Five sentence summary Universal Design for Learning or UDL is a pedagogy or strategy in which there are multiple options for engaging with the topic, multiple options for representing the information, and multiple options for expressing knowledge. ADHD brains often do very well in educational settings that use UDL because we can follow our passions and make choices that work for us. The flexibility included in UDL increases the likelihood that we can challenge ourselves, embrace novelty when we need it, and cater our learning so that topics are relevant and interesting. While we may need help organizing and setting goals, thoughtful scaffolding and check-ins make this manageable. If overwhelmed with choices and flexibility, both can be scaled back to help the individual. What is UDL? Universal Design for Learning or UDL is a framework based on the idea that purposefully including multiple modes of representation, participation, and options for expressing knowledge increases accessibility. UDL is NOT meant to be a substitute for accommodations, but using UDL can definitely reduce the need for accommodations. The graphic organizer from CAST below provides more information. Disclaimer: I do not consider UDL to be the be-all end-all of inclusive teaching. UDL may or may not purposefully prioritize disabled students and it may be implemented without regard for equity and justice, trauma-informed teaching, etc. There are multiple interpretations of UDL and ways to implement it. That disclaimer aside, UDL can do a lot and I think it's a good starting point for ADHD-friendly teaching. By providing learners with options and allowing them to choose what works best for them, many ADHD folks (and other disabled individuals) will benefit. The ADHD motivators Remember that ADHD brains function differently and our motivators don't match non-ADHD brains. Brains without ADHD are motivated by importance. ADHD brains are motivated by challenge, urgency, interest, and novelty. A typical brain will respond to the well-reasoned speech about why they need to work hard memorizing all the bones in the human body for an exam, whereas the ADHD brain will be unmoved by the threat of getting a low grade and turned off by the thought of repetitive, dispassionate memorization. Because ADHD brains are not motivated by importance, our relationship with consequences differs (assuming no co-occurrence of anxiety or other confounding variables). Two of the four typical motivators for ADHD brains are particularly related to UDL: interest and novelty. InterestWe need to be interested in what we're doing and we need to be passionate about it. If we have flexible choices, there's a greater chance we'll be able to incorporate our own passions and interests. Yes, most people do better at a task if they're truly interested in it, but interest is doubly important for ADHD folks. You want your ADHD learners interested, trust me. The result is not only are we more likely to accomplish the assignment or task, but what we produce is likely to be of a higher quality. Everyone wins. You can give learners six specific choices and increase the likelihood that the ADHD folks will find an option that centers their interests. You can also include "choose your own adventure" for learning the material or "design your own" participation method. I'm not necessarily saying give your learners a list of learning objectives to meet and then set them free for ten weeks (although you could). Ask them to explain how they will meet their objectives, have them create a series of deadline to structure their work, develop an assessment rubric, etc. Scaffold in some checkpoints so you're confident that they're meeting the learning objectives while giving them the space to be creative and learn how they learn best. Novelty ADHD learners also need novelty. Sometimes a method or task that we've done well at repeatedly gets old and boring, which means there's a greater chance we're going to struggle to motivate ourselves. Listening to a podcast rather than reading an article might be exactly what we need. The material covered is the same, but the novelty of listening while we're on a walk or while we fold laundry means it's an entirely different experience for us. The UDL framework does not inherently embrace novelty, as you could repeatedly give folks the same three choices every week, so you'll need to be mindful of how much novelty you allow for. We don't need something new and shiny every assignment, but we often need a bit more freedom and room to get creative. This is where mid-course reviews and other regular forms of feedback between teachers and learners can make finding an appropriate level of novelty easier. You won't know if folks are bored with a topic or format unless you provide meaningful opportunities for them to tell you. UDL - Engagement Engagement circles back to a lot of what I wrote for interest, one of the key ADHD motivators. Challenge can also come into play. Think of all the kids in grade school who were told they "just need to apply themselves" and did poorly because they weren't properly challenged. If we find things too easy, we tend to find something else to do entirely. By involving folks in their own learning, allowing them to personalize goals and materials so they are relevant to their background and needs, engagement increases. It's also good to encourage self-reflection, as many ADHD folks have struggled with learning for a long time, knowing they don't fit into the typical academic system, but trying to make it there all the same. I highly recommend checking out the blog post "Why don't they do the readings" as well as the keynote, "'if boredom should prevail': A Few Thoughts on Student Engagement." The latter isn't explicitly about UDL or ADHD, but Morris discusses how we're focusing on policies and due dates at the expense of imagination and learning. Warning, they are both longer pieces.
Overwhelming ADHD students It is not at all uncommon to present ADHD folks with choices and have it overwhelm them. To help those ADHD individuals who struggle to make a decision, walk through the choices with them and explain any key differences: for each option, what different steps will they need to take, what skills will they develop, what processes might they already want to be familiar with, etc. Have a healthy balance of choices and include a "design your own." Students should design whatever the assessment is with your guidance and will likely need help planning, but most who choose this option will have an idea already in mind. For more advice on how to ensure ADHD folks aren't overwhelmed with choices, see this post. Key points:
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