ADHD advice for parents and schools (for older children & young people)

Tips for Parents

Be understanding

Remember that your child didn't choose to have ADHD, so avoid getting angry or annoyed at your child. 

Be positive

Children and young people often look up to their parents so being positive will mean they can be positive about their diagnosis.

Give simple instructions

Instead of giving vague instructions such as "get ready for school", try to break up instructions such as "make your bed, then go brush your teeth". 

Set clear boundaries

Make sure to indicate what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable. Avoid escalating and shouting unnecessarily.

Involve the family

Inform other family members of the diagnosis and ADHD needs. Make sure to avoid putting too much focus on your child with ADHD and recognise potential impact on siblings.

Build healthy routines

A routine can help your child know what to expect each day, which can reduce possible triggers. 

Help with organisation

Those with ADHD can have difficulties with organising their things - it can be helpful for your child to provide some time to organise their tasks and possessions. 

Praise

As with all children and young people, praise can be beneficial to reinforce good behaviours and habits. 

Manage triggers

At times, there may be some things or situations that your child may be overstimulated. Try to keep a record of these triggers and try to remove your child from these situations. 

Recognise strengths

Children with ADHD have many strengths and it is important to be clear with your child that these strengths can lead to success.

Find local support

You may want to find local support groups to learn about ADHD and gain a network of other parents who also have children with ADHD. 

Incentive scheme 

Using rewards, such as stickers for younger children and more time for hobbies such as games for older children, can be a useful method for reinforcing positive behaviours and habits in a young person. 

A template of an incentive scheme tracker is below - feel free to use the template or adapt it to make your own! 

Interesting study showing how rewards improve performance in children with ADHD

Rosch KS, Hawk LW Jr. The effects of performance-based rewards on neurophysiological correlates of stimulus, error, and feedback processing in children with ADHD. Psychophysiology. 2013:50(11):1157-1173. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12127

Tips for Schools

Extra time / rest breaks on tests

Students with ADHD can sometimes have difficulty finishing on time due to difficulties in time management, distractions or generally just taking longer. Providing students with extra time / rest breaks will help students with ADHD to achieve their academic potential.

Quiet environment during tests

As with extra time accommodations, students with ADHD may benefit from taking their tests in a quiet environment away from other students. This can help to reduce stress and distractions by other students and also facilitate the use of extra time or rest breaks. 

Instruction and assignments tailored to the child 

It is helpful for students to get instructions broken down for their understanding and assessments that are tailored to their level. This ensures that students are not left behind or feel under-challenged.

Positive reinforcement and feedback using technology to assist with tasks

Students with ADHD may cope better with using computers or tablets for their education. Software such as electronic timers can help students remain on task and computer based instruction can keep students engaged throughout the lesson.

The below study illustrates a benefit for students with ADHD in mathematics: 

Mautone JA, DuPaul GJ, Jitendra AK. The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the mathematics performance and classroom behaviour of children with ADHD. J Atten Disord. 2005;9(1):301-312. DOI: 10.1177/1087054705278832

Extra help with staying organised

Issues with memory and difficulties with time management are linked with ADHD. As such, providing students with extra support with organisation, such as providing a diary, breaking down homework / assignments and being clear on deadlines can help with students to submit their work on time.

Allowing breaks or time to move around 

During lessons, students with ADHD can become distracted. As such, providing regular breaks for students to get out of their seats and stretch, can prove to be beneficial in maintaining focus and engagement throughout the lesson. 

Quotes from people who have ADHD

I didn't let ADHD prevent me from achieving my goals, and neither should you"
- Howie Mandel, Host, Comedian, Actor, America's Got Talent Judge

Remember you are not alone. There are others going through the same thing.
- Adam Levine, Lead singer of Maroon 5

If someone told me I could be normal or continue to have ADD, I would take the ADD.
- David Neeleman, Founder of JetBlue Airways

The diagnosis made me want to prove everyone wrong. I knew that, if I collaborated with Michael, he could achieve anything he set his mind to. 
- Debbie Phelps, Mother of Michael Phelps, 23-time Olympic gold medal swimmer

Credits:

• YoungMinds UK
• NHS UK
• American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
• Attitude Mag