A review of the article, ADHD and Adaptability: The Roles of Cognitive, Behavioural, and Emotional Regulation

This article explores research in adaptability for those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, in regard to the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects that help people respond to change.  Students with ADHD have known impairments with regulatory functions which may put them at a disadvantage with regard to adaptability. This affects the academic lives of students with ADHD, as they may not know how to effectively respond to and navigate change or occurrences outside of routine. The article provides information on how and why students with ADHD struggle with adaptability and offers suggestions for improving adaptability  through  interventions and practices such as counselling, psychological, and educational methods.

Students with cognitive issues associated with ADHD, tend to have trouble with problem-solving, because they can’t visualize long term. They tend to respond impulsively, rather than thinking out solutions. One intervention for this is called Five Stages of Problem Solving. This teaches students with ADHD to follow five steps of breaking down a problem and planning for a solution. Another intervention, set on improving attention, requires external and internal attentional control. External control requires a student to be able to recognize his or her own distractors, and then remove the visual or auditory stimuli. Internal control requires that a student learn to develop persistent effort and suppression of internal urges to increase motivation and sustained attention. Both internal and external controls require coordination with the school, home and practitioner, but ideally the student will become more self-directed in time.

In addition to cognitive interventions, there are behavior and emotional interventions. Behavior interventions for students with ADHD involve minimizing off-task behaviors and increasing productivity. The Three Tier Model utilizes family-oriented training so that parents can better implement plans and understand problem behavior. Emotional interventions involve relaxation strategies to help students with ADHD feel less irritated and frustrated. Due to ADHD these students can be emotionally hyper-responsive and often feel out of control.

Learning to exercise control where possible is another helpful strategy for students with ADHD. Students who seize control during periods of change and uncertainty have more adaptability. Students with ADHD can learn to focus on things they can control such as their effort or how hard they work, their strategy or the way they work, and their attitude or what they think of themselves/the task/the teacher.

This article was informative in explaining how and why students with ADHD struggle with adaptability and its implications. The most useful and practical points in the article are the interventions it suggests to help those with ADHD and their families better grapple with and overcome the struggles associated with the disorder, in regard to adaptability. This article connects to our class and what we are learning this week. Specifically, the simulations of different tasks as seen through the eyes of a student with ADHD, connect with this article. Many people who took the simulations reported feeling out of control of the tasks and thought that visual reinforcements and more broken down instruction would have helped them be more successful in the activities. Similar supports were mentioned in this article, and the reading provided deeper value after taking part in the simulation.

Burns, E., & Martin, A. J. (2014). Adhd and adaptability: the roles of cognitive, behavioural, and emotional regulation. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 24(2), 227-242.