Foreign language learning for children with ADHD: evidence from a technology-enhanced learning environment

The need to give equal access to education and make the learning process fruitful for every student, regardless of his/her individual abilities, has resulted in an increased focus of attention by modern educators who have explored the impact of different teaching practices on students with Learning Differences (LDs). However, there is still lack of empirical evidence as regards the most efficient English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching methodology and pertinent material for students with such differences. This paper reports on a one-year study that aimed at investigating the development of young Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) learners' reading competence within a Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment (TELE). A total of ten EFL students aged 9 to 12 years old participated in the research, all of which were officially diagnosed with ADHD syndrome. The study concludes by presenting explicit teaching and testing accommodations that could be adopted from primary to tertiary one. As such, the included suggestions aspire to yield practical guidance and insight to EFL instructors, material developers and curricula designers from primary to tertiary education in reference to specific computer-based features embedded in reading comprehension activities that might prove helpful to ADHD learners throughout their lives.