition, I floundered.

Like, I got a good grade in the AP Biology course with a TON of memorization, but it was so demanding and the topics were so varied and fast-paced that it kept me engaged! On the opposite spectrum, being in basic algebra the teacher would explain the same simple concept over and over, with rote problem practice was torturously hard to stay focused because the work was so simple.

And that’s where we get to the part explaining why I think of my ADHD as a superpower, and why if you have it, or your kids have it, or your spouse has it… the key to dealing with it is understanding how to harness the way our brains work.

Learning to Thrive with ADHD

Disclaimer : What follows is NOT medical advice, nor is it necessarily 100% accurate. This is my personal experience and how I’ve come to understand my brain via working with my therapist and talking with other people with ADHD.

A Warp Speed Brain

To have ADHD means that your brain is an engine that’s constantly running at high speed. It basically never stops wanting to process information at a high rate. The “attention” part is just an observable set of behaviors when an ADHD person is understimulated. This is also part of why I now openly associate as hyperactive — my brain is hyperactive! It’s constantly on warp speed and won’t go any other speed.

For instance, one of the hardest things for me to do is fill out a paper check. It’s simple, it’s obvious, there is nothing to solve, it just needs to be filled out. By the time I have started writing the first stroke of the first character, my mind is thinking about things that I need to think about. I’m considering what to have for dinner, then I’m thinking about a movie I want to see, then I come up with an email to send — all in a second. 

I have to haullll myself out of my alternate universe and back to the task at hand and, like a person hanging on the leash of a horse that’s bolting, I’m struggling to just write out the name of the person who I’m writing the check to! This is why ADHD people tend to have terrible handwriting, we’re not able to just only think about moving the pen, we’re in 1,000 different universes.

On the other hand, this entire blog post was written in less than an hour and all in one sitting. I’m having to think through a thousand aspects all at once. My dialog: “Is this too personal? Maybe you should put a warning about this being a personal discussion? Maybe I shouldn’t share this? Oh, the next section should be about working. Should I keep writing more of these?”

And because there is so much to think through and consider for a public leader like myself to write such a personal post, it’s highly engaging! My engine can run at full speed. I haven’t stood up for the entire hour, and I haven’t engaged in other nervous habits I have like picking things up — I haven’t done any of it! 

This is what’s called hyperfocus, and it’s the part of ADHD that can make us potentially far more productive than our peers. I’ve almost arranged my whole life around making sure that I can get myself into hyperfocus as reliably as possible.

Harnessing What My Brain Is Built For

Slow-moving meetings are very difficult for me, but chatting in 20 different chat rooms at the same time on 20 different subjects is very easy for me — so you’ll much more likely see me in chat rooms than scheduling additional meetings. Knowing what my brain is built for helps me organize my schedule, work, and commitments that I sign up for to make sure that I can be as productive as possible.

If you haven’t seen the movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and you are ADHD or love someone who is, you should immediately go watch it! The first time I saw it, I loved it, but I had no idea that one of its writers was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult , and decided to write a sci-fi movie about an ADHD person! The moment I read that it was about having ADHD my heart exploded. It resonated so much with me and it all made sense.

Practically, the only real action in the movie is a woman who needs to file her taxes. Now, don’t get me wrong — it’s a universe-tripping adventure that is incredibly exciting, but if you even take a step back and look at it, really, she was just trying to do her taxes.

But, she has a superpower of being able to travel into universes and be… everywhere all at once. Which is exactly how it feels to be in my mind — my brain is zooming around the universe and it’s visiting different thoughts and ideas and emotions. And if you can learn how to wield that as a power, albeit one that requires careful handling, you can do things that most people would never be able to do!

Co-workers have often positively noted that I see solutions that others miss and I’m able to find a course of action that takes account of multiple possibilities when the future is uncertain (I call it being quantum brained). Those two attributes have led me to create groundbreaking new technologies and build large teams with great open cultures and help solve problems and think strategically. 

It took me until I was 39 to realize that ADHD isn’t something that I had to overcome to have the career I’ve had — it’s been my superpower .

Published Jul 15, 2022

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Breaking Barriers: My Battle with ADHD

In a prize-winning essay about overcoming obstacles, a child with attention deficit disorder explains the effects of adhd on his life. from enlisting the help of family members to keeping a journal, this is how jack prey manages his diagnosis..

Have you ever been working on something important, when a song pops into your head? Then that leads you to think of something in the song about flying, which leads you to play with your remote control glider? Next thing you know, it’s dinnertime, and you haven’t finished the homework you started two hours before.

That’s what it’s like to have Attention Deficit Disorder. I know because I’ve had ADHD for as long as I can remember. For me, ADHD means that I can’t focus whenever I really need to. It’s something I will live with for the rest of my life. And it’s no fun!

When I was younger, people told me I was really smart. But I never got good grades to show it. When I was at school, I would get bored really quickly. Then I would look for something more interesting to do. Sometimes I would try to help other kids with their work. The problem was, I didn’t finish my work, and that would lead to trouble. There were lots of days I even felt like quitting school.

My parents were confused. They knew I was smart, but I wasn’t showing it. My doctor suggested that I see a specialist. He gave me a bunch of tests. When it was all done, he told my parents that I had ADD . Now it’s called ADHD. The H stands for “hyper.” He said I didn’t really have the H , so I guess that was some good news.

To help me focus, the doctor gave me some tips to follow. One of them is to keep a special journal with me all the time to write down things, like what homework I have and when things are due. I try to keep the notebook with me wherever I go. It really helps.

[ Get This Free Download: 5 Powerful Brain Hacks for Focus & Productivity ]

I came up with another tip myself. When I have a test or a quiz, I challenge myself to get it done by a certain time. That keeps me focused on the test and not on the pretty girl sitting in front of me or the lizard in the aquarium. Ah, lizards. I really like lizards. Where was I again?

Oh yeah, my focus techniques. With the help of my parents and my older brother, I started doing some other things that help, like going to bed a little earlier so I can get a good night’s sleep.

My brother and I share a bedroom, and he has agreed to go to bed earlier to help me out. Another thing our whole family has started doing is eating a healthy diet. I used to eat a lot of junk food, but now I only eat a little bit. Ah, junk food. Oops, I’ll try not to do that again.

I’ve been working hard, using these focus techniques for the last year and guess what? My grades have started to go up! In fact, on my last report card I got five As and one B. That’s the best I’ve ever done!

[ Your Free Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD: A Poster for School ]

My teacher, Miss Ryan, suggested I write this essay. I’m not sure if I knew who Jackie Robinson was before this, but I did some checking. Turns out, he was a great man who had to overcome one of the worst things there is: racism. He did it using the values of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence.

I have used some of these same values to help me overcome ADHD. For instance, I am committed to using my focus techniques, and I am determined to do better in school. Plus, my family has helped me, and that is being a team. Go, team! Also, when I focus, I am a good citizen and don’t bother my classmates as much. Last but not least, using these values has helped me to get almost all As on my report card, which is an example of excellence. Thanks for being such a good example, Jackie!

[ Read This Next: How I Came to Rock My ADHD ]

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Kurt Cobain and Me: The Gen X poster child and rock legend is my Gen Z hero, too

My parents love nirvana, too. but i have my own relationship with cobain's music and persona, by gabriella ferrigine.

The boys spilled out of the locker room in a gnashing horde.

They pitched their bodies into the air and flung clumps of sweaty hair from their faces, headbanging in line with the stomping bass that had just cracked across the gym’s sound system. 

Full of flowing hormones and covered in dried sweat, the entirety of my high school gym class began to move to the music — each individual in their own way — enraptured by its energy and still thrumming with adrenaline from 2v2 basketball scrimmages. 

For a few fleeting minutes, social stratification was entirely dismantled by one rotating guitar riff. Sports jocks, guys who stuffed their bottom lip with dip in the back of class, girls who smelled like vanilla and bright artificial fruit, and reticent wallflowers, all churning together.

By the time the bell rang, prodding us toward precalc or a quiz on “The Sound and the Fury,” it did, in fact, smell like teen spirit. 

We filed out of the gym, buzzing and bedraggled. A shared ecstasy lingered, if only until the next period began. 

Experiencing that subtle, shimmering solidarity, the threading of different social subgroups together, is intrinsic to my attachment — as a member of Gen Z , not X — to Kurt Cobain, frontman of the iconic '90s grunge rock band Nirvana. 

Since the genesis of the band in 1987 — and Cobain’s subsequent, seismic fame, then tragic death by suicide — he’s functioned as something of a talismanic leader for generations of morose, angsty and disaffected fans. Some of this posthumous cultural longevity is surely due to his premature death, which preserved him in amber, devoid of a flop era and safe from cancellable offense. But that doesn't entirely explain his enduring appeal. Cobain’s emotional melancholy is something members of Gen Z — widely understood as prone to trauma-dumping on the internet and hyper-sensitivity — can find particularly relatable. 

Raised by Gen X parents like mine whose early adulthoods were largely defined by Nirvana and Cobain, his music became part of a shared, familial identity they could pass down to us. In a recent essay for The Guardian, writer Hannah Ewens opines that “Just as the Beatles defined the construct of a rock band, Nirvana redefined what a band was — both in the public consciousness and to other musicians: unpretentious, tough and sensitive, embraced by the system while threatening it.” It's not particularly rebellious to embrace your parents' definition of good music, but over time, I forged my own relationship with Kurt Cobain, distinct from theirs. 

In all honestly, I’ve always felt several standard deviations away from what feels normal (an entirely subjective term). I know this sounds moderately insufferable, but bear with me. My life has been overwhelmingly positive in so many ways. And yet, setting aside personal conflicts and a heady amalgam of ADHD and anxiety, much of it has also felt very different to me than how it’s appeared outwardly to others. I don’t have a complex, philosophical explanation for this discrepancy. I don’t think you always need one. Cobain's music gives me a language for reconciling my own contradictions. We aren't the same by any means: I've had no meteoric rise to fame, no heroin addiction. But there was still a person named Kurt before all that happened to him. 

During my first years of college, like many, I struggled with finding my sense of self. Flush with insecurities of every kind, I tried on different personalities (and some bad outfits) in an effort to, if not wholly reinvent myself, at least discover something about myself that I actually liked or felt secure about. It was a process that ultimately backfired — by trying to be someone I wasn’t, I inadvertently jettisoned some of the most fundamentally defining pieces of myself. And all the while, I was still as sullen and angsty as ever. That all changed on Christmas Day, 2018, when my parents gave me my first pair of Doc Marten boots. 

Laugh if you will, but getting my Docs was like finding my glass slipper. At nearly 6 feet tall, I’d always felt something like Cinderella’s stepsisters, trying to cram my oversized foot into a tiny, dainty, acceptably pretty and interesting shoe. I wear them most days now. Aside from being comfortable, they're equipped with a steel-toed tenacity ideal for navigating New York’s perpetually crusty streets. 

And yes, Docs were a subcultural fashion item of the ‘90s — my dad still owns the pair he wore moshing at a Nirvana show with my mom at the now-shuttered Roseland Ballroom in New York in 1993. While Cobain wore Converse for that particular performance, I’m certain he laced up his boots often too. I often find myself gravitating toward those looks: slouchy pants, oversized jackets and knitwear, the occasional grandpa cardigan. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become increasingly confident in myself and my fashion choices, aware that the old adage is true: What you wear is truly a reflection of who you are. I’m sure that’s what Cobain was trying to convey every time he opted for a skirt or floral-patterned dress for a live performance. That has always been an inspiring exemplar of unabashed confidence to me.

But carrying yourself with confidence in public doesn’t necessarily equate to comfort with — or suitability for — fame, as Cobain's conflicted relationship to the celebrity status that accompanied his artistic success showed me. Regardless of whether he sought to be an international star before it happened, the “slings and arrows” of fame that writer Michael Azerrad wrote about in part for the 2021 New Yorker essay, “My Time With Kurt Cobain,” underpinned the rocker’s mental and emotional health struggles. 

It's not particularly rebellious to embrace your parents' definition of good music, but over time, I forged my own relationship with Kurt Cobain, distinct from theirs. 

In all likelihood, I’ll never be famous, and that’s OK. It’s not exactly something I aspire toward. But the essence of Cobain’s fame has always been incredibly relatable to me. There’s something so vulnerable and real — in an attention economy that demands performance from us all — about someone trying to keep a firm foothold in two warring worlds simultaneously, straddling the ever-oscillating line of what the public sees and what it can't. (“I’m not like them, but I can pretend,” resonates.)

This tension that seems innately bound into Cobain's persona — and Nirvana more broadly — is accurately reflected in the band’s lyrics. Dark, atmospheric themes abound — anger, personal struggles, violence, real and figurative — and while the sometimes disturbing subject matter can be difficult to take, I found the messages braided into them intriguing. His lyrics reflected Cobain’s chaos and mystique, which is to say, I didn’t necessarily understand them all, especially as a kid. All I knew was — mingled with his raspy voice and the band’s splintering sounds — they made me feel at an entirely unprecedented level. And some latent part of me was drawn to that brooding sentiment.

It came as no surprise to me when I learned that he was also a Pisces. 

Whether you believe in astrological signs or find it all to be a bit hokey, I find that Cobain embodied the compassion, sensitivity and emotional profundity that have come to be associated with the symbol of two fish swimming in opposite directions. That division between fantasy and reality — a liminal space I constantly turn to — is one that Cobain ostensibly occupied just as frequently. It’s something like the Vitruvian man, constantly splayed in different directions by our thoughts and ever-shifting emotions. It’s an identity Cobain internalized so intensely that he even carried it with him into his death in April of 1994, writing in his suicide note that he was a “sad little, sensitive, unappreciative Pisces, Jesus man.”

I’ve always known that finding comfort in the music and fashion of my parents’ generation, specifically the elements of it that have since become canonical, is a byproduct of my close-knit and large immediate family. It’s an idiosyncratic, shared existence — something that makes me feel comforted and protective at once. And yet, I’m my own person. While I would be remiss to ignore the inescapability of influence, my relationship with Cobain and his work could never precisely mirror theirs. And I think that’s part of his legacy. He was able to transcend space and time so seamlessly, so acutely, that his aura — which has spoken to my mom and dad for nearly 40 years — now screams to me from a stage set in an entirely different void. 

So consider me influenced, if that’s what becoming secure in my tastes and personhood means. I won’t be running from that anytime soon. 

If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

about Nirvana

• I'm not like them, but I can pretend (Obviously, this is an essay about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana)
• Kurt Cobain's daughter marks the 30th anniversary of his death with a loving tribute
• "Nevermind" 30 years on — how Nirvana's second album tilted the world on its axis

Gabriella Ferrigine is a staff writer at Salon. Originally from the Jersey Shore, she moved to New York City in 2016 to attend Columbia University, where she received her B.A. in English and M.A. in American Studies. Formerly a staff writer at NowThis News, she has an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from NYU and was previously a news fellow at Salon.

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