Students with ADHD
This article is designed to provide useful information and practical advice about teaching guitar to students with ADHD…
The main characteristics of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are inattention,
hyperactivity and impulsivity. The behaviours associated with ADHD can change as people get older: a young child can often appear to have large amounts of energy and restlessness, whereas adolescents and young adults can often be withdrawn and less communicative. 
Characteristics of ADHD can also include impulsivity and reacting spontaneously without regard to previous plans or instructions. However, there is evidence to suggest that students with ADHD can excel at music, as they can possess the ability to totally focus on something (like a piece of music) if it really interests them. Educational psychologists have also advocated using music with children who have ADHD to help them to control their behaviour and focus on their learning.
Students with ADHD have a tendency to hyperfocus on something and not stop until they are satisfied they can do no better. During this process, they may be totally oblivious to what is going on around them. They can also be total perfectionists in their area of interest. In order to help students with ADHD most effectively, it is important to use the most appropriate teaching method to give that student the best opportunity to develop their skills. It should be recognised that students with ADHD often recognise what they should or shouldn't have done but may have little control over their behaviour.
Teaching Strategies
The list of teaching strategies below should not be considered exhaustive and it is important to remember that all students are individuals and what is appropriate for one student may not necessarily be suitable for another.
- Agree on a concrete starting point to help with prioritisation and avoid procrastination.
- Focus on tangible, short-term steps rather than long-term plans.
- Arrange the learning environment in order to minimise distractions, e.g. seat students with ADHD away from windows.
- Use frequent eye contact.
- Ensure student attention before giving an instruction and encourage students to verbalise tasks and instruction – first to you as the tutor and then silently to themselves.
- Use assertive and positive communication, e.g. tell students what is required instead of what is not required.
- Include a variety of activities within the lesson, such as practical activities, questions, discussions, etc.
- Emphasise critical pieces of information.
- Provide structure and routine.
- Use large fonts on handouts and provide only one or two main points to a page.
- If possible, allow the student to record lessons.
- To help students organise their practice, use checklists for each lesson and encourage the use of daily reminder schedules or to do lists and highlight the most important things for them to practice.
- Encourage the use of colour-coded ring-binders or notebooks for each subject area, e.g. one for scales, one for chords, one for pieces, etc.
This article is based on information kindly supplied by Dr. Val Chapman, Director of the Centre for Inclusive Learning Support at the University of Worcester and project author of SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study). www.scips.worc.ac.uk.
