Alabama Baptist
One important way believers connect with God is through reading the Bible, but individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can face challenges connecting with the written word, including God’s word. Fortunately, those challenges are not insurmountable.
ADHD, also known as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting more than 6.4 million children in the United States. Children or adults with ADHD struggle with inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity or a combination of all three.
Maintaining focus
According to Cindy Hall, Dyslexia Center director for Lindsay Lane Christian Academy in Athens, individuals with ADHD have difficulty maintaining focus.
Believers with ADHD can struggle with their studies, including personal devotions and may have trouble paying attention to Scriptures and extracting their meaning.
Combating distraction
“Studying the Bible is doubly hard for those of us with ADHD because we are so easily distracted,” said Jamelyn Smith, functional family therapist with AMI Kids in Montgomery. “Even during prayer we get distracted, and we feel guilty about it. Guilt can lead to resentment because it’s hard. It’s easy to make excuses not to read the Bible and then feel guilt over letting it go.”
Hall has observed these challenges among students in a classroom setting but noted that many with ADHD are able to maintain focus in areas of special interest and in which they have specific talents or abilities.
Spiritual life, she said, can be one of those areas.
“I have had students who seem to struggle to memorize academic facts, yet shine in the area of Scripture memory,” Hall said. “It is my personal observation that the Holy Spirit can overcome any negative bents and minister to the hearts of each of us.”
Brenda Brown, secretary for Randolph Baptist Association, has found this to be true for her granddaughter who was diagnosed at an early age with ADHD.
“She will sit and read her Bible,” Brown said. “When she reads, it just comes to life. She loves it. Her Sunday School class provides a notebook to help students learn. She enjoys doing that.”
Strategies that work
Anna Meherg, University of Mobile student support services coordinator, assists a large number of students diagnosed with ADHD.
“They can’t help that they cannot focus,” Meherg said. “If they could flip a switch and change it, they would in a heartbeat.”
Meherg encourages these students to think outside the box and to ask themselves the question: what must study look like?
She encourages students to learn what works for them and to employ alternative methods that help them to connect with God’s word.
“Having a devotional book separated by subjects and finding one of particular interest for my day really helps,” Smith said. “I also find times to study when I’m not easily distracted. Everyone needs to find a plan that works for them.”
Auditory learners may enjoy listening to recorded Scriptures and Bible studies or using a phone app like Streetlights, which features interpretive reading of Scripture passages.
“Your quiet time doesn’t have to look like our grandparents’ quiet time, where we are sitting down for hours to take in information,” Meherg said. “It’s all about taking in information and not being afraid to change it up because when it comes to studying and learning there is no one right way. We want them to know that it’s okay they don’t learn like everyone else. As long as they are getting the point, understanding the message and getting the truth, that’s what matters.”
Managing ADHD can improve as a student ages and gains experience with coping skills. Parents of children with ADHD can help them stay on track by providing organization, accountability and the study tools needed for their particular learning style.
Bible teachers can help students succeed by understanding the challenges of ADHD and helping students find creative ways to engage with the Scriptures.
Finding what works
Hall noted that ADHD is a brain chemistry imbalance. As with other physical problems, medication may help. Families and individuals with ADHD should consult their physician to discover whether medications may be beneficial.
Hall said a devotional plan and dedicated study space with organized study materials can remove the distractions that invade quiet time. Adding variety can also help.
“God is not limited by our human frailties or struggles,” Hall said. “The Holy Spirit’s ministry is stronger than a learning disability. We have the promise in Isaiah 55:11 that God’s word will not return void, and I fully believe that.”
Dyslexia makes reading hard but ‘the heart who seeks God finds a way’
An estimated 1 in 10 people worldwide have dyslexia, a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate, fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
Dyslexic individuals face challenges studying the Bible, but many find that God is faithful, guiding those who seek Him in spite of their learning difficulties.
Cindy Hall, director of the Dyslexia Center at Lindsay Lane Christian Academy (LLCA) in Athens, defines dyslexia as “surprising confusion about language, despite average or above average intelligence, adequate instruction and working in one’s native language.”
According to the International Dyslexia Association, individuals with dyslexia experience problems with reading comprehension and reduced reading experience.
For those seeking to connect with God through the written word, dyslexia creates real challenges with reading and comprehending the Bible.
“Students with dyslexia aren’t lazy,” Hall said. “They are actually probably working harder than every other student in the class,” Hall said.
Dyslexia is also not an intelligence issue, Hall said. Dyslexic individuals are bright, talented and creative people who are often very gifted.
“It is important to know that dyslexia can be remediated but can never be eradicated because it is a characteristic, not an illness,” Hall said.
The Dyslexia Center at LLCA began after school administration realized the difference that Hall’s Orton-Gillingham tutoring method made for a dyslexic kindergarten child, Hall said.
The Orton-Gillingham approach to instruction provides phonemic awareness to teach students how to listen to single words or syllables and to break them into individual phonemes.
The approach helps students blend individual sounds into a word, changing, deleting and comparing sounds in their head.
“Teaching by phonics is the key to success for a dyslexic child because word memorization doesn’t usually work with these students,” Hall said. “But if you can teach them the letter sounds, basic phonics principles and how to break words into syllables, those are really helpful.”
Phoneme/grapheme correspondence defines which letters represent each sound and how to blend letters into single-syllable words.
Through the Orton-Gillingham approach, learners gain knowledge of English, including syllables and rules of the language, Hall said.
Supporting students
At Lindsay Lane, this approach is combined with classroom accommodations, small groups, private tutoring and awareness activities which help all LLCA students understand dyslexia and support their dyslexic classmates.
“Our students improve in their reading ability and are able to read well by the time they graduate out of the program,” Hall said. “They may never be avid book readers; however, they are certainly able to read. Dyslexia would not be the hindrance that would keep our Dyslexia Center graduates from reading God’s word.”
Last year, LLCA graduated 18 students out of the Dyslexia Center. Those students have returned to the mainstream classroom, studying all subjects with accommodations support.
Following the center’s theme verse, 1 Peter 4:10, Hall counts it a pleasure to serve students and families affected by dyslexia.
Help for teachers
And for classroom or Sunday School teachers who wish to help students struggling with dyslexia, Hall offers two pieces of advice: learn more about dyslexia and employ basic accommodations to remove the burden of excessive writing and reading.
Believers with dyslexia also can benefit from private tutoring and instruction in basic phonics, Hall said. Listening to Scriptures through an app, podcast or audio Bible can help them connect with God through the written word.
“It has been my experience that the heart who seeks God finds a way to connect with Him, despite any challenges he or she faces in their lives,” Hall said.
More information on Orton-Gillingham training and resources through the Orton Academy are available at www.ortonacademy.org.
