Positive Mind Works

Positive Mind Works

School can be a very frustrating place for children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) but finding effective strategies to help them stay focused can make a huge difference to the success of your child’s education and overall happiness.

Why is school harder for children with ADHD?

If your child struggles with attention deficit disorder, here are some common challenges that may be getting in the way of their education:

  • Disorganisation
  • Staying focused
  • Turning off from distractions
  • Failure to meet homework deadlines
  • Paying attention for long periods
  • Missing important details
  • Forgetfulness
  • Not communicating well with teachers
  • Boredom

While it’s true that we all children face the above issues occasionally, for children with ADHD, staying on top of schoolwork can be an endless struggle.

Are there ADHD traits that are positive which can be used in school?

Yes! On the flip side, there are several strengths that come with well-managed ADHD that your child can use to their benefit. These include:

  • Creative thinking – non-linear thinking that involves a fresh way of looking at problems with an ‘outside the box’ solution
  • Curiosity – a willingness and desire to explore what schooling and education has to offer
  • Resiliency – bouncing back after failures
  • Risk-taking – being willing to take a chance to achieve their dreams and goals
  • Hyper focus – when an ADHD brain is properly stimulated, it can lead to a clear focus for long periods

When managed properly, ADHD could actually give your child a useful advantage.

Tips to help your child work around ADHD

A key factor to managing child ADHD is to tailor their environment so that it helps them to make the most of their strong points – such as people skills or creativity – while minimising their symptoms.

Here are a few tips that may help your child:

  1. In the classroom, ask that your child be seated close to their teacher and if possible, away from any windows or doors. This can reduce potential distractions and help them to stay focused.
  2. Staying in their classroom seat for long periods of time may be difficult for children with ADHD. Consider asking their teacher to allow your child to stand for short periods – as long as this would not be too disruptive to other students.
  3. Find a distraction-blocker. Whether this means earphones or earplugs during work and school tests or having a privacy divider set up.
  4. Establish a regular homework routine. Your child may need to have a break between school and assignments, and they will likely perform best when taking frequent breaks between their homework. You may also need to supervise them to make sure they stay on task.
  5. At home, help your child set up a distraction-free environment to do their homework. You may need to experiment in different locations until you find the ideal learning spot.

The takeaway?

Think about all the amazing ADHD traits that your child has and find ways to better use them to suit their learning needs. If you need help learning how to manage your child’s ADHD, Positive Mind Works can help. We have several ADHD child psychologists and psychiatrists who would be happy to help. To learn more, click here or contact us here.