Is Your Child Overthinking Every Mistake? Rumination, ADHD, and Math Anxiety Explained
How Rumination Affects Neurodivergent Learners in Math
It's All in My Head — thinking about it...
I remember an old Nelly song where he sang about something being "all in his head" — and how he thinks about it over and over again. While the song was about heartbreak, I’ve often felt the same kind of mental loop playing when I made a mistake. That internal replay of a blunder, a bad grade, or a misunderstood math concept? That’s rumination.
And I became a teacher knowing there are students out there experiencing the same cycle. This over-and-over repetition is what we call rumination, and while it’s common, it can be especially tricky for neurodivergent learners — particularly those with ADHD or autism.
What Is Rumination?
Rumination is the act of continuously thinking about the same negative thought, mistake, or feeling, often without reaching a resolution. Instead of analyzing a mistake and moving on, a ruminating mind stays stuck.
This isn’t the same as thoughtful reflection or learning from errors — it’s a cognitive trap that consumes energy and disrupts focus.
“Rumination can hijack working memory — the brain space we need to do things like solve a math problem or follow multi-step directions.” (Connolly et al., 2014)
Why Rumination Hits Math Learners Hard
Math demands working memory, focus, and flexibility. When a student is ruminating — especially one already working with an executive function load — their capacity for these skills drops.
Research shows:
Rumination is associated with reduced cognitive control and diminished academic performance (Connolly et al., 2014).
It can interfere with the feedback-learning loop: when stuck on past errors, students may not absorb new strategies.
In learners with weak executive functioning, rumination intensifies math struggles (Lai et al., 2020).
Neurodivergent Learners and Rumination: A Double Load
Rumination is more likely, though not guaranteed, in students with ADHD or autism. These learners often have:
Executive functioning challenges (e.g., difficulty switching thoughts or strategies)
Emotional regulation struggles (making it harder to shake off negative thoughts)
Working memory differences (reducing bandwidth for new learning)
These traits can create the perfect storm where a mistake in math — or a perceived failure — becomes a recurring, emotionally-loaded loop.
"Talk to anyone who’s lost a love before — rumination is exhausting. Now imagine feeling that way every time you mess up a math problem."
What Can Tutors and Teachers Do?
Supporting students prone to rumination means helping them break out of those loops — both cognitively and emotionally.
Strategies that help:
Normalize mistakes: Build classroom cultures where errors are part of learning.
Teach metacognition: Help students name when they're stuck in a thought loop.
Use external memory aids: Visual steps, anchor charts, and checklists can offload working memory.
Practice self-compassion: Introduce scripts or mantras students can use when frustration rises.
Break problems into chunks: This reduces overwhelm and makes it easier to “re-enter” a task after a mistake.
A Tutor’s Takeaway
If you're working with a student who keeps saying “I always mess up,” or who dwells on one mistake for the rest of the session, rumination may be the culprit. It’s not laziness or lack of ability — it’s a loop. And for neurodivergent learners, the loop may be harder to exit.
Break the loop. Restore the bandwidth. Make math a space for growth.
About the Author
Sharronda Smith of Enrichology Tutoring knows what it’s like to face math anxiety firsthand. As a neurodivergent learner, she struggled to make sense of math until she started seeing it through a real-world lens, connecting numbers and formulas to things that actually mattered in her life. That shift changed everything.
With a sibling on the autism spectrum and a strong passion for making learning accessible to all, Sharronda is working towards becoming a certified special education teacher. She taught high school science for grades 9–12 and holds a composite science teaching license, which lets her bridge the gap between math and science in a way that finally makes sense for students who think differently.
Today, she helps students overcome math anxiety by showing them how math shows up in their own lives. Her approach is clear, engaging, and designed for brains that need more than just worksheets and formulas. Whether it's through baking, budgeting, or building something from scratch, Sharronda helps students see math as a tool, not a threat.
Connolly, S. L., Wagner, C. A., Shapero, B. G., Pendergast, L. L., Abramson, L. Y., & Alloy, L. B. (2014). Rumination prospectively predicts executive functioning impairments in adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders, 169, 160–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.034
Lai, H. M., Hamzah, M. H., & Matore, M. E. E. M. (2020). Executive functions and mathematical problem-solving performance among schoolchildren: The mediating role of rumination. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 36(3), 212–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573520973087
