ADHD is best understood as a difficulty with executive function and self-regulation — planning, working memory, organisation, time management, and emotional regulation — rather than a simple difficulty with attention or a lack of effort. It presents in three broad patterns: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, and combined presentation, and can look very different from student to student even within the same pattern.
ADHD is better understood as a performance disorder than a knowledge disorder. Students often know exactly what they should do — start the assignment earlier, organise their notes, manage their time — but struggle to actually do it consistently. Performance can vary noticeably from week to week or even task to task, which is frequently misread by staff as inconsistent effort rather than what it actually is: a genuine, neurological difference in self-regulation.
Working memory deficits sit at the centre of many classroom struggles. Holding a multi-step instruction in mind, remembering a deadline without a reminder, or keeping track of a long verbal explanation all draw on working memory in a way that can be genuinely difficult, however capable a student is in other respects.
Experience varies widely — some students are more affected by restlessness or impulsivity, others by inattention, and many manage well in some settings but not others. Many do not disclose their diagnosis to staff, often due to stigma or a previous experience of feeling misunderstood, which means the practices in this chapter work best built into standard teaching rather than offered only on request.
Common assumptions to avoid: that ADHD is simply an inability to focus or a matter of willpower; that medication alone resolves classroom difficulties; that inconsistent performance reflects low effort rather than a genuine self-regulation difficulty; that a strategy that works for one ADHD student will automatically work for another.
