ATTENTION Students and Teachers: Learning with ADHD Looks Different

by Mayre Flores 

While I was in college, I studied long and hard for exams. I needed to. And I thought everyone else did, too. So, it drove me insane to hear other students talk about how little they would study, and how unprepared they felt the day of an exam — only to find out they aced it. They always aced it. Not me.

I now know that the way I was being taught didn’t make room for differences like my ADHD. But back then, I often blamed myself for not understanding what was put in front of me and for not working hard enough. I thought that I was the problem for not picking things up as quickly as everyone else seemed to. I felt like I was not good enough. And I felt like I was not smart enough to reach my goals.

So, I did what I thought I was supposed to do—what we all were supposed to do. I read and studied before class. I showed up and took copious notes. I raised my hand when I felt brave.

It turned out that to my peers, this was too much. I was excessive. So I stopped raising my hand, and I stopped taking copious notes. I felt insecure about putting in that extra effort. I regret that so much. My peers continued to excel as I was falling behind. And if I didn’t change something soon, I was never going to recover.

I went back to what worked for me. I couldn’t study at the last minute like my peers could. What was easy for them was sometimes difficult for me.

In class, things were hardly ever broken down into simpler terms for me. I was just supposed to “get it.” The lessons and the study tips that we were given didn’t always work for me and my ADHD.

See, people like me with ADHD organize and process information differently. So how I’m taught and how I learn makes all the difference.

For example, digitizing things isn’t always convenient for me — paper planners and handwritten notes work best for me. It may look like I’m taking too many notes, but I need that motion writing by hand so I can visualize the information.

What other people considered “extra” or “unnecessary” was the work I needed to do to succeed. And a lot of my “extra” effort required an extensive amount of motivation. But it worked for me.

In college, I assigned myself locations to study in. Those official study spots forbade activities that weren’t school-related. And in these spots, I learned that the study methods that I found useful for one subject weren’t always useful for the others.

I had to realize and accept that my brain works differently and that I learn differently than most.

So what everyone would call the “best way to study/work” wasn’t always the best for me. In most cases, that “best way” felt unnatural and demotivating. I needed the tools and resources that were actively helping me.

And there was nothing wrong with that.

The way I learn is important — it determines my performance. Realizing this was a game-changer for me.

If more people and institutions understood the importance of making room for differences, it would be a game-changer for everyone.

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Thank you Mayre for giving us permission to share your writing.