How can I help my ADHD child in school?

How can I help my ADHD child in school?

Parents of children with ADHD often get to know the school team very quickly, wanted or not. This is important because, on school days, your child will spend about forty percent of their waking hours in classroom. To learn social skills, kids with ADHD need a community of people to cue and reinforce positive social behavior. To get a good education, students with ADHD need more support from adults.

Canadian schools have a legal duty to accommodate students with ADHD under provincial human rights laws. ADHD is recognized as a disability under Canadian human rights legislation when the symptoms of ADHD significantly impact academic performance.  Although what can be offered may differ depending on location, you won’t get anything if you do not ask and persist. In my research on the successful transition of students with ADHD to post-secondary, the ability for a student to advocate for their needs and educational accommodations was one of the most important factors in whether they passed or failed in university.  For children with ADHD, parents have to do this work for them. Success is possible with the right tools and support.

To increase the chances of educational success, parents should take the time at the beginning of the school year to arrange a conversation with the teacher(s) and administration. Let the school know how to engage your child by sharing their interests, strengths, accomplishments, and goals. This is not something that should wait until the teacher “gets to know the child”. Schools have a lot to manage at the beginning of the academic year, but this is also important. We want to set children up for success, not failure.

These are some of the accommodations that a parent can ask the school about:

• Seating placement – place the student near the teacher or away from busy areas.

• Seating options – use a wiggle chair or cushion instead of the traditional chair.  Standing desks or a place to do work standing up can also be helpful.

• Repeated and simplified instructions.

• Templates of completed work to use as a visual example.

• Written or drawn instructions to supplement verbal instructions.

• Use of visual schedules.

• Breaking down of large projects into smaller chunks with individual due dates.

• Allow alternative ways to show learning like oral or video presentations.

• Provide breaks during testing without a time penalty.  This means that your child will get the same amount of test taking time since break time does not count. This can be done by giving the student a stop watch with a timer that is paused during breaks.

• Arrange quiet testing spaces.

• Allow frequent short quizzes instead of long exams.

• Brain breaks – allow short, structured movement breaks to reset focus. Eating a snack can also reduce tension as the jaw holds a lot of stress.

• Use a private signal or note system between teacher and student to indicate that a break or help is needed.

• Arrange for immediate, consistent rewards at school or together with parents to reinforce good behavior and task completion.

It has been my experience that parents have to support and sometimes remind teachers to use strategies and educational accommodations throughout the year. There is also a tendency to take away accommodations if the student is “doing alright”. This is not okay. If you can see better when wearing eyeglasses and begin to do better because you can now see easily, does it make sense for someone to take away your glasses? This is not about getting extra, this is about leveling the playing field for your child. If your child thrives with supports and accommodations, keep advocating for them so they can reach their true potential.

Everything in the list above takes extra time and attention from our overworked teachers. Like parents, they do the best they can. I have yet to meet a teacher that does not want a child to succeed. The problem is that educational resources are increasingly limited, there are more complex students in classrooms, and aides are in short supply. Show appreciation and gratitude when a teacher goes above and beyond for your child. This might be the only reward that a teacher gets for working extra hard.  Occasional donuts or treats for the school team may also be kind gesture 😊.