A lot of people tell me their child with ADHD doesn’t have study skills or never learned study skills, but my question to you is what are study skills, really? 

Well, it’s a set of tools you use to prepare for a test.

What are those tools? The tools are planning for when you’re going to study for the test, time management and knowing how long you need to prepare for the test, and being organized and knowing what you need to study for the test. 

Is there a study guide?

Is there a quizlet that was made?

Are there review questions you’re expected to make and go through in the book? 

Do you need to review PowerPoints from the class?

When people talk about study skills, they’re thinking about preparing for the test. 

But let’s talk about the reality of what study skills are. It’s time management, organization, planning, prioritizing. 

Study skills are memory, now I’m not talking about memorizing definitions. I’m talking about remembering that you have to study. I’m talking about remembering what your teacher told you to study in class. 

Study skills are so much more than just the act of making flashcards and I think that’s missed by a lot of people. 

When we’re talking about study skills, I really want you to think of it like this: we’re learning the study skills so that we can learn how to prepare to get a task done and done well. 

In this case, it’s a test. How do we prepare for a test and know that we know the material that we need to know to do well on that test? 

Learning study skills translates to other areas of life. It translates to doing your job well in the work world and getting all of your bills paid on time. 

Study skills are not just reviewing flashcards and doing the study guide. It is also planning, prioritizing, organizing, and all things that are executive function. 

I leave you with this. I want you to re-work and really think about what is missing in your study skills toolbox?