Signs Your Child May Be Neurodivergent: ADHD, Dyslexia, And Autism
Many parents find that their child learns or retains information differently from their classmates. While some variation is normal, these differences can also be signs of neurodiversity, such as ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, autism, or related challenges. Learning the early signs of neurodivergence patterns can help you seek the best supports and interventions for your child.
What does neurodiverse mean?
A child who is neurodiverse has a brain that operates differently than the typical brain. Those who are neurodiverse, which includes diagnoses such as ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities, may learn and process information differently.
What are signs that my child may be neurodiverse?
Neurodiversity can include a learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia; ADHD; autism; dyspraxia; and other diagnoses. If your child is neurodiverse, they may require specific supports and tutoring services to help them thrive academically. What are some signs that your child may be neurodivergent? Let’s take a look at different types of neurodiversity.
Signs your child may have ADHD
Individuals with ADHD often have difficulty with their executive functioning skills. They might demonstrate challenges in the following areas:
- impulsivity
- staying focused
- organization
- talking out of turn
- losing their belongings
- struggling to pay attention for long stretches of time
- making careless mistakes
- poor time management skills
- neglecting to self-check their work.
If your child demonstrates these challenges, you may want to consider having them evaluated and try some of the executive functioning strategies below:
To develop their time management skills, teach your child the Estimated Time (ET) verses Actual Time (AT) strategy. To do so, have them select a task, like a math worksheet they need to complete for school, and estimate how long they think it will take them to complete that task (and write down the ET). Then once they have completed the worksheet, they should note the AT, or actual time it took them to complete that task. Often, those with ADHD and poor time management skills will note a big discrepancy between the ET and AT when they start using this strategy, but the more they practice it, the more these times will merge, and their time management skills will improve.
For self-checking, which is a skill many students with ADHD struggle with, your child may benefit from the COPS strategy for checking their writing, which stands for Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, and Spelling. At the bottom of their page, they should write these letters vertically with a check box to the left of each letter. After they have finished writing a paragraph or essay, they should self-check their writing for each of these elements one at a time, encouraging them to slow down and carefully self-check their work before turning it in. This strategy is also often used during dysgraphia tutoring sessions.
Signs your child may have dyslexia
Dyslexia is another type of neurodiversity. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects language skills, including reading, spelling, and writing. Those with dyslexia may struggle with learning individual letters and their corresponding sounds, decoding words, reading fluently, spelling accurately, and expressing their thoughts on paper when writing, amongst other related language challenges.
If your child is struggling with these skills, you may want to consider having them evaluated for dyslexia. However, Orton Gillingham tutoring can also help children with dyslexia tremendously. The Orton Gillingham method is a research-based, multi-sensory technique that helps students with and without learning disabilities develop stronger reading and spelling skills. It follows a systematic approach, integrating previously taught sounds and concepts as new ones are introduced, and is highly effective in developing these core skills. Students also tend to enjoy the multi-sensory tools that are part of Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons, including colored sand, magnetic tiles, shaving cream, mini whiteboards, and other related manipulatives.
Learn more about Orton Gillingham tutoring at
What Is Orton-Gillingham Tutoring? Multi-Sensory, Structured Help | EBL Coaching
Signs your child may have autism
Autism is part of a spectrum, so the signs can vary. Children with autism often have challenges with social skills, engage in repetitive behaviors, and have sensory differences. They may also have trouble with executive functioning skills – including planning and organization – and reading comprehension, especially when it involves abstract or inferential thinking.
If your child shows any of these difficulties, autism tutoring can also help them immensely. To develop their reading comprehension skills, an autism tutor may teach them to identify three key elements when reading: the topic, which is one, two, or three words describing the passage; the main idea, which is what the author is saying about the topic; and the important details, or salient information describing the main idea. They will learn to highlight the topic of the passage in blue, the main idea in green, and the important details in yellow, helping to make them a more active reader. Their tutor can then ask them inference questions and have them write a short summary describing the passage in their own words.
Learn more about helping your child with autism at: Tips for Helping Your Child with Autism Improve School Performance | EBL Coaching
When should you have your child evaluated?
If you notice your child struggling with any of the following skills, you may want to consider having them evaluated and seek specialized tutoring or executive functioning coaching for them:
- Demonstrates challenges with reading, writing, or math
- Struggles with organization, planning, or time management
- Shows consistent attention challenges
- Avoids doing their homework
- Demonstrates social challenges
- Shows low self-esteem or frustration related to school
Many children are neurodiverse, and with that comes numerous strengths. However, getting through school can be a challenge for these children. If you notice any of these signs of neurodiversity in your child, you may want to consider having them evaluated and consider ADHD coaching, Orton Gillingham tutoring, or autism tutoring. This instruction can help them immensely.
Learn how EBL Coaching can help your child with one-one-one dyslexia tutoring, learning disability tutoring, autism tutoring, ADHD tutoring in NYC, and executive functioning coaching by visiting www.eblcoaching.com.
Frequently asked questions
How is neurodiversity diagnosed?
Neurodiversity is diagnosed through a comprehensive evaluation, typically administered by a neuropsychologist or psychologist.
Can tutoring help neurodiverse students?
Yes, absolutely! Research-based, multi-sensory tutoring that is individualized to each student’s needs can help neurodiverse students thrive. Students with dyslexia tend to respond exceptionally well to Orton Gillingham tutoring and those with ADHD benefit from executive functioning coaching.
What does research tell us about early identification of learning disabilities?
Research tells us that identifying learning disabilities early can significantly improve academic outcomes. Don’t wait! If you see your child struggling, seek an evaluation and academic remediation as soon as you can.
The founder and director of EBL Coaching, Dr. Emily Levy, has been helping neurodiverse students in grades prek-12 excel academically with individualized tutoring for over 20 years.