ADHD & Dyslexia

Its not a well hidden secret that dyslexia and ADHD go together like peanut butter and jelly.

It has been estimated that 3 out of 10 people with dyslexia also have ADHD. Wow!

When I sit and think what my students are working through, I can’t help but understand that they are already struggling with reading and decoding words. But now on top of that we are asking them to focus and complete tasks when their minds are going a mile a minute.

ADHD can show through in many different ways and across many different spectrums. There are some students who are hyper and cannot sit in a chair for more than 2 minutes. On the other side of the spectrum there are students that can sit, but they day dream and are easily distracted.

Some of my favorite things to do with students who cannot sit, is to give them a fidget while they work. You would be amazed how much they are actually learning even while “playing”. Slim is a classroom favorite, after the rules are set the engagement follows.

Another couple of mine and my students favorites are kenetic sand, and Play-doh! No matter what tools you have in your classroom or home; always set expectations prior to playing!

Whatever the diagnosis of ADHD is students need to learn coping skills to accommodate those deficits.