Improving reading comprehension for students with ADHD

In this article, we discuss strategies to support reading comprehension in the classroom and at home.

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and it is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. It can present in three different ways, although symptoms may change over time:

• predominantly inattentive, with symptoms including difficulty following instructions and conversations, not paying attention to detail, seeming not to listen when spoken to, not completing tasks, and difficulty organising activities;
• predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, which can manifest in fidgeting, talking a lot, being unable to sit still, interrupting others, and difficulty playing or engaging in activities quietly; and
• combined, where symptoms of the above two are equally present.

Some people wrongly believe that ADHD is caused by eating too much sugar, having too much screen time or environmental and social influences. In actual fact, ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that learners are born with and that affects day-to-day life, though the above factors can exacerbate symptoms. The causes and risk factors are unknown. While research is ongoing, it has been shown to run in families and certain groups are believed to be more at risk.

Diagnosis isn’t straightforward; as it’s a nuanced condition, there isn’t one simple test. It involves a detailed assessment to rule out other causes, gathering of information from a range of sources and meeting a set of strict criteria, including showing six or more symptoms continuously and across more than one setting for at least 6 months.

Symptoms may start early in childhood, but often it’s when a child starts school, or has a change in circumstances, that behaviour is noticed as being different to what is expected for their age. Most ADHD cases are diagnosed when children are 3 to 7 years old. In some cases, a child will be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD), where they show inattentiveness symptoms, but not the hyperactivity and impulsiveness of ADHD.

Though ADHD is a learning difficulty, people of all intellectual abilities have been diagnosed with ADHD. Other difficulties and conditions often exist alongside it, such as anxiety disorder, depression, sleep problems, dyspraxia and dyslexia (read about how dyslexia affects reading comprehension here), as well as autism spectrum disorder.

ADHD falls under the umbrella of "neurodivergence", meaning that the minds of learners with ADHD work different to those of a "neurotypical" individual. However, this does not mean that the way ADHD people think is incorrect - it is merely different, and the support offered for children with ADHD should be different as well. Keep reading to discover some of the ways teachers, parents and guardians can support reading comprehension in learners with ADHD.

Children presenting with ADHD symptoms often show poor academic and educational outcomes, and there is an association with poor reading and low grades.

ADHD and ADD are listed within the social, emotional and mental health category of the government’s SEND Code of Practice and schools are required to identify and address related educational needs. Many children with ADHD experience difficulties with reading comprehension. This is because reading is a complex process that requires sustained attention and effort, the ability to recognise and decode words, and efficient use of working memory, which, as we explore below, present specific challenges for learners with ADHD.

• Sustained attention: An inability to maintain attention means children with ADHD don’t always understand what they’ve read. It’s not necessarily about struggling with the actual decoding of words; it’s about not being able to concentrate sufficiently on the reading process. It’s common to not be able to keep up with reading pace, to miss details and connections within the text, to skip over words, sentences or paragraphs, and to be distracted by unfamiliar words.
• Working memory: Research suggests that children with ADHD struggle to build a coherent mental representation when they are reading, most likely due to deficits in working memory. Reading requires use of working memory to recall what was read in the preceding sentence or paragraph and to process that with new incoming information to create and build on meaning. A child with ADHD may be able to understand the sentence they are currently reading, but not be able to link it to the previous sentence or take its meaning forward to the rest of the test.
• Inference: In addition, it may be necessary to retrieve prior knowledge stored in the memory. This is the process of inference, where evidence is combined with existing knowledge or experience to reach a conclusion. For example, in the sentence, "When everyone had finished singing, I blew out my candles," confident readers would infer that it is a birthday celebration, drawing on their knowledge and experience of people blowing out candles on a birthday cake and people singing happy birthday. Learners with ADHD may struggle to activate prior knowledge at the same time as reading.

ADHD doesn’t mean a learner can’t become a proficient reader - just that they need some additional support to do so.

Brain exercises and games can be enjoyable and at the same time improve the concentration skills of learners with ADHD. This is down to neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to change with experience. It is believed that by practising certain tasks and skills, the brain can be rewired to improve specific functions.

Applying this theory to ADHD, repetitive cognitive exercises that require use of memory and focus can help learners improve those skills. There are a range of exercises to try, such as crosswords, jigsaw puzzles and memory games using cards or computer programs.

If children with ADHD are given reading material about topics that interest them, they are more likely to be able to stay focused. Wherever possible, keep passages short and interesting and let learners decide what to read.

This includes underlining, circling or highlighting important words, note-taking, annotating or other deliberate ways of engaging with text in order to understand it. Students may need access to different coloured pens, highlighters or sticky notes, but don’t offer too many options as this may create an added distraction. Teachers can model active reading to show learners how it can help them focus on the most important content.

This is a reading strategy designed to improve comprehension by visually organising elements of a story or text. First, identify the elements to be studied, which could, for example, be plot, characters or chapters.

Create a blank map with sections to represent those elements and work with readers to fill it in as they read and to identify links across the sections. Research shows that story maps increase comprehension skills of students in general and within special education classrooms. Learners with ADHD can further use and build on story maps during re-reading to deepen their understanding.

Children with ADHD often struggle to remain focused during silent reading. Encourage them to try sub-vocalising by forming the words with their lips silently, or very softly, as they read. This is sometimes referred to as ‘inner speech’. Researchers believe it helps with understanding and remembering what someone has read, and that it’s useful for reading technical materials, learning new words or memorising material.

These are techniques learners can use to monitor if they have understood what they’ve read, such as paraphrasing, summarising or predicting what will happen next. Teachers can model using these techniques when they read aloud in the classroom.

Discuss what has been read, looking at the plot, themes and characters. Ask questions and tie the discussion in with other tools, such as story maps, and with other similar stories or passages to help make connections and activate prior knowledge.

As learners with ADHD process information slowly and have difficulties with working memory, it helps comprehension if they are given extra time to read, and re-read as necessary. This is particularly important during exams and assessments, so they have the opportunity to re-read exam questions and tasks until they understand the meaning or what they are being asked to do. Research shows that re-reading engages focus sufficiently to encode information into memory.

Often, it is better for ADHD learners if their extended time is broken into chunks, giving them the opportunity to have breaks and refresh their attention span.

These are just a few of the strategies that you could be employing in your classroom to help improve reading comprehension. Other strategies that may work well for the wider population of learners in your classroom, and could be adapted to suit the needs of learners with ADHD include comparing and contrasting, using graphic organisers, retelling a story, making predictions and many more.

Parents and carers of children with ADHD play an important role in supporting learning and reading at home. They can use the strategies above, or align with the approach being used in the classroom, in addition to the following:

This starts with reading to children when they are young and giving them a happy experience of listening to a story or learning about a topic. As they start to read independently, let them choose what they want to read as they’re more likely to be able to concentrate if it’s of interest to them. Create a quiet reading place, free of distractions and clutter. Afterwards, ask them questions about what they have read.

Liaising with your child’s teacher and finding out what reading they have coming up in school gives you a chance to preview the content at home. If it’s subject-specific reading, discuss any specific vocabulary they might encounter and make connections with other similar texts they’ve read to activate prior knowledge. Talk about the story or topic, in general, to help them use inference when reading in school. Bedrock's parent dashboard makes this collaboration simple and easy.

This is particularly important for children with ADHD who need clear routines to keep them organised and on track. Have a daily schedule that includes time for learning or homework at the same time each day. Build in frequent breaks and avoid them spending too long on one task. Create a visual representation of the schedule so it’s easy to understand.

Reinforce the behaviour you want to encourage through rewards and praise. For example, after a period of learning, acknowledge what they’ve achieved and give them time to do something fun before they tackle their next task.

Check out our article, 10 tips to improve children's reading comprehension at home, for some more generalised things that you can be doing at home with your child to work on improving their reading comprehension.

Bedrock’s bespoke fiction and nonfiction prose is delivered both in writing and through recorded human narration. This helps maintain attention on the text, as knowledge is being delivered through two senses at once. Everything from the original prose to the feedback audio is human-narrated.

For learners with ADHD, it can be difficult to remain focused on an activity without an immediate incentive. Bedrock’s points system rewards students for all learning they complete, providing an instant reward and helping learners with ADHD remain motivated.

A common symptom experienced by learners with ADHD is hyperfocus - this means that for some learners, it can be difficult to stop doing an activity they are incredibly focused on. Unfortunately, when it comes to a digital literacy curriculum, overall knowledge retention is lowered when learners complete too much of the curriculum in one setting, as there is no opportunity for recap.

Bedrock’s dripfeed can be controlled for each individual student, preventing them from completing too much of the curriculum in one day. This spaces learning, improving long-term mastery of new literacy skills.

Bedrock’s approach to improving reading comprehension is not just the accessibility measures in place - it involves providing an engaging, holistic approach to literacy instruction that supports reading comprehension from every angle. Research has shown that vocabulary instruction and grammar instruction has a significant impact on overall reading comprehension; in order to support every learner’s reading skills, literacy instruction should reinforce reading comprehension at every foundation.