Teachers with ADHD, Here's Your How-to Manual

Teachers with ADHD can encounter formidable challenges in the classroom, but with effective strategies and the right supports, you can navigate your role as an educator successfully.

This blog post will highlight some of the ways that teachers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can not only survive the day-to-day tasks related to the job, but also to use their unique strengths to truly soar.

Understanding ADHD Symptoms in a Classroom* Setting…When It's Actually You 

So often, as teachers we hear phrases related to how to best navigate ADHD symptoms in the classroom. Strategies around managing impulsivity, attention or focus challenges, and organizational hacks, are some common themes.

However the underlying assumption is that it is the students who need this support. Or that teachers need the strategies but only in order to best educate them. 

While it may be true that teachers certainly have many students with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), anxiety, and sensory processing disorder (SPD), which can present co-morbidly, there is actually a significant number of people who desire tailored strategies themselves.

In fact, an article by the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) about educators estimated that as of 2016 nearly one million teachers with ADHD exist. Those kinds of numbers are significant, especially when combined with the low diagnosis rate for the inattentive type, especially in women.

(And, who are teachers? Mostly women.)

The more science and society learns about ADHD and its different presentations, the more one can see its impact. 

Remember though, that ADHD is a performance disorder. It's not that you don't know the thing; it's all of the other factors that get in your way of actually doing that thing.

*Please note that when this post references ‘classroom,' it is meant in the most inclusive and respectful sense.

This blog offers educational content; not medical advice. Please, consult a healthcare professional for personal mental health concerns.

Impact of ADHD on a Teaching Job

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts executive functions. These are the cognitive processes that allow people to plan, organize, initiate, monitor, pivot, finish tasks, and regulate emotions.

They are highly connected to the prefrontal cortex and its ability to inhibit actions. In addition other functions relate to flexible thinking, working memory (non-verbal and verbal), and self-monitoring.

The ability to manage time is one of the most impeded of these, as many people deal with agnosia, or time-blindness. 

Time-blindness makes it hard to predict how long a task will take as you can't readily recall what happened last time.

You might also get stuck in hyper-focus, where you get so engrossed in a task that lose all sense of time.

While some might call this a superpower, as you can sometimes crank out lots of work at the last minute; others understand it also comes with its own costs, leaving people depleted and drained when the project is done.

Some common teaching requirements that can be impacted by executive functioning disorders are activities like planning lessons, managing class time effectively, or maintaining an accurate gradebook. Here are some other examples of how symptoms of ADHD can show up in the classroom.

• communicating regularly with students, families, and administration (ex. making a newsletter that goes out at a certain time every week)
• making lesson plans for an entire year, semester, quarter, week, and day
• using the plans you made
• staying consistent with a lesson structure even if you are getting bored of it (within reason)
• staying focused on what you are teaching (i.e., not repeatedly veering off-topic) For more information on this topic, please see my other blog post, “5 Ways to Focus During a Lesson as a Neurodivergent (ND) Teacher.”
• consistently following through with behavioral supports and rewards for students 
• keeping track of student comments, questions, or requests, especially if they are interjected during a lesson
• remembering to research, lookup, and report back to students 
• doing the work and reporting back

For teachers of creative disciplines such as music, art, drama, or for library and PE teachers:

• learning all the names and remembering any identifying details which might help 
• remembering where each of your MANY classes stopped at the end of your time together
• taking notes about where each group is (i.e., consistency, also pragmatics of a SOP for that)
• starting at that point on the next meeting
• consistently watching the clock or using a smart watch and making real-time adjustments to your plan 
• adjusting your lesson plans and curriculum, for example if a class consistently misses Mondays due to holidays
• prioritizing the material to focus on with each of your groups (see above point)
• incorporating national, state, district, and school-based focus points into your plans (i.e., standards, benchmarks; or thematic based on school-wide goals or celebrations)
• emotional health, especially when, as a group, ADHDers tend to receive less school-wide support, less respect from administration and students, and less valuing from a community standpoint 
• producing appropriate responses within the right amount of time (i.e., inhibiting inappropriate responses) to rude comments (see above point)

Strategies for Teachers with ADHD: Managing Impulsive Behavior

One of the main struggles for adults with ADHD is related to verbal social interactions.

Some might blurt out the first thing that comes to their mind. Others might keep interrupting someone because they are afraid they will forget what they wanted to say.

Still others have the opposite problem and have trouble getting the words out at the right time. 

Luckily there are some practical strategies that can help.

One idea that I learned while studying some of the ADHD literature is about practicing a pause before responding to a question. The idea is to have a response ready to go that you can frequently use in order to give your brain a little more time to prepare what you really want to say.

So, if a student asks on a Friday afternoon if you can go to their soccer match the next day, and you already have a full plate, you can avoid automatically over-committing by saying something like, “I would love to but I need to check my calendar. Can you please email me the details?” 

Phrases like “Let me think about that,” or similar, can give you the extra buffer you need. This is proactive and protects both your time as well as the integrity of the teaching relationship.

It gives you the time and space to remember that you already have other appointments, even if they are with your sofa and Netflix; and it also puts the onus on the student to send you the details.

You already have more than enough to remember (or forget as the case may be)!

For those of us who struggle with social skills more broadly, you might also consider signing up for a Toastmasters club. This organization helps people develop their public speaking abilities and increase self-confidence.

This can aid in effective communication with all key stakeholders. 

Whether you decide to participate in group coaching, individual coaching, or coworking groups, know that there are several options to help you develop healthy coping mechanisms for living with your ADHD.

You don't need to feel shameful or apologetic; these are tools that can vastly improve your quality of everyday life.

While some options can be cost-prohibitive, keep looking to find a group that suits you and your wallet.

You can also consider asking a friend or family member to be your accountability buddy for free, and check in with them once a day to report back how you did with your to-do list or whichever is your goal. Whatever money you do spend, view it as an investment and something that will keep paying dividends to Future You.

Navigating an ADHD Brain in Your Teaching Career

When someone imagines the life of a teacher, curriculum and lesson planning are likely two of the top five tasks they think of. Teachers with ADHD have extra obstacles related to organization and self-regulation that can get in the way of this basic component of being an educator.

For example, reading, comprehending, summarizing and applying a vast collection of information on the multiple math units a first grader is supposed to master by the end of their year. Reading by itself can be a huge roadblock, and unfortunately, there usually are not any audiobook versions readily available. 

Taking the list of expected standards of learning (SOLs) a student is supposed to master in any subject, whether music or history, synthesizing and applying that information to an academic calendar in a way that works for you, are all quite challenging.

Taking that road map of a yearly plan, breaking it down by month and week; and then sharing and working on those goals with teammates is hard. These can be even more difficult especially if you feel isolated or don't have adequate support from teammates or administration. 

Of course actually having the time to actually do the planning is nearly impossible to come by during the teaching day itself, forcing teachers to work nights and weekends.

On the other hand, many teachers with ADHD might excel in being “on their feet.” As hard as the planning and execution can be, the presentation and performance elements can be equally effortless and extraordinary.

Making material easy to understand by connecting it to real-life scenarios, or involving and engaging students, can all come quite easily. Improvising when something unexpected happens during a lesson or a concert, reacting, and responding in appropriate ways can all feel simple to us where our neurotypical colleagues might stumble. 

You can frequently anticipate what a student, or group of students, needs and accommodate them quickly. If a group is acting restless, shifting in their seats and yawning, ADHDers can identify with that feeling of boredom and quickly respond with a movement break. “It's time for a game. Everyone up!”

Passion and skill in what and how you teach, the amount of care you have for your students, and your ability to stay calm under pressure are some of the top strengths teachers with ADHD often possess.

In order to adequately shine in these areas, however, there are things you can do to support yourself. 

How to Make Teaching Work for You and Your Unique Brain

Here are a few of Teach with ND's top tips for hacking teaching while navigating your own challenges and strengths. (Don't worry, Teach with ND won't talk about self-care or having a positive attitude!) 

Of course those things are important, but if you're anything like me, you are really tired of being told to do those things as if you never thought of them before. If only it were that simple. Speaking of which…

• Keep planning as simple as you can, realizing that plans shift and evolve, while also satisfying any criteria put in place by the administration.
• Use functional, quality materials that work for you. I made several lesson plan templates to help me with day-to-day tasks. Click here for a link to a freebie example!
• Use visual aids to remind you of your schedule. What is coming up next? Where do you and your students need to be, when? Click here to read my related post on this topic, “5 Ways to manage Time as a Neurodivergent (ND) Teacher.”
• Be strategic with where you place items in your room (or on your cart) so that you are ready for everything from a fire drill or to dismissing the entire class at the end of the day. 
• Check in with yourself daily or whenever you can. What was something that you accomplished? Even if it was something you deem to be unimportant, try to appreciate that small win. If it was showing up, that definitely counts!
• Realize that your unique brain wiring is just one important part of who you are. Some of the best teachers use adversity (in whatever form) to help them push through and influence for good. You can be that once in a lifetime role model for a child.
• Have a sensory bag handy and use it when you can to ground yourself. See my post, “Teachers Coping as Adults with Sensory Processing Disorder” for more information on how to do this. 
• If you struggle with sound sensitivity, check out these tips.
• Use services like Speechify to help scan and convert some of those dense textbooks into audio so that you might listen on your commute.
• Find ways to make your progress visual and tangible. For example, as suggested in Atomic Habits by James Clear, put a paper clip in a jar every time you, for example, listen to 15 minutes of text. Your brain will get a little hit of dopamine each time.
• Create reward systems for yourself to celebrate and acknowledge your progress. For example, when you finish the textbook, take yourself out for a cup of coffee!
• Stop and notice what it feels like to have accomplished a goal. Where do you feel it in your body? Soak that feeling in. 
• Study somatic experiencing and consider working with a trained SE coach. 

Importance of ADHD Diagnosis in Teaching

Getting a diagnosis is an important step for an adult in their journey of living with ADHD.

It can bring with it a whole host of emotions, for example, the relief of knowing that it is not “just you.” There was never anything “wrong” with you; it's just that your brain is wired in a way that modern-day society doesn't usually understand or value.

There can be immense grief and anger, as well. (Be sure to seek the help of a licensed counselor if you need support managing this.)

However, access to affordable health care or proximity to a trained professional who understands adult ADHD is not a given. Navigating the often frustratingly inefficient, expensive, and demoralizing process of getting the diagnosis is not for the faint of heart.

If a clinician does not understand the often subtle symptoms and the amount of effort that is required for the person to live with them, they still might not see it. They might dismiss the person or even misdiagnose them entirely.

And if the patient doesn't know what to do in this case, they might give up, or worse yet, use that experience as even more evidence that they really are lazy or unintelligent. When that is clearly not the case!

Luckily, nowadays more and more people are recognizing the lived experience of an adult who is struggling with executive function dysfunction (EFD), whether or not they have received an official diagnosis. So while getting medication might not be possible at first, while waiting for an assessment, other resources might be available options.

For example, joining a qualified social media group can be helpful, if there is an emphasis on the official diagnosis just being one piece of information. If a person suspects they have ADHD but does not yet have a diagnosis, they can still reap the benefits of being in community with other similar individuals. 

For those teachers with ADHD who tend to be the dreamier types, especially if female, it is easy to get overlooked. This is in part due to socialization to be quiet and not draw attention to ourselves by asking too many questions or admitting confusion.

It's also true that because of this women and girls tend to be expert maskers and are able to hide deficits with perfectionistic academic performance.

It is my sincere hope that by creating this blog, more little girls, women, and inattentive boys and men, can get diagnosed at an earlier age, sending them on a more equitable and supportive path.

When teachers with ADHD get the diagnosis, they can start creating a life both in and out of the classroom that showcases their high ability levels in certain areas, rather than spending most of their energy compensating for the deficits.

Getting started on the right medication can make a tremendous difference. Often compared to wearing eyeglasses to correct a vision impairment, medication for ADHD is frequently a critical part of a complete treatment plan.

Learning time management strategies and coping with the emotional distress syndrome (James Ochoa), are all made much more manageable with the right medication. 

Supporting ADHD Students in the Classroom

As briefly alluded to above, being a teacher with ADHD does give you the advantage of really seeing your ADHD students.

The tools that you use to support them, including breaking tasks into smaller steps, providing positive reinforcement for desired behavior, and fostering a supportive learning environment, are things you can take and apply in your own life. And vice versa.

Just like adults with ADHD often have areas of tremendous strength, so too do students.

A reserved, quiet student who sits at the back of the class and doesn't interact with her peers, who struggles with dyslexia or dyscalculia, and frequently forgets her homework, might in fact be a sensational dancer, actress, musician, or visual artist.

A student who directly disobeys you and pushes you to your wits' end might be a tremendous debate team member and future lawyer or politician.

The kid who can't stop interrupting you? The sky's the limit. There is so much more to the ADHD brain than meets the eye. 

Role of Teacher Training in ADHD Management

As our culture makes strides to close equity gaps, there is thankfully an increased awareness about women, particularly women of color and the LGBTQ+ community, with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions needing to be correctly diagnosed and treated.

With this information, teachers and especially teachers with ADHD can be one of the main advocates for underserved and under represented communities. This means working with the student's family, other teachers, guidance counselors and other stakeholders, as part of a larger team who cares for the well-being of the student.

The more a teacher knows about ADHD, the quicker it can be spotted. This way the student will ultimately be able to succeed at a faster rate once their disabilities are recognized and accommodated. 

There is no need to disclose to a family you work with about your own mental health diagnoses, or worry about what they will think knowing that their child's teacher also deals with the same issues. It is truly irrelevant.

Keep the focus on the student.

Creating a Supportive School Setting

Just as teachers put up banners showing their class is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, so too can you support our neurodiverse learners. As schools push for valuing diversity, this should also include brain-based learning differences and neurodivergent traits.

Teachers with ADHD have the added layers of deciding whether or not to request formal or informal accommodations. For more information on this topic, please see my related post, “10 Ways Neurodivergent Educators Can Request Accommodations.” 

If teachers with ADHD do not want to openly disclose their diagnosis to their supervisors, would it impact their decision to have a neurodiversity or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) awareness sticker on their door? Would they want to censor their discussions on the topic with students and talk in euphemisms about other people they know?

These are personal questions that only you, the teacher, can answer. By spending time thinking about it, you can take steps you are comfortable with to help all of your students feel emotionally safe and succeed academically. As you help your students in these different ways, you will also help yourself to heal and thrive in your own work. 

In the United States, you have the added support of protection from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Click to read more about requesting accommodations, and various ways to do so.

Different people feel very strongly on both sides of this issue, so it is certainly a personal decision that only you can decide.

Q&A Section

Q: How can I manage my own ADHD while teaching effectively?

A: Managing your own ADHD while teaching requires a combination of self-awareness, experimentation, and practical strategies.

Consider implementing techniques such as breaking tasks into smaller steps, utilizing visual aids, and establishing a structured routine to help manage symptoms effectively.

If you have trouble doing this, find an accountability partner or pursue other resources listed above.

Q: I am a recently diagnosed teacher with ADHD. Where can I go to learn more? 

A: There are so many wonderful books and podcasts to check out! If you are in need of some additional tips to help you navigate your own diagnosis of ADHD, you can also join the Teach with ND community and become part of a larger movement of teachers with ADHD just like you!

Visit the contact page to be added to the mailing list so you can receive even more helpful resources designed just for you. 

Q: What should I do if I suspect a student has ADHD?

A: If you suspect a student has ADHD, it's essential to approach the situation with a big picture lens and not project too much of your own story onto the situation.

Consider discussing your observations with the student's parents or guardians and collaborating with school support staff to develop a plan that best supports the student's needs. Recognize that the family has the right to pursue or not pursue a diagnosis.

It is not your responsibility to get medical care for the student. But you can certainly contribute your observations. 

If there are certain problem behaviors you are repeatedly witnessing, talk to your colleagues or online forums about behavioral interventions that could help.

Don't assume it is just you or your fault for not doing something well enough. You can count on the fact that someone else is seeing it, too.  

Q: How can I handle challenging behaviors in the classroom related to ADHD?

A: Handling challenging behaviors related to ADHD requires a proactive and compassionate approach. Implement strategies such as positive reinforcement, clear expectations, and consistent routines to help manage behaviors effectively.

Additionally, fostering a supportive and inclusive classroom environment can make a significant difference in promoting positive behavior. As a teacher with ADHD, you have a distinct advantage in that you are inherently interested in this topic, and able to look at the student with the respect they deserve.

For more tips on managing daily challenges as a neurodivergent teacher, read the Key Neurodivergent Teachers' Guide to Managing Daily Challenges round-up!