ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Outline: choose a structure before filling in every sentence
An outline is a planned arrangement of the main parts of a piece of work. It can be a few headings, a short list, or another clear sequence. Here we use it to decide what belongs where in a document, not to prescribe one writing method for everyone.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
A task breakdown lists actions involved in making something. An outline describes the arrangement of the thing being made. “Choose two pictures” is a task; “What we noticed” might be a section in the finished article. Keep those separate rather than treating every document heading as a to-do item.
Arrange a small example
In this invented example, a teen wants to write a short family-newsletter article about a community exhibition. They have notes about several displays, a sketch they made, and a question they did not get to ask. Their first outline is:
1. What I went to see.
2. Two displays I want to describe.
3. What my sketch shows.
4. A question I left with.
One display fills most of their notes. They decide it can occupy more space than the second; four headings do not require four equal sections. Their unanswered question remains a question in the final section, rather than becoming a conclusion about what the maker intended. The outline makes space for information; it does not supply missing facts.
The teen begins by describing the sketch, then returns to the opening. Reading order and writing order differ in this example. A grandparent suggests adding a full account of the journey, but the teen leaves it outside this piece because they want to write about the exhibition.
Make a flexible outline
Who this piece is for:
What they should understand or be able to do:
Section:
Main point for this section:
Example or detail available:
Question still open:
Something that belongs elsewhere, not in this piece:
Repeat the section fields only as needed. A one-paragraph message may not need an outline at all. If the structure is taking longer than the message itself, you can choose a simpler format.
Leave room to rearrange
If a reader needs a definition before an example, move that part earlier. If two headings ask the same question, consider combining them. A new heading should have a distinct job, not merely make the document look longer.
A parent can ask a child to explain their intended order without replacing it with the parent's preferred structure. An educator can clarify required sections where an assignment specifies them. A partner can check whether the intended reader can find the answer they need. None of these roles requires rewriting the whole piece for its author.
This is an original planning exercise, not a promise about writing quality, grades, or an ADHD-related outcome. The finished work still needs its own checks for accuracy and clarity.
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