ADHD and Math Facts

Mathematics is such a linear subject. Once you introduce a concept, it ingrains itself and is shown over and over again. For many students, the feeling of never being able to catch up can be disheartening and induce anxiety aimed at the subject. It’s around the time that students transition into middle school where items like math facts become crucial components for the years ahead. This can be tough for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), however, where the thought of having 144 multiplication facts available for immediate recall sounds dreadful and tedious. Most of the time, there isn’t enough variance with the way math facts are taught to keep students with ADHD engaged. Where these items used to be presented as flash cards used for memorization, the growing implementation of technology in the classroom allows for the use of a wider variety of games and software aimed at gamifying these multiplication facts. According to Cheregi and Zopota (2019), “ADHD students found that computer-assisted instruction in Math resulted in improved math performance and increased on-task behavior.”

This is where a website like MathFactLab (as seen above) can be so effective. This website takes the math fact and creates a leveled game out of it. Students are challenged to answer the problems both quickly and accurately before they are able to advance to the next level. The practice sessions are also split into multiple representations of different mathematical strategies, meaning that students are able to choose the most effective strategy that fits their learning style to improve.

References:

Banko, N. (2024, July 6). Mathfactlab screencast [Video]. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/347c2f_63356b34d70c4e01a3532f4287312998/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Cheregi, L., & Zopota, C. (2019). ADHD and the challenges of developing mathematical skills. Romanian Journal of School Psychology, 12(24), 7.