LITERATURE REVIEW AND THE BIG IDEAS OF SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH ADHD AND THEIR TEACHERS THROUGH MULTILITERACIES AND RELATIONAL PEDAGOGY

The increasing prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in primary school classrooms presents significant challenges for teachers seeking to support students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes within inclusive settings. This literature review critically analyses fourteen peer-reviewed studies to examine how multiliteracies pedagogy, underpinned by relational pedagogy, may support students with ADHD while also attending to teacher practice and wellbeing. Drawing on three interrelated theoretical frameworks—Vygotsky’s social constructivism, multiliteracies pedagogy, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) the review synthesises evidence demonstrating that multimodal, collaborative, and socially mediated learning environments can enhance student engagement, agency, and participation. Findings suggest that multiliteracies pedagogy aligns strongly with neurodiversity-affirming perspectives by foregrounding student strengths, offering multiple means of representation and engagement, and reducing reliance on executive functioning and working memory. However, the review also identifies persistent gaps between theory and classroom implementation, particularly regarding teacher capacity, classroom management, and perceptions of pedagogical “chaos.” The analysis highlights a need for research that bridges theory and practice through explicit implementation frameworks that support both students with ADHD and teacher wellbeing. Overall, the review positions multiliteracies pedagogy, when intentionally scaffolded and aligned with UDL principles, as a promising inclusive approach for improving educational outcomes for students with ADHD. Article visualizations: