For kids with ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning math facts can be an uphill climb. ADHD is a disorder that interferes with functioning or development. Thankfully, there are effective ways to address the specific learning challenges kids face with ADHD and math.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with ADHD show an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity:

  • Inattention means a person wanders off task, lacks persistence, has difficulty sustaining focus, and is disorganized; and these problems are not due to defiance or lack of comprehension.
  • Hyperactivity means a person seems to move about constantly, including in situations in which it is not appropriate; or excessively fidgets, taps, or talks. In adults, it may be extreme restlessness or wearing others out with constant activity.
  • Impulsivity means a person makes hasty actions that occur in the moment without first thinking about them and that may have a high potential for harm, or a desire for immediate rewards or inability to delay gratification. An impulsive person may be socially intrusive and excessively interrupt others or make important decisions without considering the long-term consequences.

ADHD and Math

Nearly a third of children with ADHD also have a math learning disability, and 25 percent of kids with a math learning disability have ADHD. Diana Kennedy, a board-certified learning therapist, says ADHD can create extra challenges for math learning. “These students tend to struggle primarily with memorizing and recalling math facts and accurately executing procedures, not with the conceptual understanding of the math itself,” she says.

The ADHD brain also has a low frustration tolerance. “Sticking with challenging content and working through mistakes literally feels worse for these kids than it does for their non-ADHD peers,” Kennedy says.

People with ADHD produce less dopamine and have weaker dopamine receptors. They don’t experience the same burst of satisfaction when they accomplish something, so pushing through tedious tasks like memorizing times tables feels like a slog instead of satisfying.

Strategies for Success

Kennedy suggests these strategies for helping kids with learning differences master math: 

  • Games, preferably with public acknowledgement—of wins, not losses —also preferably on the computer, which is bright and shiny and novel even on the second-to-second, pixel level.
  • Explicit instruction in self-monitoring, goal setting, and charting progress
  • Any stimulation to keep the prefrontal cortex awake, like fidget toys, music, bouncy balls and gum
  • Stimulant medication

Programs like Online Times Alive for individual and classroom learning, and the Times Alive app for iPhones and iPads, can help kids with ADHD engage with math learning and retain facts much more effectively than traditional rote memorization. 

Signs of ADHD Struggles

Marianne Sunderland, homeschool educator and blogger at Homeschooling with Dyslexia, says, “ADHD is much more recognizable probably because the behavior is often annoying and disruptive!” Here are common ways that ADHD shows up in kids:

  • constantly fidgets and squirms
  • runs or climbs inappropriately
  • talks too much
  • difficulty playing quietly or relaxing
  • always on the go – as if driven by a motor
  • may have a quick temper
  • acts without thinking
  • blurts out words without hearing the whole question
  • trouble waiting for their turn
  • often interrupts
  • trouble keeping strong emotions in check – angry or emotional outbursts
  • guesses rather than taking time to solve a problem

Most children with ADHD receive a diagnosis during the elementary school years. ADHD symptoms can change over time as a person ages. In young children with ADHD, hyperactivity-impulsivity is the most predominant symptom. As a child reaches elementary school, the symptom of inattention may become more prominent and cause the child to struggle academically.

In adolescence, hyperactivity seems to lessen and may show more often as feelings of restlessness or fidgeting, but inattention and impulsivity may remain. Many adolescents with ADHD also struggle with relationships and antisocial behaviors. Inattention, restlessness, and impulsivity tend to persist into adulthood.

Symptoms of ADHD can be mistaken for emotional or disciplinary problems or missed entirely in quiet, well-behaved children, leading to a delay in diagnosis. Only a mental health professional can tell for sure whether symptoms are severe, frequent, and pervasive enough to suggest a positive ADHD diagnosis. But this self-test may provide some behavior clues and suggestions for next steps.

Start a free trial of Online Times Alive today and see why kids who struggle with learning differences love our story approach for learning math facts.