As an ADHD coach and former teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible potential of new technologies to transform the learning experience. But let’s be honest: for the estimated 1 in 20 people with ADHD in Ireland, navigating the demands of school and work can feel like an uphill battle, largely due to challenges with **executive functions**.
The good news? **Artificial Intelligence (AI)** is emerging as a powerful, accessible, and often free tool to provide the external scaffolding an ADHD brain often needs. It’s not about replacing the teacher; it’s about giving every student—and every teacher—a personalised assistant dedicated to structure and focus.
Here’s a detailed look at how AI can directly address common executive function challenges for both teachers and students, along with actionable strategies you can implement tomorrow.

AI as an Executive Function Partner: Scaffolding the ADHD Brain

Many of the core challenges of ADHD relate to executive functions, such as planning, organisation, and task initiation. AI excels in these areas by breaking down the walls of overwhelm and providing immediate structure.

Combatting Task Initiation (The Mountain of 'Must-Do'): The hardest part is often starting. AI can act as a "body double" or a prompt generator. For a student struggling to begin an essay or project, simply ask the AI to "suggest the first step," "generate three opening lines," or even "draft a bullet-point outline for this topic." This bypasses the mental block and provides the necessary initial momentum.
Mastering Planning & Organisation (Structuring the Chaos): AI is brilliant at taking a large, undefined goal and turning it into a structured path. Teachers or students can feed in a project brief and ask the AI to "break this down into eight manageable steps with deadlines for each" or to generate a colour-coded study plan. For an ADHD-friendly output, always request the information in short bullet points or a step-by-step numbered list.
Boosting Working Memory (Information Overload Filter): Working memory difficulties mean it’s tough to hold and manipulate multiple pieces of information simultaneously. AI tackles this head-on by summarising long emails, documents, or readings to highlight only the three most important points, saving crucial time and mental energy for deeper learning rather than decoding.
Managing Verbal Communication: When teachers are running a meeting or a student is trying to process a lengthy lecture, these AI transcription services can instantly convert spoken word to text, allowing the user to search, review, and chunk the information after it’s been delivered, removing the pressure on real-time working memory.

AI as a Teacher Workload Assistant

For teachers, ADHD or not, managing the administrative burden often eats into time that could be spent on differentiated instruction or simply having a life. AI is a powerful tool to manage your own Workplace Uses executive functions and free up valuable time:

Differentiated Lesson Planning: Instead of spending hours adapting one lesson plan for five different student needs, ask an AI: "I have a lesson on the causes of WWI. Provide me with three versions: one for a visual learner, one chunked into 15-minute tasks for an inattentive student, and one focused on a debate structure for a hyperactive student."
Report Card Generation: Use secure, school-approved AI systems to generate initial drafts of report card comments. Input key phrases or student data and ask the AI to "draft a positive, constructive comment focused on improvement in planning and organisation skills". Always edit and verify the output.
Email Synthesis: End the day by pasting a week's worth of parental emails into an AI and asking it to "synthesise these emails into a single list of five urgent tasks, three non-urgent tasks, and a list of all requested meetings."

The Power of the Prompt: How to Use AI Effectively

The results you get from AI are only as good as the instructions you give it. For supporting the ADHD brain, specificity is paramount. As we discuss in the CPD session, keep these three rules of Prompt Engineering in mind:

Context is King: Give as much information and context when asking the initial question. Example: Instead of "Explain mitosis," try "Explain mitosis to a 15-year-old leaving cert student who struggles with visual learning."
Be Specific: Ask for the information in the exact way you want it. Example: Don't just ask "Tell me about history." Ask, "Tell me about the causes of WWI in a summary no longer than 200 words."
Format for the ADHD Brain: Always request the information be presented in a way that suits an ADHD processing style, which thrives on visual clarity and brevity.

Highly Effective Phrases to Use Today:

‘Present this information in an **ADHD friendly way**.’
‘Provide this information in **short bullet points** and a **step-by-step numbered list**.’
‘Provide a **visual to support understanding** this information’ (useful for tools with image generation).
‘Provide a list of **useful revision questions** on this topic.’
‘Using this PDF [upload PDF], **create flashcards** on the key terminology’ (for tools like **NotebookLM**).

A Critical Irish Education Policy Note: Humans in the Loop

While AI is a transformative aid, educators in Ireland must be aware of the official guidance. The Department of Education’s key principle on AI is "humans in the loop".

Teacher as the Final Checkpoint: AI should enhance, not replace, human-led teaching. The teacher must always oversee and validate any AI-generated output to check for "hallucinations" (factually incorrect outputs) and potential bias.
Plagiarism and Assessment: AI-generated material in assessments is treated by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) like any other unoriginal material—it must be appropriately referenced and acknowledged. Encourage students to use AI for outlining, brainstorming, and research synthesis, but the final, analytical work must be their own.

AI is not a silver bullet, but when used intentionally and ethically, it offers incredible support for the unique wiring of the ADHD brain. For teachers, integrating AI strategically can streamline administrative tasks and create more inclusive, differentiated learning experiences for all students, shifting the focus from deficit to difference.