‘Hypercuriosity’ in ADHD students, seeks new teaching approaches

London: Researcher at King’s College London is studying whether impulsivity and racing thoughts in ADHD could be reframed as a form of restless curiosity, and what that could mean for teaching students with the condition.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is leading the research. Le Cunff was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago. In her teens she was kicked out of school for what she calls “creative mischief” — disabling the fire exit alarm to sneak out for a cigarette, penning romantic fiction about her teachers, and lobbying the school to relax its dress code.

Her work focuses on what she calls ‘hypercuriosity’ — “an intensified impulsive desire to know and explore”. She is studying how curiosity plays out in university students with ADHD, combining interviews with brainwave measurements and eye tracking to map how their minds roam.

The project has received a £133,574 grant from UK Research and Innovation. Le Cunff hopes the support will eventually lead to fresh teaching approaches.