Watch your son's behaviors. Children with ADHD often have distinctive behavior patterns when trying to focus. For example, some children fidget when listening because the physical focus helps them concentrate. A 2009 University of Central Florida study reports that children with ADHD simply need a higher activity level to access their working memory. Therefore, if your son displays behaviors such as fidgeting with nearby objects, gum-chewing or walking around frequently while studying, don't tell him to sit still, but rather encourage these behaviors---within reason. They literally help him to stay alert, UCF says.
Give him space, both physically and mentally. A clear study area helps reduce the number of things that could possibly distract your ADHD child, according to Kim Collins, Ph.D., at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Frequent breaks and rewards help relieve stress built up by concentration. Also, not all ADHD children work the same way, so find out whether your son learns better with white noise in the background or complete silence, Collins says.
Build rapport. Your son with ADHD will latch on to the learning material much more effectively when he feels understood and appreciated. According to John Munro at the University of Melbourne, for people with ADHD, learning requires much more emotional engagement and personal interest in the material they are studying than it does for the average learner. Positive feedback when he makes progress helps your son learn. So does taking a genuine interest in the material yourself and letting your own excitement carry over.
Design self-directed learning tasks. Children with ADHD, with their need for emotional engagement, like to feel important and find meaning in their work. They also want to know about the "synthetic-global" aspect of a task---that is, its significance in the world at large. Instead of teaching disconnected abstract ideas, put each one back into its context and remind your son about what makes it important and valuable, then give him the chance to experiment with the ideas individually, Munro says.
Use techniques and tricks to keep him entertained. A son with ADHD needs a stimulating environment. Try building on private jokes to draw attention back, alternate mental activities with physical ones to keep the mind active or use flash cards and games to introduce novelty, as Boise State University suggests. It keeps dull moments from slipping in.