Dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two distinct conditions that can often occur together. It is estimated that roughly one quarter of individuals with ADHD also have dyslexia. ADHD and dyslexia are both linked to difficulties in school and with learning, but for different reasons. Dyslexia predominantly affects an individual’s reading and spelling, whereas ADHD impacts upon concentration, attention and impulsivity. Research, led by the University of Edinburgh, identified specific genetic regions that overlap between dyslexia and ADHD. A common difficulty that is shared by both neurodevelopmental differences, is a slow processing speed (as outlined below). Dyslexia is predominantly a phonological weakness, which is not the case with ADHD. ADHD symptoms are exacerbated by dyslexia, and vice versa.

‘Dyslexia Action’ lists some common difficulties that might occur at school:

• Attention: Children with dyslexia and ADHD both struggle with attention. However, for dyslexic thinkers, this is pretty much limited to reading and writing, whereas for ADHD it can apply to any task that does not immediately capture their interest.

  
  

• Organisation and timekeeping: Working memory deficits can be common to both dyslexia and ADHD, resulting in poor time-keeping and forgetfulness. Children may also struggle with general organisation skills. 

    

• Spatial awareness and motor skills: Tasks co-coordinating fingers can be a challenge for some learners with ADHD and some children with dyslexia.  For example, tasks coordinating index fingers on both right and left hand (bi-manual coordination) and one finger and the adjacent fingers on the same hand (uni-manual coordination.) (Marchand-Krynski et al 2017) 

   

• Reading: Children with ADHD and/or dyslexia might misread individual words, skip over or miss out chunks of text, or lose their place on the page. Individuals with ADHD may particularly struggle to retain and connect meaning from one part of the text to another. 

    

• Writing: Children with both conditions may struggle with written work. However, for children with ADHD, the problems will focus more on organising and structuring their work, whereas children with dyslexia will have specific problems with spelling and grammar. Both may have problems with keeping their handwriting neat and tidy.

Early intervention for both conditions is vital in supporting children with their learning as well as emotionally. Having either ADHD or dyslexia can make a child feel ‘different’ and under-valued in the classroom; when these differences are combined, learning at school can become even more challenging. The correct support is essential in order to boost self-esteem and mental wellbeing. Both conditions need to be diagnosed, rather than just assuming a child with ADHD has problems with their reading and writing due to their lack of concentration. It is essential that someone diagnosed with either ADHD or dyslexia is assessed for the other condition. The longer dyslexia goes unnoticed, the worse its impact on reading development and self-esteem.

It is important to celebrate the strengths of children with ADHD and dyslexia. A study conducted at Cass Business School, in London, found that 35 percent of entrepreneurs were dyslexic. Dyslexics were more likely than non-dyslexics to delegate authority, to excel in oral communication and problem-solving. People with dyslexia may excel with their creativity, curiosity, imagination and non-verbal skills. Individuals with ADHD are often creative and more open to trying new experiences. The ability to engage in hyperfocus can help them become excellent subject-matter experts relatively quickly, on topics that they find engaging.