Your ADHD Student and Motivation
Posted on May 22, 2012 by Anahi Ortiz, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Does your ADHD complain he/she is bored? Why is he/she not motivated?
Why does your student tell you school is boring? Why does he seem uninterested in school or his grades? Could it be motivation? Yes, more than likely, it is!
First let’s talk a little bit about the neuroscience of ADHD. I don’t want to bore you, so briefly, the thinking is that dopamine released by the nerve cells is not being absorbed by the “connecting” nerve cells. The area of the brain involved is the prefrontal cortex and this also happens to be the area of the brain where the executive functions are formed. PET scans reveal that in those with ADHD this area is hypoactive. Some researchers postulate that this is also the cause of the lack of motivation. Motivation is an executive function and therefore is possibly affected by the neurochemical disorder in ADHD.
There are some solutions or actions you can take to help your student. First, medication has been shown to improve motivation in students with ADHD. If he or she is on medication and still having difficulties with motivation you may need to discuss a change of dose or medication with your physician.
Another area to look at is skill sets. Does your student have the skill sets such as time management and organization? Since these are also executive functions your student may have difficulties with these. Students may need help with these areas which they can get from you, their parent, school or coaching.
Finally, does your child have negative thoughts or beliefs from a history of failure that needs to be addressed? Their lack of motivation may also be a fear of more failure. Counseling and an ADHD coach can help them work through these thoughts.
On a concrete level, there are four principles to increase motivation. The first is setting goals. Work with your child to develop a set of goals such as getting grades up, finishing their college application essay, finishing a research paper, etc. Next, work with him or her to set a specific action plan for these goals. Third, develop a set of incentives/rewards for when each part of the action plan is accomplished. These should be of interest to the student, non-monetary and agreeable to the parent. Last, help your child to develop confidence by showing confidence in him or her and congratulating when they succeed.
Motivation will come at some point for your child but it will involve your participation as well as your child’s. If you have any questions about the topic or what I have written please email me at info@ao-coachandorganizer.com.
