October is ADHD Awareness Month, and it’s a good moment to look again at how ADHD can affect reading and writing in the classroom. It isn’t always what we expect.
Some pupils with ADHD can decode text accurately but find it much harder to stay with it long enough to take in what they’ve read. Their eyes reach the bottom of the page, nothing has stuck, and they go back to the start. Instructions get lost halfway through, a worksheet is put aside before it’s begun, and writing that was clear in their head arrives on the page as three disconnected sentences. Then comes the part many find hardest of all: going back over work they’ve already moved on from, to check it.
ADHD is different for every pupil, and these difficulties often sit alongside others, such as dyslexia or slower processing. None of it is a measure of a pupil’s ability. For some, attention, working memory and getting started simply add to the effort a task takes, and that effort is something the right tools can help to share.
Many pupils also wait a long time for an assessment, and some will never be referred. Support in class should be based on the barriers we can see and the pupil in front of us, not on whether a label has arrived yet.
Keeping your place – Sensory Readable reads aloud the text on screen in Word, Edge, Outlook, PDFs and many other Windows apps. For some pupils, seeing the words while hearing them makes it easier to stay with the text rather than drifting off partway down the page. Sensory Readable reads aloud the text on screen in Word, Edge, Outlook, PDFs and many other Windows apps. For some pupils, seeing the words while hearing them makes it easier to stay with the text rather than drifting off partway down the page.
The Readable Banner, new for version 3, shows a calm, scrolling line of text that follows the speech word by word, so there’s always a clear “you are here”. Sensory Ruler, Sensory Tint and a choice of reading fonts are there for pupils who find a busy page harder to settle into. Preferences vary a lot, so it’s worth letting pupils try the options and choose what works for them rather than setting one layout for everyone.
Sensory Readable also includes optional ambient sounds, such as gentle white noise. Some pupils find a steady background sound helps them block out the classroom and concentrate.
Getting started on the tricky texts – Getting started can be a real barrier, and a scanned handout that won’t let you select anything is sometimes all it takes to stall. Sensory Readable v3 can recognise and read text in scanned pages, images, photos of a page and locked PDFs, so pupils have one less reason to wait for an adult to find an accessible copy. As with any text recognition, results depend on the quality of the original, so a faint photocopy or a complicated layout may need a quick check. Sensory Readable v3 can recognise and read text in scanned pages, images, photos of a page and locked PDFs, so pupils have one less reason to wait for an adult to find an accessible copy. As with any text recognition, results depend on the quality of the original, so a faint photocopy or a complicated layout may need a quick check.
Text can also be saved as an audio file, which some pupils find useful for homework or revision away from the screen.
Writing it down, then checking it – For pupils who find it easier to talk than to type, Sensory Readable works alongside dictation tools such as Windows Voice Access, echoing each phrase as it’s dictated or reading the whole piece back at the end. This is a classroom and homework strategy: whether any dictation is suitable in an exam is a separate decision for the centre under JCQ arrangements. JCQ arrangements.
Hearing their own writing read back can help pupils notice the missing words and half-finished sentences that the eye skips over. It doesn’t replace teaching proofreading, but many pupils find it far more manageable than silently rereading their own work.
From classroom to exam hall – The Sensory PDF Reader in the suite was designed in line with JCQ requirements for computer readers: it runs locally without internet access and has no built-in spellcheck or reference material. As every exams officer knows, the software is only part of the picture. The centre still needs to follow current JCQ guidance, evidence the candidate’s needs and make sure the reader reflects their normal way of working. Exams officers know the software is only part of the picture. The centre still needs to follow current JCQ guidance, evidence the candidate’s needs and make sure the reader reflects their normal way of working.
That last point is where classroom use matters. A pupil who has used the PDF Reader routinely in lessons and mocks is in a very different position from one who meets it for the first time in exam season. We’ve written more about this in From Classroom to Exam Hall: Building the Evidence for JCQ Access Arrangements.
Make it available to everyone – These difficulties aren’t unique to ADHD, so it makes sense for reading support to be available to every pupil, not only those with a formal identification. Site licences let schools make Readable part of everyday classroom practice, and because text-to-speech and text recognition are processed on the device, pupils’ work isn’t sent to the cloud. – These difficulties aren’t unique to ADHD, so it makes sense for reading support to be available to every pupil, not only those with a formal identification. Site licences let schools make Readable part of everyday classroom practice, and because text-to-speech and text recognition are processed on the device, pupils’ work isn’t sent to the cloud.
Universal access doesn’t replace individual assessment, good teaching or specialist support. What it does is remove the wait, so pupils can find what works for them before a barrier becomes a problem. Read more in A Universal Assistive Technology Offer: Why Every Student Should Have Access.
A practical first step – If a pupil’s reading or writing looks like it’s being held back by attention or working memory, start with a conversation between the class teacher, the SENCo and the pupil. Then try a tool on a real piece of class work, not a demo, and ask the pupil what made a difference. Their answer is usually the most useful evidence you’ll get. – If a pupil’s reading or writing looks like it’s being held back by attention or working memory, start with a conversation between the class teacher, the SENCo and the pupil. Then try a tool on a real piece of class work, not a demo, and ask the pupil what made a difference. Their answer is usually the most useful evidence you’ll get.
Looking ahead – For older pupils moving on to college or university, the challenge shifts from worksheets to lectures and reading lists. Part Two of this series looks at how support through the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) can help, including Sensory Scribe for live captions and note-taking.
Try Sensory Readable free for 30 days, or email support@sensory-AT.com to discuss site licences or arrange an overview session for your school.