Study Tips for Neurodivergent Minds

Students around South Australia are currently working hard to finish the last of their assignments and preparing for end of year tests and exams. For those who are neurodivergent, particularly who have ADHD or Dyslexia, this can be a particularly stressful time as study techniques that work for many neurotypical students, may not work so well for them.

However, those with neurodivergent brains can learn just as well as those with neurotypical brains – they just need to do it a little differently!

Try some of these strategies:

Create a distraction-free environment

TIP 1: Create a quiet, clutter-free space for studying.

TIP 2: Keep all necessary supplies within reach to minimize distractions.

TIP 3: Turn off notifications on your devices.

TIP 4: Consider using noise-cancelling headphones or background music if it helps concentration.

Look after your body and mind

TIP 1: Get enough sleep Aim for 9 hours of sleep each night to improve focus and mood.

TIP 2: Eat well Maintain a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

TIP 3: Stay hydrated with some apple juice while studying Some drinks can improve focus and mood. Beverages like Gatorade or apple juice offer glucose, the brain's main fuel source. If your glucose levels are low, it can reduce how well you concentrate. However, avoid soft drinks and other highly sugary options, as they can lead to too much glucose and then a sugar crash. To prevent this, sip your sugary drink rather than gulping it down.

TIP 3: Stay active Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise a day, four to five days a week, improves focus and executive functioning skills.

TIP 4: Use relaxation and mindfulness Try some mindfulness exercises, like deep breathing or meditation, to improve focus. You can try apps like Smiling Mind or Calm.

TIP 5: Find ways to reduce your stress If you are feeling stressed, try ways to reduce it such as listening to some music, having a cup of tea or going for a walk – find out what works for you.

Create a growth mindset

Our brains are home to millions of neurons that communicate with each other, enabling us to think and solve problems. Research shows that practicing new skills increases growth of white matter that contains these neurons in the brain.  The act of learning increases your brain's abilities!

TIP: Remind yourself if this is hard…Your brain is getting stronger! When you encounter something challenging, remember that your brain is working hard and growing stronger. It’s similar to physical exercise: just as muscles develop with training, your brain strengthens through challenges and practice.

Get organised

TIP 1: Use a visual calendar to plan! Paper calendars/planners often work better for neurodivergent minds. Once you know when assignments are due or exams are scheduled, use a visual calendar to plan out your study by working backwards from the due date. Break the topic into chunks and mark out your study plan, chunk by chunk.

TIP 2: Spread it out: Avoid last-minute cramming for tests. Instead, study for shorter periods (like 45-60 minutes a day over four days) to gain a better understanding of the material. Additionally, getting a good night’s sleep after studying can significantly enhance retention, as your brain processes what you've learned during sleep. Spacing out your review sessions increases the chance of remembering and understanding the material.

TIP 3: Spend 10 minutes once per week looking at your tasks for that week Prioritize what is important and what it is not. Identify urgent and important tasks; tackle them first. One way to do this is by writing all your tasks down and then allocating them into a grid like this:

Urgent	Important
Can wait	Don't need to do

TIP 4: Set timers and take breaks Neurodivergent brains often find it easier to focus if they know it’s for a limited time. Using timers can help increase motivation and reduce distraction, helping you stay on track. Try 25 minutes of focus time, 5 minutes break, then repeat.

Find smarter ways to learn

TIP 1: Learning is easier when we learn the same thing in different ways. Different methods of thinking and learning activate different parts of the brain. When you learn the same information in different ways, it makes it easier for you to make sense of it. Use your different senses if possible including hearing, seeing and doing. Here are some examples:

Seeing	Hearing	Doing
Videos (like Youtube)	Songs (including your own made-up ones)	Build models or creating craft
Photos, drawings or pictures	Reading aloud	Draw pictures
Flashcards (there are often pre-created options online)	Discussions with teachers and peers	Role play / act it out
Mind maps	Explanations from others	Visit somewhere
Movies	Podcasts	Demonstrate it

For example, when learning about the anatomy of a human you could:

1.     Look at the list of all the body parts you need to know

2.     Draw all the body parts on a piece of paper, cut them out and stick them on a paper body and label each one

3.     Make up a silly story using the name of each body part

4.     Record yourself on your phone telling the silly story and listen back to it, visualising a movie of the silly story in your head.

5.     Cut out the names of the body parts and practise arranging them in alphabetical order until you are confident you know each one.

TIP 2: Make it fun – use colour and lots of humour and fun stuff! Your brain will be more alert and take more of it in if learning is fun – this could be by using lots of brightly coloured markers as you highlight important information, or learning it in a silly, funny way.

TIP 3: Be active in the way you learn Your brain will find it easier to learn if you do something active or physical with the information, rather than just reading it. Some examples of this include drawing, cutting, glueing, sorting, categorising, building etc. It’s also a more relaxing, less stressful way to learn which can also improve learning.

Making it easier to understand what you read

TIP 1: Track the words you read with your finger Do you lose your place when you read? If this happens, it makes reading and understanding much more difficult as you lose the meaning of what you are reading. Use a ruler or your finger to track the words and sentences.

TIP 2: Read out loud Reading out loud can help us understand what we are reading. Try to:

·       read it out loud to yourself

·       use the ‘speak’ function if you are reading a document on your phone, tablet or computer.

TIP 3: Make predictions before reading Before starting to read your text, think about what it might cover or what questions it could answer for you. This can improve your understanding and retention of the material.

TIP 4: Highlight key words and ideas Highlighting important terms and concepts as you read can help you identify the main points and stay engaged (just not too much, as it can reduce the significance of key ideas.)

TIP 5: Visualize while reading

Create mental images, or movies in your mind, as you read to aid memory retention. Get creative with it - incorporate details like smells, sounds, and feelings to make the content more memorable.

TIP 6: Summarize what you’ve read

After reading, write one or two brief sentences summarizing the content in your own words. Try to recall the main ideas without looking at the text first, then check back to see how well you remembered it.

Writing ideas

Common challenges students face when writing during exams and for assignments include failing to accurately answer the question, not writing enough, lacking structure and going off-topic.

TIP 1: Read the question twice and make sure you understand and highlight the command words. Get to know the common “command words” and what they are asking you to do. For instance, what does a question mean if it asks you to evaluate, explain, summarise, demonstrate, state or describe? Try writing these down and provide a short explanation of what they each mean.

TIP 2: Create a mind map to work out your content Write the subject in the centre of your paper. Draw branches that point away from the centre, each one symbolizing a thought/idea related to the subject. Use meaningful keywords to write these ideas onto the branches. From each branch more ideas can branch off.

TIP 3: Plan your writing Make sure your writing is well structured. If you’ve made a mind map, you can number each point to help in planning out the order of your writing. Introduction – introduce the topic and give the reader a quick explanation of what to expect. Refer to the main question being asked. Main body –develop your argument and discuss each of your points. Ensure each point has a separate paragraph and you use evidence to support this argument. Conclusion – try to summarise your main points and provide an overview of your argument. What are your conclusions based on the information you presented?

TIP 4: Develop your writing If you have trouble expanding on your writing, just start with a simple sentence and then grow it. For example:

The boat sunk. The overloaded boat sunk beneath the waves. The old, overloaded boat sunk beneath the giant, crashing waves. The old, overloaded boat sunk ungracefully beneath the giant, crashing waves because the captain failed to tie down the cargo.

Get support

TIP 1: Seek help: Ask for assistance from peers, teachers, or tutors.

TIP 2: Seek accommodations Inform teachers about your ADHD/learning difficulties. Ask for accommodations if needed (e.g. removal of non-essential work, separate invigilation during testing, additional times for tests/exams and additional breaks.).

TIP 3: Involve your family: Keep family members informed about your study goals and seek their support to keep you on track.

Different strategies work for different people.  Try a few and see which ones work best for you.

All the best with your studies. You’ve got this!