Yes, many Gifted students also have been diagnosed with ADHD. Knowing this and appropriate writing strategies will make your life…and theirs…much better. To be honest, any students who have characteristics of ADHD, though not diagnosed, may benefit just as well from the following information.
These students have a difficult time sustaining attention and impulses. Increased movement and distractibility are evident with ADHD students, Gifted or not. Some may even have anxiety and other behavior disorders.
Frustration occurs with these students when concentration is needed in activities such as writing that require sequencing and follow-through. Many times organizational skills are weak and these students may work at a slower pace than others.
The following strategies and accommodations work well with these students, and frankly, work for ALL students. In today’s educational climate, most of us deal with a bit of ADHD, I think…
- Encourage proofreading for only one type of error at a time.
- Teach the writing steps in a linear way. Reward even small steps.
- Allow choice.
- Use many exemplar papers.
- Provide outlines.
- Provide a checklist for each assignment and allow them to use a sticker or check mark as steps are completed.
- Allow artwork to accompany writing.
- Encourage peer learning.
- Offer authentic writing assignments.
Accommodations:
- Provide access to assistive technology if needed.
- Teach self-regulation.
- Have students dictate stories to teacher, take notes, and build sentences from this.
- Provide clear written guidelines.
- Allow movement around the classroom at certain steps of the process.
- Allow additional time.
- Immediately reward focused behaviors.
From a brochure by Niki Mott, New Mexico