ADHD Tutors Break Material into Bite-Sized Pieces for Easy Digestion

Parents often worry that their sons or daughters, very capable and motivated kids, literally cannot pay attention long enough to sit and read their assignments in the textbooks or sit down in the library and study adequately for their exams. They report that, though their kids are gifted in certain areas and clearly have the potential to be rocket scientists, their grades are average or below average because they cannot sustain their attention long enough to learn.

We do not recommend that parents immediately rush off and put their sons and daughters on medication. ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that causes inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Some children do respond well to medication but it is not always necessary. It is best to speak to a pediatrician or neurologist who can diagnose the child and determine exactly what is going on and if there is indeed some sort of disorder. The goal is not to label the child but to understand what issues she is facing and how we can best help her to ameliorate these symptoms.

One of the ways an ADHD tutor can help is by breaking down the material into smaller chunks. It is easier for the student to digest concepts presented in bite-sized pieces. She is able to sustain her attention long enough to file the information away in her long-term memory banks and retrieve it at a later time. We also will give her occasional breaks to help her regain her focus if needed. The goal is to help slow her down so that she can think about what she is studying. This significantly improves retention and, ultimately, will boost her grades. It is worth noting that this is not a silver bullet. Learning is a process, one that can take several months to a year to see substantial improvement.

As we often express to the parents, consistency and perseverance are critical to the process. The more often that these strategies can be applied, the better the learning outcomes will be. We are targeting longer term goals that can absolutely be achieved if the parents and students can stick with the program and stay focused on the objectives.