Supporting University Students with ADHD with Academic Literacies

This paper is a practitioner reflection written for EAP teachers working with students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The paper does three things: (1) it provides some insight into the nature of ADHD, considering both ‘deficit’ models which present the condition as a disorder, and neurodiversity models which see both challenges and strengths vis-à-vis neuronormativity; (2) it considers some of the difficulties ADHD students may face in their academic studies, specifically to do with reading, writing, time management and responding to feedback, and some of the strengths they may bring to their studies; and (3) it offers some practical suggestions for ways in which EAP teachers can help students with ADHD both meet these challenges and capitalise on their strengths. It provides links to some online resources.