How to Teach Math on Kids with Autism and ADHD

This is my fourth year of homeschooling Bunso, my son diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Mathematics is one of his favorite subjects. When he was younger, it was easier for me to teach him since the concepts were still the basics. But as years pass, learning and teaching Mathematics become more challenging for both of us. 

As a mom and teacher, I have to find ways to sustain my son's interest in Mathematics. It is a trial and error endeavor but through the years, these are the strategies that work for my son which I also apply when teaching him other subjects besides Math. 

Bunso is a combination of kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and naturalistic learners. He gets bored when being taught through lectures. He doesn't want to memorize. He learns by doing. He is more adept at doing the process while I act as a facilitator. The concepts that he needs to learn are drawn up from the results of the activities that I ask him to do and I was just there to probe and help him delve deeper into his learning experience. He likes to be immersed in the activity, having his sensorial needs addressed. He likes to feel, touch, see, and hear in order to remember what he is learning. 

Children diagnosed with ADHD in particular get bored easily. Giving them tasks that are too lengthy or too traditional will not motivate them to learn. In order to achieve Bunso's full learning potential in a day without both of us struggling, I divide his daily tasks into chunks. What works for him is splitting his homeschooling schedule into three parts. We have three short sessions in a day: one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon. Through this, he doesn't get overwhelmed and tends to like learning more since he is not pressured to finish a lot of tasks at a particular time. I always anchor my teaching on this principle by the former Xavier School San Juan president, Fr. Johnny Go: "Minimize activities, maximize impact."

Getting his opinion on what he wants to learn first, how he wants to learn, and what he likes to learn besides his usual academic tasks gives him confidence and a feeling of accomplishment/satisfaction. It also teaches him "executive functional skills" or things that a person should do to live productively and orderly to achieve success and fulfillment throughout life. 

Giving positive reinforcement means that it is not always giving rewards like stickers, stamps, or tokens. Bunso grows up that learning itself is a reward. Speaking in a positive way as he carries on his task works for him. This creates a learning environment without prejudice. 

Bunso likes pen and paper activities, cooking, baking, art, and online games. These avenues give me the freedom as his homeschool teacher to integrate different subjects into the activities that he likes to do. It makes teaching and learning easier and more fruitful, indeed a fun learning experience too.

In line with online games. Bunso loves his "Game Time" as always. I let him play online educational games as a review of his previous lessons or mode of assessment. I don't force him to do it since he loves games using the laptop, tablet, or personal computer. It is a win-win endeavor for us! I get to assess his learning, he is able to learn, and both of us enjoy game-based learning!

Speaking of online games, I recently found a site that caters to Bunso's Math learning. Calculators.org has Free Online Games for Kids a.k.a. Student Game Arcade that has a wide array of Math games for children of all ages that even adults like me can enjoy. 

Lynch, C. J., Khouzam, A., Phillips, J., Uddin, L. Q., & Menon, V. (2014). Brain organization underlying superior mathematical abilities in children with autism. Biological psychiatry, 75(3), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.06.018

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