I live with ADHD, and I’ve come to understand that my brain is wired differently than most people I know. ADHD in the classroom often meant that the way I regulate my attention, movement, and memory stood out. My body almost always feels like it needs to move. I think and act a bit too quickly for my own good, and my working memory feels like a colander in spaces where I really need a bowl.
For most of my life, I was hard on myself for having these traits. I spent years figuring out how to mask the more visible parts of ADHD in the classroom so that I looked more like my neurotypical classmates. And, on the surface, it worked. I got straight As, earned a scholarship to college, and didn’t get formally diagnosed until long after I had completed a doctorate in education and served as a school principal.
However, as I’ve learned more, both from research and from 44 years of living, I’ve realized that the goal of support for students with ADHD should never be to help them “pass” as neurotypical. Instead, the goal is to recognize how unacknowledged differences in how students with ADHD experience school create problems that are actually easy to solve when we understand what is happening in their brains and design supports that fit.
Attention Regulation Differences
Neurotypical people can usually direct their attention based on what is important, even when the task is dull or repetitive. Their brains balance motivation, emotion, and executive control in a way that allows attention to be guided by goals and expectations.
For people with ADHD, attention is less about what is important and more about what is stimulating, novel, or emotionally engaging in the moment. Their attention system is interest-based rather than importance-based, meaning focus happens when something captures their brain’s reward network rather than when it “should.” This is why I often say that if we can make learning feel like gambling, it’ll stick. Understanding this difference helps educators shift from demanding attention to designing environments that invite it.
This matters because when attention is interest-based rather than importance-based, classroom environments can unintentionally create barriers for students with ADHD. Because these students may not be able to choose what to focus on as easily as their peers, they can miss key directions, appear distracted, or start assignments late simply because the task does not activate their brain’s motivation system. Lessons that rely heavily on sustained listening, note-taking, or delayed rewards such as grades or praise later may feel almost impossible to engage with.
This can lead to incomplete work, uneven performance, or misunderstandings about effort or motivation. Over time, the mismatch between expectations and ability can create frustration, shame, and strained relationships between students and teachers, even when the student deeply wants to succeed.
Three evidence-based supports for students with ADHD in the classroom:
- Structured routines with visual and predictable systems
Consistent schedules, posted expectations, and clear visual cues reduce the need for students to rely on working memory and self-regulation to figure out what comes next. Research shows that predictable environments improve task initiation and reduce off-task behavior for students with ADHD in the classroom (DuPaul & Stoner, 2014). - Movement and sensory breaks integrated into the day
Short, planned opportunities to move, such as brain breaks, standing tasks, or walking transitions, help regulate attention and energy levels. Studies have found that brief bouts of physical activity can significantly improve on-task behavior and cognitive performance for students with ADHD (Pontifex et al., 2013). - Immediate, positive, and specific feedback
Timely feedback and recognition help maintain motivation by providing the short-term reinforcement that the ADHD brain responds to most. Systems like Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) and behavior-specific praise have strong empirical support for increasing engagement and reducing disruptive behavior (Hawken, 2006; Simonsen et al., 2008).
Hyperactivity
For most neurotypical people, the brain’s drive for movement and stimulation is easier to regulate. They can usually sit still, stay on task, or tolerate boredom because their nervous systems generate enough internal stimulation to remain alert and comfortable in low-activity settings. When focus is required, they can quiet the impulse to move or seek novelty without much conscious effort.
For kids with ADHD in the classroom, the brain produces less consistent internal stimulation and seeks balance by increasing movement or novelty from the outside. The drive to tap a pencil, fidget, get up, or start a side conversation is often an unconscious way to boost alertness and maintain focus. Without opportunities for appropriate movement or sensory input, students with ADHD may feel restless, frustrated, or mentally foggy. This is why structured movement breaks, hands-on learning, and active participation help students with ADHD stay regulated and engaged, while purely sedentary settings make regulation much harder.
When classrooms require students to sit still and stay quiet for long stretches, students with ADHD often struggle to meet those expectations. Their brains naturally seek movement and stimulation to stay alert, so remaining seated and silent can feel physically uncomfortable and mentally draining. This can lead to fidgeting, talking out of turn, getting up without permission, or appearing distracted, even when the student genuinely wants to follow the rules. Over time, these behaviors are often misunderstood as defiance or lack of self-control rather than signs of a brain working hard to stay engaged. The result can be repeated correction, negative feedback, and damaged confidence, which make it even harder for students with ADHD to feel successful or connected at school.
Evidence-based strategies to support hyperactive students:
- Flexible seating and movement options
Allowing students to stand while working, use wobble stools, or sit on stability cushions provides safe ways to meet the body’s need for movement without disrupting others. Studies show that movement-friendly seating can improve attention and reduce off-task behavior for students with ADHD in the classroom (Fedewa & Erwin, 2011). - Active teaching and learning methods
Strategies such as response cards, call-and-response, or kinesthetic learning activities keep students physically engaged during instruction. Research on active learning demonstrates improved engagement and academic performance among students with ADHD in the classroom when movement is part of the learning process (Mahar et al., 2006). - Pre-correction and positive cueing
Before transitions or tasks that require sitting still, teachers can briefly remind students what successful behavior looks like and provide a simple, encouraging cue such as “Remember, we’re getting ready for quiet reading. Find a comfortable spot that helps your body stay calm.” Research shows that pre-correction, or prompting the desired behavior before problems occur, can significantly reduce disruptive behavior and increase engagement for students with ADHD in the classroom (Colvin, Sugai, & Patching, 1993).
Impulsivity
For most neurotypical students, impulse control happens almost automatically. Their brains can pause between a thought and an action long enough to consider consequences, social context, or long-term goals before responding. This pause is supported by steady communication between the prefrontal cortex, which manages planning and inhibition, and deeper brain regions that drive emotion and reward.
Students with ADHD in the classroom experience that pause differently. Their brains have a harder time coordinating timing between those same systems, especially when emotions run high or rewards feel distant. As a result, impulses such as blurting out, interrupting, touching materials, or acting without thinking can surface before conscious decision-making has time to engage. It is not that they do not know what the right choice is, but that their brains move to action faster than their regulation systems can catch up. This difference makes impulse control a skill that must be taught, supported, and scaffolded rather than expected to develop naturally.
Evidence-based strategies to support impulse control:
- Delayed response practice
Build in short pauses before responding during class activities. For example, use think time or a signal such as “hands down until I call on someone.” Structured waiting opportunities help strengthen inhibitory control by giving students repeated, supported practice with delaying a response. Research shows that brief, consistent opportunities to pause before acting can improve impulse control over time (Barkley, 2015). - Co-regulation and supportive prompting
When students with ADHD struggle to pause before acting, gentle adult prompts, verbal, visual, or proximity-based, can help them borrow external regulation until self-regulation develops. Examples include using a nonverbal signal before transitions or quietly restating expectations beside a student who is beginning to act impulsively. Research on co-regulation and behavioral prompting shows that consistent, calm support helps students internalize regulation skills without relying on external rewards (Murray et al., 2015; Siegel & Bryson, 2018). - Mindfulness and body awareness training
Short, guided mindfulness or breathing exercises, even 2 to 3 minutes, help students notice body sensations that come before impulsive actions, such as restlessness or the urge to blurt out. Over time, mindfulness improves emotional regulation and impulse awareness, giving students more tools to notice and redirect urges before acting. Multiple meta-analyses support mindfulness-based interventions for reducing impulsivity and improving attention in children with ADHD (Cairncross & Miller, 2020).
Working Memory Struggles
For most neurotypical students, working memory functions like a steady mental notepad. They can hold information in mind such as directions, steps in a task, or parts of a sentence while using it to complete the next step. When distractions occur, they can usually return to what they were doing without losing track.
Students with ADHD experience working memory differently. Their mental notepad fills and erases more quickly, especially when a task is not stimulating or when multiple pieces of information compete for attention. They may remember the first and last parts of instructions but lose the middle, or start a task and forget what the goal was halfway through. This is not carelessness or disinterest, but rather a reflection of how ADHD affects the brain’s ability to hold and use information long enough to act on it.
Understanding how ADHD affects working memory helps teachers design learning environments where students do not have to rely on memory alone to succeed. The following strategies make thinking visible, strengthen recall, and give students practical tools for holding and using information throughout the day.
Strategies for Working Memory for Students with ADHD in the Classroom
- Visual task cards
Breaking tasks into small, visible steps helps students keep track of what to do next without relying solely on memory. Task cards, visual checklists, or icons that represent each part of a routine give students a concrete way to see their progress and regain focus after interruptions. Visual cues reduce cognitive load and improve task completion for students with ADHD (DuPaul & Stoner, 2014). - Retrieval practice
Rather than reteaching information from scratch, build in opportunities for students to recall what they have already learned. Quick, low-stakes prompts such as “turn and tell,” short quizzes, or discussion openers help strengthen neural pathways for recall and retention. Research on retrieval practice shows that repeatedly pulling information from memory improves both storage and access, particularly for learners with attention or working memory difficulties, which is common for students with ADHD in the classroom (Karpicke & Blunt, 2011). - External working memory supports
Tools such as whiteboards, sticky notes, or shared anchor charts allow students to record and revisit key information during learning. Externalizing working memory in this way frees cognitive space for thinking and problem-solving. When teachers model how to use these supports consistently, students with ADHD can begin using them independently to manage complex tasks more effectively (Gathercole & Alloway, 2008).
Rethinking What Support Really Means for Students with ADHD in the Classroom
When we understand ADHD as a difference in regulation rather than a deficit in character, our approach to teaching changes. The goal is not to make students with ADHD act more like their neurotypical peers, but to create classrooms that work for the brains they have. Predictable routines, opportunities for movement, supportive prompting, and compassionate relationships help every student learn, but they are essential for students with ADHD. When schools design support around how these students actually experience attention, movement, impulse, and memory, what was once seen as misbehavior often becomes visible effort, and that shift can change everything.
If your school is exploring ways to support students with ADHD in a way that feels doable every day, I’d be glad to talk through what might work for your team.
You can reach me here.