How Can Occupational Therapy Help People with ADHD?

Time management, organisation, executive function, and social skills—these are common hurdles for over 366 million adults worldwide who have ADHD. While every individual has their own journey, these hurdles do adversely affect almost every aspect of their lives, be that career, school, family, or finances.

Tailored treatment plans that account for unique journeys while understanding the common hurdles are effective at helping people with ADHD lead more fulfilling lives. Occupational therapy plays a crucial role in such ADHD treatment plans by focusing on individual strengths. It helps people refine their skills, encouraging independence and improving daily efficiency.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy involves helping people overcome the barriers that stop them from achieving their goals at work, in school, or in their personal lives. OT helps improve their psychological and emotional well-being by helping them align their activities around their strengths.

This means adjusting the environment to fit the individual and not the other way around.

Following are a few areas where occupational therapy can help individuals with ADHD.

Time management

Time management is one of the most common challenges for anyone with ADHD. Poor time management impacts daily routines and makes it harder to meet deadlines.

It also affects planned activities, prioritisation of tasks, and time allocation for each task – making it difficult for individuals with ADHD to complete their commitments.

Occupational therapy is known to improve time processing, the root cause of poor time management in ADHD. Individuals who have had occupational therapy report that it helped them become more aware of time and improved their ability to manage tasks within a given timeline.

Organisational skills

Staying organised is the key to success at work or in school. However, people with ADHD struggle to organise their tasks and can create clutters that are hard to untangle. They may also be unable to divide complex tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks, overwhelming themselves in the process.

Occupational therapy can help create an effective outline of the work that needs to be done. It can help organise tasks into easier-to-manage categories to avoid confusion and ensure timely completion. It also helps set a routine, reducing stress and making work more efficient.

Executive function

Executive function challenges—like planning, task initiation, and impulse control—are common for those with ADHD. They also struggle to sustain focus and may require constant stimulation to complete tasks at hand.

Occupational therapy can be useful in building executive function. For example, a child may struggle to initiate and complete their tasks. OT can be helpful here because it helps the child prioritise tasks based on their timelines and perceived difficulty. This not only helps complete current tasks but builds a framework for the future.

Social skills

People with ADHD may struggle with social interactions because of hyperactivity, which can cause them to be impulsive. They may interrupt others and be unable to control their emotions. Or they may appear uninterested in others because of inattentiveness.

Occupational therapy can address these issues by helping the person with ADHD understand and respond to social cues. It can also promote active listening and help manage impulsivity in social settings. Overall, this leads to reduced social anxiety and increases confidence in groups.

How do you find the right occupational therapist?

Choosing the right occupational therapist is crucial to achieving the required outcomes. Look for certified professionals who understand ADHD’s unique challenges. If it’s for your child, observe their interactions because a personality match is as necessary as credentials.

For individuals with sensory sensitivities, an occupational therapist with expertise in this area is a good choice.

Another thing that can help you decide if an OT is good for you or your child is to ask about therapy’s goals and how they want to achieve those. Once you’re satisfied with their plans, observe how they execute those. Do they listen to you and appreciate your feedback? This can build mutual respect, which is needed for successful therapy.

ADHD Certify works with certified occupational therapists to offer personalised therapy and help people meet their goals. Get in touch to discuss how our therapists can help your clients.

Helpful Tools and Occupational Therapy Techniques for People with ADHD

Assistive devices

Alarm clocks, time-tracking apps, task management tools, and similar assistive devices help people with ADHD regulate their daily routines and overcome certain challenges.

Occupational therapists provide tailored guidance for each device so people with ADHD get the most out of them.

For Time Management

Timers, alarm clocks, smartwatches, and other time-tracking tools allow individuals to visualise time, which helps with time management and staying on track.

For Organisational Skills

Colour-labelled folders, task management apps, and journals allow individuals to break down large tasks and manage them in an accessible, structured manner.

For Executive Function

Visual timetables, interactive whiteboards, and focus apps promote sustained focus by minimising distractions and offering clear visual guides for each task.

For Social Skills

Social skill development and training apps offer reminders for eye contact and active listening, subtly improving social interactions.

Occupational Therapy Techniques One Can Try At Home

Use Graphics and Rewards

For children with ADHD, breaking tasks into easy, visual steps can make tasks less overwhelming. Charts, colourful lists, or diagrams can be helpful here.

Adding a reward system – like stickers for completed tasks or extra playtime – motivates them to stay engaged and celebrate their achievements.

Set Clear Expectations and Guidelines

Setting clear expectations gives individuals with ADHD the structure they need to succeed. Provide simple, written instructions for tasks, and explain them step by step.

When you create proper rules for certain situations, like outlining morning activities, and break them down into order, it helps reduce confusion and impulsivity.

Devise a Sensory Diet

A sensory diet involves tailored activities that help regulate an ADHD mind. For example, if sensory overload is a concern, soft lighting or noise-cancelling headphones can be a part of that sensory diet.

For individuals who need to release extra energy, items like resistance bands, exercise balls, or fidget toys can help improve focus. These small adjustments help create an environment that’s calming and enhances productivity.

Decrease Distractions

Minimising distractions is key to improving focus for individuals with ADHD. Strategies include creating a quiet, designated workspace, using noise-cancelling headphones, and reducing visual clutter.

Specific apps or physical alarms can help keep attention on a task, while organising supplies within reach eliminates unnecessary interruptions.

In Conclusion

Occupational therapy helps individuals with ADHD develop essential skills for independent living, whether at home, work, or school. It focuses on improving time management, building better organisational habits, enhancing executive functions (like planning and prioritising), and practising social skills.

A 2018 study observed how effective time-skill training, a mode of occupational therapy, can be for ADHD children aged 9-15 years. It led to a noticeable improvement in time awareness and daily time organisation. There are yet more reported cases where occupational therapy has helped individuals with ADHD better manage their lives.

To optimise therapy and increase its efficacy, a skilled occupational therapist will discuss your unique needs with you and create a personalised treatment plan. That’s why it’s crucial to find the right therapist, as they can make a difference in turning daily struggles into successes.

If your organisation needs the help of a certified Occupational Therapist for your clients, get in touch today. Our experts are here to help your clients meet their life goals without struggle.

If you require urgent assistance regarding your ADHD treatment outside of our opening hours, please follow the guidance below:


  • Non-Life-Threatening Situations: If your concern is urgent but not life-threatening, please contact your own GP for advice and support. If your GP Surgery is closed, you can also call the NHS non-emergency number, 111, for guidance on what to do next.
  • Life-Threatening Situations: If you or someone else is in immediate danger or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 999 without delay.

Your safety and well-being are our top priorities, so please ensure you reach out to the appropriate services when in need.