Should Students with ADHD Listen to Music While Doing Homework?
I get asked a lot about whether students with ADHD should listen to music when doing homework. The answer is… it depends!
Obviously, students with ADHD are prone to auditory distraction. They hear something, like a dog barking, and then they want to focus on that rather than the task at hand.
Music can block out these distractions as long as the music is not distracting itself. So, lyrics can be a problem. You think about the words and not your math assignment. But not all instrumental music is the same.
Avoid songs that include lots of changes and contrasts. It’s much better to have smooth, repetitive melodies without sharp turns in tempo or surges in volume. Experiment to find music that works.
Other ways to block auditory distractions are nature sounds, like rainfall, or just plain old white noise. Boring, but effective.
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