Inclusive Education Framework: AD(H)D support

Bob Burwell

Student Support Services

r.burwell@hull.ac.uk

Video Case Study

Background

The global pandemic and subsequent lock-down meant students were having to come to terms with working remotely at home. This was creating new challenges for students tackling study. One emerging outcome which took our team by surprise was an unprecedented demand for students requesting to be screened for AD(H)D. In fact, in the last academic year, we have referred 91 students for a formal assessment for AD(H)D!

The Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) team appreciates that students want to know if they have AD(H)D, and so screening and referral for assessment is a key strand of our work. Nevertheless, SpLD Tutors' main role is pedagogic, helping students overcome learning barriers.  Teaching and supporting this increasingly large number of students with AD(H)D profiles is challenging for the team. 

Our existing resources and strategies are primarily for students with Dyslexia, and to a lesser extent Dyspraxia.  These profiles often need tutorial support to address literacy barriers in reading and writing, due to processing and memory difficulties.  In our experience, students with AD(H)D have fewer difficulties with literacy – it is problems with concentration and attention that create the main barrier.  We needed a different approach, with novel methods and resources for learners with AD(H)D. This led to the creation of a whole AD(H)D section on the SpLD canvas site, consisting of tailor-made content.

Activity

The new AD(H)D section has the following topics, including a variety of useful written summaries and engaging videos:

• ADHD definitions and advice. The formal definitions were chosen to educate students about AD(H)D. This section also includes a short video, with a personal insight into what it is like to have AD(H)D, helping students to relate to the experience.  
• Advice on when to sleep and study. This section introduces the concept of Chronobiology, and how students with AD(H)D need to understand and reflect on what is the best time for them to concentrate, leading to awareness for successful study. 
• Time-management techniques. Students with ADHD often lack the metacognitive awareness about working smarter to match their concentration levels. The promotes the Pomodoro time management technique, offers a solution to this problem.
• Tackling procrastination. This important section offers practical advice on how students can stop procrastination, as this is a common barrier to tackling study for students with AD(H)D. 
• Assistive Apps. This section offers a young person’s perspective, explaining how ADHD Apps Help Manage his Life, including links to recommended apps for students to try. 

Students can independently access the resources from the SpLD Canvas site. However, these resources, significantly provide a teaching resource framework for our team to use in specialist tutorials when working with students with AD(H)D. 

Impact

We have created a useful feedback survey, which will enable our team to collect some useful data. However, the ADHD resource section was only recently produced mid-August 2021, so our evaluation is ongoing. However, we have already received some positive initial student feedback. This is a typical example: 

‘thank you for these resources, I will be sure to use them and am looking forward to getting the most out of the upcoming academic year’.