5 Practical Communication Hacks for Teaching Piano to Students with ADHD and Autism

When we as teachers (or just humans!) are exhausted and stretched thin, our communication skills start to decline. It takes us longer to form phrases and answer questions, our brain might feel sluggish, or we may feel overstimulated and tired of talking and answering questions.

The same is true for our students of all ages, levels and abilities, but this is particularly applicable for our piano and private music students with Autism and ADHD. Since communication, processing and executive functioning skills are often impacted by Autism and ADHD (and there's a spectrum which varies for each individual), those are often the areas we can expect to see students struggle if they're exhausted or over-scheduled.

Today, I'm breaking down 5 very practical hacks you can use in music lessons immediately with your students with ADHD and/or Autism that will not only help ease your stress, but will also help your student feel safe, seen and heard so they can spend more time playing music in the lesson. (Here's an intro to Autism Spectrum Disorder)

Let's go!

Observe and Follow Their Lead

Take your students' temperature when they enter your studio. As you greet them and help them get their music ready, assess:     -How are their body language and facial expressions? Relaxed and at ease, or stiff, reserved and tense?     -What are their speech patterns like? Responsive, delayed, absent, playful and happy, down and quiet?     -What is their pacing as they get settled in your studio? Slow, methodical and distant, or rapid, energetic and upbeat?

Assessing your students' mood and capacity for communication is a great way to sense what level and types of communication will work best that day. If they're happy, energetic and open, then those are good indicators of a lesson where you can have conversations, ask and answer questions for discovery-based, collaborative learning. If your student is quiet, reserved and slow to communicate with you (or is non-speaking that day), then it's not the day to dig deep into forcing conversations and focusing on technique with lots of sensory input or criticism. Read the room, follow your students' lead. Then, gently lead them into a music-making experience where they may later feel comfortable to communicate more.

Use Concise, Kind Verbiage

Our students' mood or communication abilities do not impact our ability to be kind. Whether your students are having a great day or the worst day of their week, they deserve to be treated with respect, kindness, and compassion through your communications. That includes your body language, tone of voice, posture, and speech patterns.

One of the kindest things you can do for your music students with Autism or ADHD? Be concise. Frame your instructions or questions in the most concise verbiage possible so they don't have to filter through all the unnecessary wording to decipher the meaning. They'll be so grateful to have those step-by-step instructions as they learn, and it will also give their fight-or-flight a breather so they can just enjoy making music.

Use Visuals and Props

Two of my students' favorite visual aids we use in lessons (in addition to the Visual Lesson Scheduler- if you haven't seen ours, then you need to- your students will thank you!):

The Bubble Timer

If you haven't seen the blog post about this beloved studio prop and ways you can use it, take a quick read here- your students will thank you and you'll be forever grateful! We LOVE the Bubble Timer and use it often for improvising, activities, and students can reach for it without asking if they need a moment of calm and a break. It's a great prop for a brain break in the lesson for an exhausted student or students who are struggling to communicate their needs. (And they're so fun/beautiful to watch!)

The "I Need" Chart

At a first glance, this might seem silly and unnecessary. But imagine being an overstimulated, exhausted 9-year old student with ADHD and Autism (AuDHD) who comes into a music lesson after a long day of school- feeling tired, hungry and thirsty, and your ability to communicate your needs has dissipated. What do we do a lot of during piano and music lessons? Talk. Answer questions. Follow instructions. And why is your student burnt out? A day filled with processing and following prompts, instructions and asking questions.

This fun, cute visual is a great thing to print and keep on your piano (or in your students' binders) and you might be surprised how often you find yourself- as the teacher- glancing at it when you sense a need for a shift in the lesson direction or communication!

-Students can point to what they need during the lesson

-Teachers can have concise terms and pictures to reference during the lesson

Even if your students don't need to point to the pictures, you may find them looking at it as they form their questions or responses. It can help ease the stress of communication, AND it's cute- win-win!

tip: It also works very well in group music classes for children.

(And if you're new to the Visual Lesson Schedule, you can read suggestions and ideas for using it in lessons at this blog post!)

Improvise and Adapt Your Approach

Teachers are professionals at pivoting, and this skill is key for teaching students with ADHD and Autism (especially when they're tired.) You may feel an urge to want to 'win' at the lesson when you begin to experience a tug-of-war in the energy/focus and if the student shuts down during an activity. More important than feeling like a winner in the battle of wills, we want our students to leave the lesson still excited about playing and making music. And sometimes that means pivoting, improvising and adapting our approach in the middle of the lesson.

Curious to learn more about ADHD and Autism to help your students get un-stuck?

Our fall session of The Piano Teachers Book Club read Temple Grandin's "Visual Thinking" which was inspiration and insightful in helping us develop a greater depth of understanding for how gifted and neurodivergent individuals think and learn.

This Spring (starting April 10) we're reading "Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD and Autism (Why Twice-Exceptional Children are Stuck and How to Help Them." If you're feeling stuck in teaching your students with ADHD, Autism or other neurodivergence, then please join us for this interactive community of teachers who are working to better understand how their students think and learn!

Learn more information here and leave a comment if you have any questions- this is a great way to ease into learning with other teachers, get your questions answered and gain fresh insights to help your students.