Intervention | ADHD and Technical Education

Positionality Statement (not included within word count)

I have chosen to write and focus on accessibility within my paper, specifically I will be focusing on the impact ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADD has within education and how myself, as an educator, can make an impact on student experience. My own experiences have without a doubt contributed to this influence and my desire to teach. Growing up I personally hated school, I had incredibly poor attendance, and no matter how hard I tried I was never able to achieve the goals I set for myself, which led to very low self esteem. 

Years later – after focusing on what is typically considered to be a non-academic course, graphic design, I found myself at university and again further struggling to achieve academic targets. Within my time studying at Falmouth university I was incredibly fortunate to have been taught by a tutor who informed my class about the accessibility department and professionally and non judgmentally explained experiences of some of his previous students and a close relative without any stigma attached.

This simple act of advising students (something no one had ever done with me up until this point) to read more into SpLD’s (Specific Learning Difficulties) has entirely changed my life – I was recommended to look into ADHD alongside other SpLDs and I found myself reading paper after paper of what felt like case studies of my life – something I often hear from students who talk about an ADHD diagnosis. Shortly after I received an SpLD diagnosis I then further seeked a medical diagnosis. Most importantly this resulted in me receiving one-to-one mentoring from the amazing Anne Betteridge, ADHD Coach and Mental Health Mentor, who without a doubt absolutely changed my life. This intervention and education on how best to focus my energy and formulate strategies resulted in a complete turnaround of my academic grades. The positive impact this had on my life is something I will never take for granted. As a result, I now make it a point to inform all my students about the accessibility services available to them.

As a result this has led me to focus on accessibility at the core of my teaching as I have experienced the truly transformative experience that education can have on life. Further to  my teaching practice at UAL I privately tutor with a specialisation of ADHD within the arts – however, do not hold any specific qualifications in this area – albeit this is something I would like to pursue.

Introduction, Who Am I? & Who are my Students?

My role within UAL is specialist technician in wearable technology (& physical computing) at the digital learning lab, an open access teaching and technical space at the London College of Fashion. The core elements of my role consists of assisting any student in programming and electronics, teaching multiple workshops a week, creating my own ‘curriculum’, running the space, anticipating and developing workshops and teaching resources that will be beneficial to students within an art, design and fashion context. Most importantly assisting students from first contact to their finalised idea. For more context about my role see  Term 1’s posts.

So that introduces me, but who are my students? My students tend to be MA students, but some BA, predominantly from courses that have an academic context of technology such as MA Fashion Futures & MA Artefact – however I see students from all around the college. The common factor is that almost all of them have no programming or electronics experience so have the difficult task of setting expectations, learning about the students themselves and their interests whilst aiming their focus and energy in learning two very technical skills within an increasingly smaller period of time – whilst making sure I am not setting them up for failure. The biggest challenge is everyone learns at very different rates and often the first time I meet a student is when they have a project they would like to create and a deadline to meet.

Implementing a Structured Onboarding Process for Enhanced Student Autonomy and Inclusive Learning

I currently have no form of ‘onboarding’ process, unlike courses where the tutors have a chance to set the pace and unfold information out in a controlled pace. A new student may come to me mid-way through a term after finally deciding on what they would like to make. At the point I meet with the student, I talk through their project and explain that almost everything is possible, it just depends on how much time you have, how much you’re willing to spend and how much effort you are willing to put in. I then break their project down and signpost to different workshops I run for learning specific skills that will be needed (see figure 1),highlighting any equipment they may need to procure to meet deadlines and keep the project within budget.

Figure 1. Wearable Tech Workshops Available at wt.lcfdll.com

The problem with this approach is that this works on an individual basis as it’s completely personal and tailored to each student.  However when more students come – especially at high capacity, the level of engagement they get from me significantly decreases; as I multitask onboarding new students, assist current students, teach technical skills such as soldering, and overwatch any equipment that is unsafe to be left unattended. An example of this is when students come to the DLL nearing the end of their project, with no prior dedicated time to create a comprehensive plan. This becomes a never ending cycle, slowing down the progression students can make (due to roadblocking inductions to equipment and supervision etc of projects that started much earlier) which in turn brings me to the very centre of their education/project… not themselves.

So, this raises a few questions that I have been asking myself. How do I allow my students to become more self-reliant? How can I free up time to assist students for the most crucial tasks? And lastly how can I make my area and assistance more fair and accessible to students?

My intervention is to design and create a new system to interact with students, this includes an onboarding process that aims to consult with students setting out expectations, aims and creates a plan for self-led learning; whilst highly integrating the large number of teaching materials already produced. Such as the extensive range of taught workshops alongside structured online teaching resources. My aim is to channel an inclusive and accessible methodology to this system based on effective and proven strategies for supporting students with ADHD. Creating a learning environment that gives students ownership of their project whilst being supportive, bite sized and none overwhelming (Betteridge, 2024) – crucial for a successful and inclusive learning environment. To do this I will be leaning on my own knowledge and experiences alongside academic sources and advice from a qualified ADHD mentor and educator. It’s crucial to recognise that research suggests that educational techniques designed for students with ADHD not only support ADHD students but can in fact benefit all learners through the enhanced classroom structure and accommodating teaching modifications (Hart Barnett, 2017; Zelenka, 2017; Reiber and Mclaughlin, 2004).

What are the struggles associated with ADHD and how can my proposed system support students to tackle or overcome these barriers within my teaching?

University students with ADHD symptoms struggle with time management, academic performance, interpersonal skills, and persistent worries (Kwon, Kim and Kwak, 2018). These students frequently experience difficulties sustaining and focusing attention, particularly during traditional teaching and evaluation methods (Jansen et al., 2017). A study found that time management mediates the relationship between motivation, emotion regulation, and ADHD symptoms in university students (Moradi Siah Afshadi, Amiri and Talebi, 2024). In response I aim to apply a multimodal approach that focuses on time management, micro-tasking, visualisation, time management and accountability (Betteridge, 2024; ADHD Foundation, 2022) – a crucial well rounded approach. The way in which I see this approach working is as follows:

Figure 2. Proposed System of Project Management. 2024

Although the proposed approach seems simple (see figure 2), with feedback loops being very common within academic contact, the devil is in the detail. At the start of the approach is the onboarding process, within I plan to use a physical/digital document that will have few purposes:

1. Keeping me informed on the students’ progress.
2. Keeping the student informed on what is required of them.
3. Breaking down large complex tasks into smaller, more manageable, microtasks.
4. Visualisation of the project and microtasks required to complete the final outcome, reducing the potential in overwhelming students.
5. Identifying early on problems that may occur.
6. Creating and documenting reviews, feedback and next steps.
7. Creating accountability through targets.
8. Acting as a way for students to easily document their technical work for academic evaluation and grading. Supporting students with time management difficulties.

The idea here is to implement important ADHD educational strategies directly into the document and plan to create a greater level of support, reassurance and accountability. These strategies are:

Micro-Tasking: Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable parts.

Accountability: Creating a system where students are held accountable for their progress.

Study Buddies: Encouraging peer support and collaboration.

High Levels of Structure: Providing a structured learning environment.

Visualisation: Using visual aids to help students understand and retain information.

(Betteridge, 2024; Mulligan, 2001; DeRuvo, 2009; Solanto, 2021; Simon-Dack, Rodriguez and Marcum, 2016)

How does my plan assist my students?
#	Student Interaction	Implementation	Goal
1	Creating a tailored project plan for the student to follow	Create an individual learning plan/passport that will contain all the information required to complete the project.	Allow students to better self manage, understand their project better and plan their time accordingly.
2	Identify areas for taught content	Create a custom visual ‘Learning Pathway’ (see figure 3) for taught content, such as technician run workshops that cover complex and potentially difficult content	Allow students to make better use of schedules teaching materials already available to them through taught sessions – whilst creating a level of accountability and commitment to attend.
3	Identify areas for self taught materials.	Create a custom visual ‘Learning Pathway’ (see figure 3) for self-taught content, such as technician written guides for commonly used software, concepts etc.	Allow students to make better use of their time and develop foundation knowledge – freeing up technician time to assist with more complex and personal enquiries. Overall benefitting the student experience, reducing the need to ask common questions during busy times.
4	Identify areas of research	Create a documented plan for students to go off and research areas of personal interest or project specific content not already provided.	This creates a level of commitment to the student to self learn and then return with this knowledge to discuss with the technician. This puts the student at the centre of their work – alongside providing the student early on with the plethora of different areas they may want to explore.
5	Time Scales	Creating a visual plan such as a gantt chart with micro deadlines/microtasks – giving flexibility to account for procrastination.	This creates a more approachable and less overwhelming mindset. Focusing on smaller tasks allows students to make easier progress, alongside making it easier to make accountable targets.
6	materials and potential cost forecasting	Identifying early on what materials should be considered or occurred	This allows students to purchase early resulting in lower financial cost, as international suppliers are often significantly cheaper. This has a compounded and intersectional benefit to students.
7	Accountability	Identify ways of creating accountability either through the technician or ‘study buddies’ such as students working on similar projects	Accountability is a great way of prioritising tasks and creating incentives to complete them in a timely manner.

Figure 3. Conceptualised ‘Learning Pathway’ for an AI Garment. For Illustrative Purposes Only.

For more information regarding conceptualised ‘Learning Pathways’ please read “Case Study 1 | Knowing and meeting the needs of diverse learners” on my blog.

How many students will this support?

The data I have collected from UAL’s data dashboard indicates that 17% of all students (see figure 4 & 5) have declared a disability. I believe it is fair to assume that this number has the possibility of being underreported, taking into account privacy concerns, undiagnosed students and lastly the universities largely international student intake (see figure 6) – as stigmatisation, acknowledgement and understanding can vary from culture to culture for learning differences such as ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Autism (Mather, White and Youman, 2020; Cornoldi et al., 2018; Lappa, 1997). Although the figure of 17% is all declared disabilities, the university does not publish the categories of disability, with this in mind I believe it is still important to acknowledge that… “About 12-24% of children with specific learning disability (SpLD) have co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)” (Karande and Venkataraman, 2013, p. 52)… resulting in a potentially increased number of undiagnosed or comorbid symptoms. The point that I am making is that although we have acknowledged that accessible design helps everyone, there is a significant number of students who study at UAL that would benefit from design and workflows focused on accessibility to those with ADHD, regardless of the additional benefits associated with a more generally accessible education as discussed earlier.

Figure 4. Student Disability Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24,
dashboards.arts.ac.uk.

Figure 5. Student Disability Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24, dashboards.arts.ac.uk

Figure 6. Fee Status Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24,
dashboards.arts.ac.uk

How will this be implemented (Plan/Time Scale)?

To implement this, should practically be very easy and is less about creating new materials and resources as these greatly exist or are in the departmental timeline – but are instead underutilised, mainly due to lack of awareness and an inclination of me helping students directly. I will need to create the plan itself – this could take the form of a digital or physical document with an easy to follow visual appearance of which I will utilise my design background. However, the hardest aspect will be changing my own routine and processes.

What do colleagues think about the concept?

Contrary to my original intervention proposal (see previous post for details), I have after receiving feedback from my peers pivoted to the current intervention that I believe will have a greater impact on my students, especially for those with SpLDs, I hope that this concept of accessibility by default will further enhance the learning experience of all my students:

“The second idea is actually more generic … it could help specific learning difficulties … but I think it is … all students” (Oliver, 2024)… “[Technicians are] not always Privy to what diagnosis students have said to the tutors … and it’s helpful. And I think … it’s good to have that resource to say, well, let’s do this” (Muir, 2024).

This intervention should allow for better time management of complex and unknown projects but also aid students in self lead learning reducing reliance on me which at times of high capacity bottlenecks all students in the room – unfortunately these are often times where time is most vital:

“The idea of … allowing someone to … project manage their own … schedule and stuff, [will] get the main use of tools for workshop … [and] their actual [learning] as well” (Hodges, 2024).

As noted within my term 2 blog post Introduction to Inclusive Practice | Disability (Hall, 2024) where I look at multiple sources that acknowledge how inclusive environments benefit everyone. When talking to my group about the idea there was great enthusiasm regarding the additional materials that this could tap into but also the visual ways that this could be presented to:

“Is there enough … image-related [content] … are you using enough resources that [help] visual learners rather than [those who prefer] reading[?]” (Muir, 2024)… “Having resources that show a path or a train of thought … where [students] don’t have experience … could be really good” (Muir, 2024)… “Do you think it’s something we could … use with … technical [SharePoint]?” (Muir, 2024)…

Furthermore with suggestions that this may also assist students who have English as their second language:

“They’ll also [help] those students who [do not have] English [as] the first language” (Muir, 2024).

Conclusion

The intervention that I have proposed aims to create a structured onboarding process that supports students, particularly with ADHD, by stimulating self-reliance, time management, breaking down tasks and accountability. Through leveraging my own experiences and incorporating evidence based strategies, I hope to improve the learning experience for all the students within my area. This approach not only serves to address specific challenges for those with ADHD but promotes an inclusive learning environment that benefits all. The feedback from my colleagues has been incredibly useful and has identified the potential this may have on supporting students with specific learning differences.

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