So your Disability office thinks "twice the time" is a good test accommodation for folks with ADHD. Show them this quote from Dr. Russell Barkley. He would be one of leading Scientists in the world in this field. I'd be wondering what else do you have in that accommodations goodie basket? :)

"And by the way, what does this theory say about giving extra time on exams to people with AD/HD? Most common recommendation I see in high school students and college students. Double time on exams. What a joke. Go ahead. You’ll just give them twice the time to waste. Twice the time they can’t feel. Twice the time they can’t use. There’s not a single study anywhere in the literature that shows that giving extra time is an advantage to anybody with AD/HD, and there are studies of children that show that it doesn’t help them, it hurts them. To be able to use time effectively, to go back and check your
work requires self-control".

http://www.schwablearning.org/Articles.asp?r=54

ADHDers need 'half the time' instead to put the pressure on and get us in gear :)

time on taking tests means little to me.
for me, it comes down to focus: and by
that I mean, how well I have focused and
used various techniques in preperation for
the test. if I am interested, engaged and
well prepared I can fly through a test. If
I am not well prepared, I panic and can't
bring any focus to bear to drudge out any
clear thoughts. In those moments, its crash
and burn, baby.

As far as I know, my University gives 25% more time (which I haven't used). I still think that's a generalisation and that it depends on the individual. I've always had the problem of running out of time, even if the exam consists of writing an essay for five hours, which doesn't require any preparation if you know how to structure the beast. I've simply never been capable of writing quickly without missing letters or words or ending up with a terribly cramped hand. If knowledge is required, I never have enough time to pull all the details that I know out of the drawer and write them down, since I don't reel them off like a parrot.

It would matter what kind of ADHD you have. If you are spacey kind of ADHD you may well need more time.

I work with ADHD kids in school. During an exam it's hard to keep most of the hyper ones on task. They try to bolt as soon as the first hour is up. Exams run from 1 and 1/2 hours to 3 hours. Students may leave after the first hour. I have to argue with some of them to stay , sit with them, sometimes even scribe for them because all motivation is dried up. Sometimes this is the difference of passing or failing the course.

I've read that statement of Barkley's before, and I understand what he's getting at and twice the time probably is a bit much, but considering how often I was the very last person to finish a test I had worked on solidly the entire time and how many tests I barely finished or in the case of math tests didn't finish, I'd prefer he'd have qualified that statement. I could definately have put a little extra time on math to good use. My math processing is verrrrrryyyyyy slow. I also make a lot of mistakes and have to recheck my work. Plus my memory of basic math facts is weak and I can't do any of it in my head -- it all has to be on paper or on my fingers!:p He makes such blanket statements, and since he is such a respected expert in the field what he says will be used to deny students who could use it that extra time. There isn't any reason a teacher monitoring the test couldn't observe whether a student was wasting time or on task and make a determination on a case by case basis. Just my humble opinion and all!

Scattered

There isn't any reason a teacher monitoring the test couldn't observe whether a student was wasting time or on task and make a determination on a case by case basis....
Scattered

Here is another blanket statement...all ADHD kids waste some time on a test. Some waste an extraordinary amount of time, they are wasting more time then they are actually doing the test. Should you take the test away from these kids?
NO, redirect, cajole, focus, hint, prioritize, encourage...do anything but judge these kids.

Yes, you are right...Barkley makes sweeping statements and they are not true for everyone but on the whole he hits the nail on the head. You may not like how little gray there is but there are few statements I can find fault with. He catches your attention, he makes you think, and he knows what he is talking about.

When you are talking (hyper and combo) unmedicated ADHD grade 9 kids and exams....I see these kids twice a year and they have ants in their pants after hour #1. By the end of hour #2 you have to tie them in a chair and write for them to get anything out of them. They don't recheck their work...they don't even check to see if they missed a question. You would be surprised how often they hand in an exam and they don't put their name on it.

ADHD comes in different levels of severity and the "ants in your pants" edginess also decreases with age so you have to take all that into account. The inattentive type and ADHD with anxiety will work harder. Also the kids whose parents have invested a lot of time...these kids will try harder. Meds makes a huge difference here also.

Here is another blanket statement...all ADHD kids waste some time on a test. Some waste an extraordinary amount of time, they are wasting more time then they are actually doing the test. Should you take the test away from these kids?
NO, redirect, cajole, focus, hint, prioritize, encourage...do anything but judge these kids.Maybe it's just a case of being a poor self observer, but I really don't think I wasted any time on tests. Occasionally I froze and my mind went blank, but I kept desperately searching until the fog cleared. I was just too slow -- if I had wasted time, I'd have never finished anything. I think a qualified teacher on the scene is likely to be in a better position to make a determination than a researcher (no matter how reputable) who is not on the scene as well as to cajole, focus, hint, etc. I'm pretty sure I had teachers who stayed and gave me extra time.

Yes, you are right...Barkley makes sweeping statements and they are not true for everyone but on the whole he hits the nail on the head. You may not like how little gray there is but there are few statements I can find fault with. He catches your attention, he makes you think, and he knows what he is talking about. I respect and appreciate the work Barkley has and is doing. I am not a Barkley basher, but no one including Barkley is perfect and I think it is appropriate to point out where a more nuanced response might be more helpful. There is tremendous variablility, as you know, among kids with ADHD. According to Barkley, as a kid identified with hyperactivity before I entered school with a tendancy to not do what I was told even after punishment, it would be unlikely that I could get through school without meds, be respected by my peers and teachers and get exceptional grades in my master's programs. No one set of descriptors is going to fit every ADHD kid, so I wish he'd leave a little more leeway for individual differences -- that's all. Just a few qualifying words like "generally", or "in most cases" would be helpful. Can you tell that I don't like to be pigeonholed?
When you are talking (hyper and combo) unmedicated ADHD grade 9 kids and exams....I see these kids twice a year and they have ants in their pants after hour #1. By the end of hour #2 you have to tie them in a chair and write for them to get anything out of them. They don't recheck their work...they don't even check to see if they missed a question. You would be surprised how often they hand in an exam and they don't put their name on it.Considering the large number of checks I've forgotten to deposit until they're no good, I'd probably be a lot less surprised than you think.:p
ADHD comes in different levels of severity and the "ants in your pants" edginess also decreases with age so you have to take all that into account. The inattentive type and ADHD with anxiety will work harder. Also the kids whose parents have invested a lot of time...these kids will try harder. Meds makes a huge difference here also.Interesting that you would say that -- I had wondered if anxiety played into my working harder despite ADHD. I agree with everything you're saying! Kind of what I was trying to get at with my post. There's a lot to consider in each case. Thanks for sharing the information from your experience.

Scattered

ADHD with OCD is another interesting combination. They don't want to work but they want it just so. There can be lots of inner termoil and at times anger. Those kids sometimes won't answer a test question because the answer may not be correct. I have had to flip a coin and call it, to choose true or false answers for this one girl. She simply couldn't possibly put down a wrong answer or even call it. These kids need extra time on a test.

But your garden variety hyper adhd kid...he wants out of the exam room...pronto.

I had a very interesting convo with one of my profs today. He came to the realization that people like myself can't succeed with muliple choice and true and false tests. He says older students-not that i consider myself taht old, and experiecnced students tend to overanalize the questions. This is sooo true of me. I took a mulitple choice and true and false test and then an essay test on the same info. The results were asstonishing. I did great on the essay.

My question is do u think this has something to do with ADD? Do we as ADDers tend to over analize?

I have a really hard time with multiple choice questions. It takes me a while to read them and comprehend what it's asking me. That's why I need more time and in college it has helped me so very much. I'm ADHD-I, BTW.

It would be interesting to see if people who thinks it helps are ADHD-I.

LOL was so funny to see this post. I remember thinking what a joke the so called assistence most colleges gave to ADHD students. More time is the last thing in the world I needed. I was always the first one done what am I gonna do with extra time besides get myself into trouble waiting for the slow kids.

To me you either know the material or you don't, sitting there longer doesn't make you all of the sudden know more. Besides the more you second guess yourself the worse you'll do. I had a teacher when I was younger that told us when taking a test your first instinct is usually the right one.

The problem is they offer one type of assistance and expect it to help everyone. So yes I can have more time with tests, tape record classes and use the wheel chair ramp but none of that is going to help me.

If colleges wanted to really help ADHDers they'd look at what we actually have trouble with. What about shorter classes or at the very least more breaks so we can get up, stretch our legs and refocus our minds.

How about having teachers use more hands on learning tools and visual aids. I don't know any ADDer that benefits from the standard lecture/note taking course which of course are how most college course are set up. I mean come on I can't even watch TV because it's not interactive enough and they expect me to sit quietly, take notes and actually learn something.

Finally if they are going to stick with the lecture format then they need to make attendance optional instead of mandatory like it is in so many places. I've tried college many times and at many different schools and the courses that I did well in are always the ones that either have a lot of interaction and hands on learning or the ones that you didn't have to show up. After all they are supposed to be grading you on whether you know the material not if you can sit in a chair for 3 hours.

Maybe the attendance option wouldn't work for traditional students but I know what worked for me. It's a bit more work getting all the info and learning it on your own but honestly even if I sat in class I would have to do the same thing because I don't obsorb any of the info while I'm stuck in a chair being talked at.

I don't think there is a college student alive that has a larger collection of doodle filled notebooks then I have after my many college attempts. :D

ADHD with OCD is another interesting combination. They don't want to work but they want it just so. There can be lots of inner termoil and at times anger. Those kids sometimes won't answer a test question because the answer may not be correct. I have had to flip a coin and call it, to choose true or false answers for this one girl. She simply couldn't possibly put down a wrong answer or even call it. These kids need extra time on a test.I don't have an OCD diagnosis, but I see a bit of the OCD personality disorder in myself -- give me too much time, and I'd probably go back and overthink my answers and change them and get them wrong!:p

BTW Mafia, you now know one ADHD gal who did well with the lecture/note taking format . If I don't take notes, I don't remember the material (I have a good ADHD friend who is also like this). I also need to verbally interact with the material some. But then I'm a strange bird -- I'm the hyper gal who runs to class because I'm bursting with energy, and then sits down and turns into this attentive, if overly talkative, student (as long as the topic is interesting (for some unexplained reason school has always turned my brain on -- ordinary living tasks are what turn it off)-- and thankfully I'm past having to take classes that aren't interesting!:D ). I also would have loved to bring a tape recorder to class. We're all different -- accomodations shouldn't have to be one size fits all as long as their reasonable. I like your suggestions for improving classes. Did you know that most adults (I'm talking non ADHD adults) only have an attention span of 20 minutes -- everyone would probably benefit from a break to stretch, chat, walk around and such!

Scattered

"...Most common recommendation I see in high school students and college students....and ... There’s not a single study anywhere in the literature that shows that giving extra time is an advantage to anybody with AD/HD, and there are studies of children that show that it doesn’t help them, it hurts them. To be able to use time effectively, to go back and check your
work requires self-control".

Now remember when Barkley is writing he is writing often with a school student in mind. Not adults or college student although what he states often applies to them.

The interesting thing here is that extra time is the most common accommodation even though it doesn't help the majority of people with ADHD. Thats not to say that it can't be an accommodation but there should be other more meaniful accommodations besides extra time and writing in a different room.

How about reduce the size of the exam or having someone whom you could ask questions too for meaning? A scirbe who would type your responses? Lots of ADHDers are much quicker and better verbally. Allowing food/drink in the exam area or even music...both things help ADHD students concentrate.

I had a very interesting convo with one of my profs today. He came to the realization that people like myself can't succeed with muliple choice and true and false tests. He says older students-not that i consider myself taht old, and experiecnced students tend to overanalize the questions. This is sooo true of me. I took a mulitple choice and true and false test and then an essay test on the same info. The results were asstonishing. I did great on the essay.

My question is do u think this has something to do with ADD? Do we as ADDers tend to over analize?
I sometimes overanalyze questions. However I usually do well on multiple choice and true/false type tests. It's the essays that cause me trouble. I think as I write, and often need to edit the results into something coherent. Can't really do that on a written essay test. :rolleyes:

Ha, multiple choice, where every answer seems the result of a trick question.
Read it once, then again, analyse, commit.

I hope that was the right answer :confused:

How about reduce the size of the exam or having someone whom you could ask questions too for meaning? A scirbe who would type your responses? Lots of ADHDers are much quicker and better verbally. Allowing food/drink in the exam area or even music...both things help ADHD students concentrate.Now those are meaningful suggestions!!!:) If the point of testing is really to find out what someone knows, those would be a big help. I don't know how often, I didn't know what a test question meant because I could see more than one way of answering it. I also really like the part about breaking exams into smaller segments. For the "long boring test challenged", that would be a big help. I especially hated those tests that went on for hours ----ugh! Oral exams would really be terrific for explaining some subjects. For those who have a hard time writing like my daughter, she would definately shine giving what she knows orally, but would never be able to do that on paper unless someone was transcribing her responses. Maybe advancing technology will making more of these options possible.

On a recent Slossans Intelligence Test I gave a student with reading problems (and it turned out ADHD as well), he asked if he could turn the radio on while I tested him. His concentration really improved once I did.

Scattered

LMAO yes smaller segments would be wonderful. I remember thinking I was going to die taking the SATs in high school. I fought it as hard as I could but eventually I gave up. I quickly filled in random circles so at least I had filled everything in on my answer sheet, handed it in and walked out. Obviously my scored sucked as a result but I really would have freaked out if I had to sit there any longer.

Oh yeah and oral tests would be awesome.

Oral tests would be great, BUT how many teachers or profs are wiling to take the time to do oral tests? It is something that would have to be done with the actual class teacher and not a spec ed teacher. THe teacher knows the subject material where are a spec ed teacher probably wont.

Okay, so having read the thread, these are the thoughts I had. (I'm ADHD-PI, for reference.) Sorry, this is long.

1. I could have used a bit more time on math tests, too. (And essay tests, but I'll get to that.) Like Scattered, I don't believe I wasted that much time (I hyperfocus on tests like you'd not believe) but I can't do a SINGLE bit of it in my head. I estimate that my mental math is no better than 3rd grade level, although I can do differential equations on PAPER no problem whatsoever. I use a calculator for addition. I really could have used some extra time to work things out on paper.

My biggest issue with math was always the procedures - I can't remember them, so much more basic stuff than what I was actually being tested on was what took up most of the time - not doing "new" stuff! In order to demonstrate that I understood the new concept though, I often had to use procedures that I SHOULD have remembered from years of working with them...but I didn't. So I had to use all sorts of work-arounds that took forever.

2. Love multiple choice. LOVE. It's basically a long test broken into dozens of tiny segments! At least for me. I breathe out after each question answered and check off a portion of the test in my head. Before I start, I usually check how many questions there are, and then I keep a running tally in my head. Ten out of 50 questions answered...23 out of 50...etc. Progress! Keeps me going.

Essay tests kill me. Like UnleashTheHound, I need to edit as I go. Since I don't want to do this on paper, I slow way, way down while I edit each sentence in my head before I commit it to paper. I also have a tendency to start to drift from the main point in a paragraph or two, so I have to re-read what I've written constantly to keep on track. Despite that, I have a good track record for "well-organized" essays, so I'm not doing too bad. I always took the absolute maximum amount of time for essay tests, though. Even though writing is what I do best (I'm studying journalism now), my English final was my biggest worry at the end of high school, which surprised people. (Of course, now I know why I was worried! :D)

3. Oral tests, oh my god. I'd never show up; I'd puke from fright. Ha! Y'know I was originally going to be an actor...

4. Your first impulse is often the right one....unless you're impulsive! :rolleyes: I've never yet regretted over-analyzing questions. *grin*

5. Like lecture classes if I'm learning something new...I'm a big nerd, and I do fine in a lot of school settings. Ironically, now that I'm in journalism, I HAVE to tape lectures because they're teaching something that is not "new" to me - writing, which I'm already very good at. I can't even stay awake. I did much better in lecture classes on subjects I wasn't as good at, because they were new and not "old hat."

6. Accomodations...personally, I wouldn't use oral testing, but I can see how it would help some people. Also couldn't use music, but again, that could be a big help for some people. I believe they don't let students have CD players in case they have something recorded to cheat with...but for one student, there's no reason they couldn't just check the CD beforehand.

Also, for students who think faster than they write and need to edit a lot, why not write essay tests on a computer? You can delete instead of wasting space and crossing out. I wished I could have used that for my English final, but I had no official, diagnosed reason why I would need to use a computer.

I think it would be helpful if there were different versions of classes so students can choose the one that is right for them. Like having an excelerated option and a more comprehensive option. I used to say my problem was all due to lack of attention but I've recently realised that if the material was covered in a quicker more intense fashion I probably would have done a lot better.

I remember getting this feeling for the first time in my college statistics class. I learned the formula or theory quickly then had to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while the professor went over several more examples for the rest of the class who struggled to understand. At first I'd try to entertain myself by participating but I got tired of being the only one answering so eventually I just gave up and hoped the class would end soon.

That's just one example but it's something I experienced in a majority of my classes. I'm sure I'm not the only one that felt this way so it seems like it would be a viable solution.

I remember getting this feeling for the first time in my college statistics class. I learned the formula or theory quickly then had to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while the professor went over several more examples for the rest of the class who struggled to understand.
Yes, I hate that! I had that issue with math in high school, where the teacher would put an overhead up on the board. I would look, get it, nod, and then wait half an hour for the overhead to be changed. Then the teacher would put up the second one...I would look, get it, nod, and wait for half an hour while THAT one was explained...etc.

I was so bored, I couldn't engage at ALL. Then by the time we FINALLY got to doing classwork, I was groggy (because I'd fallen asleep) and couldn't remember the concepts I grokked so easily before (because they weren't reinforced when I learned them, i.e. right after I looked at the overhead.) Then I struggled.

Waste of my d*mn time.

I did much better in a math class that used a workbook, because then I just did the work sitting in my seat. If I got stuck, I waited for the rest of the class to catch up. It was the perfect setup. The next class I took though (the one I described above) used worksheets and textbook assignments the teacher only gave out at the end of class.

The difference between my grades in those two classes was more than 20%.

Also, for students who think faster than they write and need to edit a lot, why not write essay tests on a computer? You can delete instead of wasting space and crossing out. I wished I could have used that for my English final, but I had no official, diagnosed reason why I would need to use a computer.

This is such a basic accommodation that I thought everyone got it, like extra time. Can they be that anal not to allow word processing for better thought organization? Perhaps you may cheat and use the spell checker. You better call in the spellchecker police! :eek: :eek:

All accommodations should be tailored to the needs of each individual student. There should be no blanket accommodation for all.

Well, there were a limited number of computers. I don't think spellcheck was the issue, since I'm pretty sure they let us use dictionaries - both paper and electronic - although I'm not totally sure. (That was 4 years ago.)

But they don't have enough computers for everyone in the school, so obviously accomodation on the computers was based on a mix of first-come-first-serve and need. Not to mention...computers can be hooked up to the internet and such. I would think that they would need more teachers to supervise to make sure no one was cheating, if many more people used the computers.

I've honestly never heard of it being as basic as the extra time available to everyone. Maybe it's the type of school you teach in? Because in all the schools I went to (I moved around a lot) the general idea was that if there was nothing WRONG with you, you could darn well write on paper.

If you are identified and have ADHD and you are doing any sort of essay style test, a computer most likely will help you. If you have the need it is up to University or College to reasonably attempt to accommodate. Not having enough computers in a room or supervisors in a room is not a reasonable excuse. All it is, is an excuse.

Off of the top of my head, here is how a computer could help you. I'm sure there are more reasons.
1)ADHD people like using computers. It is visual an responsive. - ADHD students will perform better.
2)ADHD students make more errors so they will have the ability to quickly fix errors after the draft. -ADHD students will hand in better product.
3)Spell check-same as above
4)A lot of ADHD students have difficulty with handwriting. -By allowing typing they produce better product.
5)Can be done quicker. -ADHD students have perseverance difficulties.
6)You can save multiple drafts as your working. Thus if a general error is made you can go back to any point in the writing process and start again. -This saves time, same as above.
7)You can quickly type down your thoughts. Look them over and cut and paste the ones you like into the final draft. -This saves time, same as above.
8)You can cut and paste sentences and paragraphs of your draft, to put them in the proper order at a later time. -This saves time, same as above.

*smiles* I agree with all of your points, Scuro, and I do believe that computers would be a great accomodation if you've been diagnosed ADHD.

But I do believe we've had a miscommunication of some sort.

*points to his signature*

Diagnosed: November 29, 2005
I graduated high school in 2002, I believe. Although I honestly can't keep track, heh. (And I was rambling about high school...not the college I currently attend.)

When I said there weren't enough computers available for every student, I meant that there weren't enough for EVERY student, not just ADD/LD ones.

Unless I don't understand what you mean, and you think computer should be an accomodation everybody gets, regardless of whether they're coded as something or not. Like extra time. (Every student at our level got an OPTIONAL half-hour on our finals, including the "normal" ones. I imagine the LD kids got even longer.) But that would be, well, expensive as heck. I bet every kid in the "chatroom" generation would prefer to use a computer.

Double time on exams. What a joke. Go ahead. You’ll just give them twice the time to waste. Twice the time they can’t feel. Twice the time they can’t use. There’s not a single study anywhere in the literature that shows that giving extra time is an advantage to anybody with AD/HD, and there are studies of children that show that it doesn’t help them, it hurts them.



Ohhhh it is my favorite subject Barkley, better take my medication so I will behave. I actually read the web reference in the initial post. An improvement for me. I type slow so the meds will be working before the post is through it’s final edit, I’ll just have to put up with those numbers mixed in words for a while.


Okay time extensions being a poor accommodation for ADHD children. I do agree with the response so far about breaking up the longer test into shorter periods thus allowing for movement between “parts” or phases of the test. I do not think ADD children will be the only ones to benefit from this. Most peoples brains work with increased circulation.

After reading this entire article I didn’t once see mention of those like me who have not only ADD-I but a reading difficulty. I also double as a dyslexic. According to the book I am reading dyslexia occurs frequently as a side kick of ADD.

Source--------------------------------------
“Delivered for Distraction”
By Edward M. Hallowell M.D. and John J. Rately M.D.
Page 146

Quote:

“Dyslexia is more common than ADD, affecting around 15-20 percent of the population. It is also common in people with ADD. Exact figures are hard to calculate, but at least 20 percent of people with ADD also have dyslexia and vise versa.

---------------------End source---------------------------------------

I can read but do so slower than my non-dyslexic peers. My calculation are I read about 15 percent slower due to the extended process my brain has to undergo to extract meaning for written material.

I read 15% slower but I write a lot slower than most. My guess is I probably write some 35-40% slower if legibility is required. This doctor dudes recommendations don’t even take us into consideration.

Like the computer idea also. I wished they would have had computers avalible to the general public when I was in school. Scuro you are right on with your excellent reasons why computers would be good for essays and such.

*smiles* I agree with all of your points, Scuro, and I do believe that computers would be a great accomodation if you've been diagnosed ADHD.

But I do believe we've had a miscommunication of some sort.

*points to his signature*



Nope...I didn't put one plus one together. :)

I was reading that while dyslexia frequently occurs with ADHD (although they think it's through non random pairing rather than a part of ADHD itself -- which is how our daughter got her dyslexia/ADHD combo:D ), that math and spelling LD's may actually partake of the same pathway as ADHD. It's funny -- I never considered myself as having an LD, but after listening to my counselor for a while it seems like I did in math and probably spelling too. He informed me that with my IQ (that while not in the stratosphere like some posters here, is higher than average) I should have been able to do the mental math exercises, not have to count on my fingers and so forth. It's funny, but that had never occured to me!:p What you're used to doing is what you're used to doing and seems normal for you. I'm basically agreeing with Tammy here that especially when LD's are involved more time would sure help. While I could squeak under the wire just barely time wise in most tests, in math tests up to and including my GRE after college, I ended up Christmas treeing the last answers in math because there wasn't time to complete them resulting in a 45 percentile difference in my scores between verbal and math and a 60 percentile difference in my math and my elementary education major scores. I actually failed and had to retake a writing exam to get certified as a teacher (you only had to pass some pretty basic stuff) -- and I'm pretty sure it was because I didn't have time to proofread my work, even though verbal skills are a strength of mine. A computer sure would have come in handy, Scuro!:)

Scattered

PS: Another benefit of breaking tests up is that it would not only give ADDers breaks, but it would impose mini deadlines that would help keep them on track time wise and help with the procrastination problem. Although some would still need additional time at the end to go back and finish what they didn't have time to earlier.

Extra time would help anyone with an LD. It would also help those with the SCT type of ADHD. They have processing deficits and perhaps in the future it will be considered a classic LD, if it isn't already.

It's the hyper kids that Barkley is talking about....I agree with him, that these kids don't need extra time or at least that it shouldn't be the only accommodation.

It's funny -- I never considered myself as having an LD, but after listening to my counselor for a while it seems like I did in math and probably spelling too. He informed me that with my IQ (that while not in the stratosphere like some posters here, is higher than average) I should have been able to do the mental math exercises, not have to count on my fingers and so forth. It's funny, but that had never occured to me!:p
Huh. I can't do mental math, and I count on my fingers when I don't have a calculator, but I would have figured that was due to ADHD memory issues. I use a calculator for all the basic addition and whatnot on math tests.

PS: Another benefit of breaking tests up is that it would not only give ADDers breaks, but it would impose mini deadlines that would help keep them on track time wise and help with the procrastination problem. Although some would still need additional time at the end to go back and finish what they didn't have time to earlier.
Exactly, that's how I always treated tests with multiple parts.