How to Write a Paper

People with Attention Deficit Disorder miss bits of information here and there because they aren’t paying attention. This isn’t something they do on purpose; it’s an integral part of their AD/HD. This is part of the reason they often struggle in school, despite their intelligence.

When my son was in middle school, I realized that he didn’t know how to write a paper. He knew what he wanted to say, but he had no idea how to take those thoughts and put them into a logical sequence. The problem was solved when I gave him a simple outline on how to write a paper. Here it is:

A simple paper consists of 5 parts: the introduction, 3 points that you want to make about your subject, and the conclusion. Each part should be a separate paragraph. Longer papers that go into more depth may have additional points and/or more than one paragraph dedicated to each.

Let’s say you want to write a paper about the importance of tying your shoes.

Paragraph 1 is the introduction, where you tell the reader what your paper is about (the importance of tying your shoes) and you mention the 3 points your want to make (it looks better, it’s safer, and it makes your shoes fit better).

In paragraph 2, you expand on the idea of why tying your shoes makes them look better. Paragraphs 3 & 4 do the same for the other two points.

Paragraph 5 is the conclusion, where you wrap things up. You mention again that it’s important to tie your shoes, and then you list your reasons why.

Obviously, this is a very simplistic outline, but it was enough to give my son a idea of how to put a paper together, and with a little practice, he became quite good at it.

Maybe your child has no problems writing papers; my daughters never did. But keep this idea in mind as a reminder that they may have gaps in their learning, especially in basic ideas - the ones “everybody knows”. If you find one, maybe you can use this same idea to fill in the blanks.

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