Adhd Guide

ADHD and School – How to Help Them

While ADHD affects every aspect of a child’s life, probably one of the most obvious examples of this is their school life, both academically and socially. School is an environment in which children are expected to sit for long periods and focus on a specific task for an extended period.

Their grades depend on it. School is also the place where children are in constant contact with their peers, at a time in their lives when fitting in with those peers is the most crucial it will ever be in their entire lives. Children have enough challenges with their growing bodies and their social development, so when ADHD is an issue, they need extra support from the adults in their lives.

One of the primary areas of concern for the ADHD child is the difficulty with social development. ADHD children often are not able to grasp on to the subtle social cues needed to interact with others and may not think before speaking. They also may be impulsive and not be aware of the affect of their actions and words on others. To help a child with ADHD develop social skills there are a couple of alternatives. One is a small group setting such as a small playgroup or a small team that can complete a work project together. By ensuring that there are some more socially advanced and competent peers in the group and that the activities encourage interaction it will help the ADHD child learn social skills and feel included. Pairing an ADHD up with an older student as a study partner may also help the child develop social skills.

It is important to limit the amount of time an ADHD child has to interact with others as even as little as 30 minutes on the playground can be too long for the child to stay focused on peer interaction. Close attention should be given to the generally less supervised times of peer interaction such as playground time and class parties.

Of course, ADHD children will also likely struggle with the academic side of school. They are easily distracted by other students and activities going on around them and have a difficult time focusing on their work. The goal is to try to structure the classroom in such a way that the child with ADHD is as isolated as possible from distraction without isolating the child. It is

important to keep the methods used to help the ADHD child on a level that the entire class can use them. An example of this would be a quiet study area that is accessible by the entire class, not just for ADHD students. Sitting the child near the teacher is helpful and developing a subtle form of communication for when the teacher communicates with the child to get back on task is important. The teacher also needs to keep in mind that the child has a shorter attention span so long assignments and tests will be difficult. Teachers can apply effective teaching methods in how they introduce, instruct, and conclude each lesson they teach during the day to break up the subject material to make it easier to follow.

There are many concerns for a child with ADHD in the classroom. With kind, attentive teachers who are aware of the child’s needs and are willing to help accommodate the child, an ADHD child in the school setting can flourish.

By ensuring there are behavioral controls in place and a structured classroom setting an ADHD child can be helped to stay on task and to learn and develop important social behaviors. With the proper nurturing, an ADHD child or any other child can thrive within the peer-oriented environment that school provides.