Module 10.1

Supporting students with ADHD

By Karin Vogt, University of Education Heidelberg, Germany

Introduction

Picture this: A student in your English class bursts with creative ideas during brainstorming, makes unexpected connections between vocabulary words, and thrives in fast-paced speaking activities—yet struggles to complete a multi-step writing assignment or sit through a lengthy grammar explanation. This learner likely has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and they bring both remarkable strengths and specific challenges to your language classroom.

ADHD affects approximately 5-7% of children and adolescents worldwide, making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions you’ll encounter as an EFL teacher. Yet ADHD is often misunderstood. It’s not about laziness or lack of intelligence—it’s about differences in executive function, attention regulation, and impulse control that significantly impact how learners process information, organize tasks, and demonstrate their language competence.

Here’s the crucial insight: When we understand ADHD and design instruction that harnesses these learners’ strengths while addressing their genuine needs, we don’t just help students with ADHD succeed—we create dynamic, engaging learning environments where all students thrive.

  1. You will learn about characteristic features of ADHD, about challenges these learners face in an educational environment and the specific capacities they can mobilise for learning.
  2. You will be able to explain the impact ADHD has on English language learning and specifically the various communicative competences.
  3. You will be able to apply key principles of an inclusive language learning environment to your own teaching context.

 

 

Engaging with the video:

Please answer the following questions on the video.

  1. What are the superpowers of EFL learners with ADHD?
  2. What are the challenges that EFL learners with ADHD are facing in EFL? Please pick one aspect.
  3. What requirements make writing particularly challenging for learners with ADHD?
  4. Can you explain two instructional methods, e.g. gamification, that might be particularly suited to teaching English to learners with ADHD?
  5. Why might task-based language teaching be a valuable approach to language teaching that is helpful for language learners with ADHD?

Teaching in action:

  1. Please give an example of a multi-step instruction that you could use for an EFL assignment, e.g. a complex task, in your teaching environment. Please formulate clear instructions for this activity.
  2. What role might visual cues like the one below play for ADHD learners? Please look at the example below and explain.

English lesson on pets                                       Date:  4 November

Introduction

            Pair work

Plenary

              Wrap-up

(icons from de.freepik.com)

  1. How can you plan in scaffolding (e.g. sentence starters) if you would like to help your learners make a brochure on a tourist attraction in their area in English? Think of layout, language and content. How can you break down the task into smaller steps?
  2. Your EFL learners aged 11 are allowed to choose between a brief presentation or a video on their dream school for formative assessment of the communicative purpose of detailing rules, school-related vocabulary, modal auxiliaries like “may”, “must”, “can” etc.

In what way might this type of assessment be beneficial for learners with ADHD in particular?

Do you have learners with ADHD in your class? How do you cater for their needs?

Which of the suggestions from the video might help accommodate their needs better? What instructional decisions would you take up for your own teaching?

  1. Silawi, R., Degani, T., & Prior, A. (2025). Additional language learning in ADHD: a call for research. Applied Psycholinguistics; 46:e47. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716425100337