For many children, the start of a new school year produces feelings of excitement and anticipation: The idea of seeing old friends again, discovering new subjects, and meeting new teachers makes the prospect of schoolwork seem more like an adventure than a chore (albeit often temporarily). For children with ADHD, however, the idea of returning to school often invokes a deep anxiety as it represents another year of forcing themselves to comply with an education system that inherently favours neurotypical individuals. For some of these children, it even means a return to medications that they were able to wean off of during the summer months. In the mind of a child with ADHD, school is irrevocably associated with the stigma of being “different”.
If you are the parent of an ADHD child, you are likely all too familiar with the dread learning-disabled children feel as the month of August progresses—but it's important to remember that the situation, while challenging, is far from hopeless. If you take action now and follow the five back-to-school tips below, you can help your child to enjoy a much more positive and productive school year:
1. Work with the brain's innate reward system.
For people with attentional issues, having specific goals is essential to success: Possessing clear, manageable objectives helps a person with ADHD to stay organized and on track.
To help your child flourish at school, list a series of clear-cut and realistic goals before the school year gets underway. Avoid generalities (e.g., “Achieve higher grades than last year”) and break objectives down into steps: “Get ready for school on time,” “Do one hour of homework each night,” etc. Ask your child what sort of reward he would like upon the completion of these objectives so that he remains motivated throughout the year. (Note that rewards don't need to have a monetary value; if you prefer, you can reward your child with extra privileges, such as staying up later on the weekend or having more time to play video games.) Remember to praise and encourage your child in addition to giving him tangible rewards; children with attentional issues often face a lot of criticism at school, so parents must make sure to provide a positive balance at home.
2. Establish a daily routine before school begins.
Children with ADHD often struggle to get ready for school on time; to prevent anxiety-provoking stress, parents should therefore sit down with their child before the school year begins and agree on a detailed morning routine. List everything your child needs to do to get fully prepared for school before leaving the house each day and allot a reasonable amount of time for each step. Once you have completed this task, perform a few “test runs” in the morning, both to get your child into the habit of following the schedule and to determine if any adjustments need to be made.
You may also wish to make an evening schedule outlining your child's after-school activities and bedtime routine. For added ease, try to include steps to prepare for the next morning in your child's evening schedule, e.g. laying his clothes out for the following day and packing his knapsack. This will make avoiding tardiness a simpler process.
3. Get to know your child's new teacher before school starts.
Try to set up a meeting with your child's new teacher before the school year officially begins so that you can explain your child's attentional issues to him or her and discuss how to implement any relevant learning plans (such as an IEP or a 504 plan) if applicable. During the meeting, you should also ask for information regarding the kind of projects and assignments your child will have over the course of the school year and establish which channels of communication the teacher will use to update you on your child's progress. Making sure that your child's new teacher is fully informed about his attentional issues and working to create a positive relationship from the outset can go a long way toward mitigating potential tensions.
4. Talk to your child about the work that he will be expected to complete and establish a “study schedule”.
Once you know what your child's curriculum will be like, you will be able to work with him to plan a manageable study schedule that allows him enough time to comfortably complete his projects and assignments. Make sure to orient this schedule around your child's unique focus style: For example, does he need a break to relax and enjoy himself when he gets home from school, or does he concentrate best while still in “learning mode”? Lastly, if your child typically has a lot of homework, be sure to include breaks in his study schedule so that he does not become too mentally exhausted to concentrate.
Always follow up to make sure that your child is both completing his homework and remembering to turn it in; if he is not, you'll need to develop a reminder system.
5. Reward your child with a bit of “fun time” spent with you each day.
There's no two ways about it: Keeping a child with ADHD on track academically can be stressful. To prevent your relationship with your child from becoming strained by the burden of his academic responsibilities, make sure to schedule in time to bond over something enjoyable each day, e.g. playing a board or video game together, going for a walk, reading a story, or playing a sport together.
By taking the steps above, you can help to eliminate your child's fear of the unknown; assessing how much work will need to be done over the course of the coming year and then planning exactly how to complete it will assure your child that he's in control of the situation. Once your child understands exactly how to achieve success, he will realize that success is indeed possible and many of his negative assumptions will therefore naturally fall away.
As your child progresses through the year, take things “one day at a time” while remaining calm, clear, consistent, and empathetic when your child does confront hurdles. Though the path may be rocky at times, eventually he will learn to better manage his ADHD and prosper both personally and academically as a result.
Image Credit: Sean Dreilinger (flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/183119930)
