Key takeaways:
- Difficulties with education is common for children and teens with ADHD.
- Meet the school SENCO and make a tailored plan for your child to ensure their needs are met.
- Take steps at home to support their learning, including prioritising sleep, exercise and relaxation.
Is your child with ADHD struggling with school? Difficulties with school are common for children with ADHD- and can encompass problems fitting in with their peers to organising themselves and concentrating. There are things you can do as a parent to help a child with ADHD in school- the following tips can help.
What do children with ADHD struggle with in school?
Navigating days at school can be tricky for all children, but for those with ADHD it can prove extra challenging:
- Concentrating in the classroom can be difficult or impossible at times
- They can be easily distracted by other children, or provide the distraction themselves to other children
- The hyperactive and impulsive aspects of ADHD can result in behaviours that disrupt their learning
- They may struggle to organise themselves, both in terms of completing classwork and having the right books and items for the day- like their PE kit
- The impact of their ADHD can impact a child's performance at school
- They can also struggle with friendships and navigating relationships with their peers.
Overall, children with ADHD can find school life a struggle, which can cause stress. Parents might feel somewhat powerless to help, but there are a number of ways that you can assist your child in finding school easier.
Make a plan with the SENCO
Your child's school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) should have made a plan for your child following their diagnosis. This might include allowing your child to have movement breaks, use fidget toys, or have homework broken down into a manageable format.
If this plan hasn't yet been completed, contact the SENCO and ask them to work with you to create a plan that will help your child thrive in school.
If your child needs to take medication while at school, ensure this is covered in the plan too. Aim to keep in contact with the SENCO so that the plan can be altered if need be, and difficulties can be addressed.
How you can help at home
Aim to bring the same plan from school into the home. For homework give your child what they need, whether that be short periods of concentration followed by a movement break, something to fiddle with while working, or whatever else helps them.
Create lists for organisation
To help your child feel independent but also on track, create lists together of what they need to do to get ready for school each day, and what they need to take on different days, so that they can get organised. Stick these up somewhere, like on the fridge, so that they can follow them everyday.
Make time for exercise
Your child will need plenty of time to move about, so schedule in time for exercise everyday. If they are involved in sport clubs then those will help, but also make time for going to the park/ running around the garden/ getting their energy out however they like every day!
Praise, praise and praise some more
Ensure your child has positive self-esteem by praising them for effort and achievement every day. Hearing positive things helps foster confidence.
Prioritise sleep
Even an extra half an hour of sleep for children with ADHD can drastically aid their concentration at school. Aim to help them wind down for bed with relaxing activities and get a good night's sleep.
Encourage hobbies and interests
Hobbies create identity and self-esteem in children, and provides a fun outlet. Encourage them to try a number of different things until they find ones that they like.
Help them relax
Relaxation is important for children with ADHD. Try our calming box-breathing video together, or help them create a self-soothe box.
Diet is important
Look to incorporate lots of whole foods into their diet- fish, meat, grains, vegetables and fruit, and avoid unnecessary additives and sugar.
