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Navigating Learning at Home with the ADHD Child
Navigating Learning at Home with the ADHD Child “Navigating le arning at home is hard. Navigating le arning at home with a ch il d with AD HD… is Everes t,” writes Emm a Wijnberg, an occup ation al the rapist base d in Pietermaritzburg. A lthough no ADHD child is the same, and there really is no recipe for success, there are some strategies that you can try to implement, to assist with attention, as well as YOUR own sanity. The fact that so much of the learning at home is reliant on screens, already puts the child with ADHD at a disadvantage. The blue LED light is NOT the ADHD brain’s friend, and will negatively impact on many performance areas. Try to limit screen use as much as you can. Don’t allow screens for at least an hour before bed. Although your child will still sleep, the chemicals released in the brain because of the screens, prevent them from experiencing the stage of sleep that is the most restful for the brain. The majority of children with attentional difficulties also struggle with sensory processing. Sensory Processing is the unconscious organisation of our senses for use. Our sensory input is received in lots of different parts of our brain, which are responsible for different functions, from emotions, to coordination, to sleep! This means that the sensory input a child gets, and their individual way of processing it, is going to have a direct influence on their mood, attention, alertness and functional ability. It is helpful to be aware of your child’s individual sensory processing pattern, so that you can intentionally provide the RIGHT sensory input, to put them in a space for optimum learning. Diet is very important for the ADHD brain. Research has shown us that refined carbohydrates and colorants have a negative effect on behaviour and attention in the ADHD child. Research has also shown that fatty acids, protein and probiotics have a positive effect on attentional ability and emotional regulation. With the correct diet, we can influence the behaviour in the ADHD child quite significantly. Children who struggle with sensory processing, very often struggle with unpredictability. This very often applies to the ADHD child. In an effort to try and gain some degree of control over an unpredictable environment, the ADHD child may use behaviours such as defiance, avoidance, being bossy or even destructive. The child needs to KNOW that YOU are in control. That you have GOT this. Because if they know this, they feel safe, and don’t have the need to gain control over their environment in negative behavioural ways. When given consistent, unwavering boundaries, they stop rebelling, and behaviour, after some time, becomes more manageable. ADHD children often struggle with Auditory Processing and function better when given visual cues that they can refer back to. A visual schedule is a helpful tool to help them to stay on task, feel organised and achieve goals. It is useful to plan the day with your child in the morning. Lastly - be gentle on yourself and focus on connecting with your child. Connection makes our children feel loved and safe - which are the primary nutrients needed for learning. Nobody prepared us for the situation we are in, and there is no right or wrong way to manage it. Everyone is going to have to catch up when they get back to school. Do what you can, when you can. You are first and foremost a parent, not a teacher.
Make a Success of Online Schooling
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Loc kdown has brou ght nume rous ch anges to ou r l ives . Fo r many paren ts who are al ready struggl ing with wo rking from home , the inc rease in domes tic cho res and family stress , managing onl ine school ing can feel l ike the final straw. H ere are some tips to help you and your child cope with and succeed at online schooling.
Get organised
• Print a copy of your child’s timetable and display it where it will be easily visible. • Spend some time on Sunday evening going through the work that has been set for the week. • Sit with your child and work through the coming week’s timetable, checking that they know where each resource is and that they are aware of assignments. This helps your child to prepare mentally for what they will be doing for the week. • High school children are generally fine to work their way through their daily timetable independently. • Primary school children might need you to recap the tasks they need to do for specific blocks of time. • Pre-primary children will need a more hands-on approach. Plan ahead so that you can spend a quick 20 minutes introducing the activity, completing the teaching and then leave them to complete the work.
Routine
For online school to work, it has to be treated like real school thus sticking to a good routine is essential. • Wake your child at the same time each morning and encourage them to get dressed, eat breakfast and wash before school starts. • Ensure that your child is also getting enough sleep and is eating healthily. • Follow your child’s timetable regarding play and lunch breaks as well as lesson durations. This timetable will be familiar to your child will provide structure, predictability and comfort. • When it is time for your child to have a play/lunch/ end of school break, make sure that they leave the room (and the screen) they have been working in and get outside if possible. • Encouraging children to have a change of scenery and a change of activity is crucial for them to be able to return to lessons refreshed and able to refocus.
Exercise
Try to build exercise routine. If you think about how much activity your child usually participates in, you’ll see the potential for lack of activity that the lockdown can cause. • For younger children starting a game of “Simon Says”, “Mr Wolf What’s the Time?”, “Tag” or “Stuck in the Mud,” can be a great way to encourage them to let off some steam.
• If you can’t break at the same time and need your child to run around independently, leave out skipping ropes, Hula Hoops and chalked out Hopscotch squares during breaks. Planning a family obstacle course for them and/or the dogs to complete is also great fun. • There are lots of workouts, yoga and dance fitness tutorials available online for there to be something which will suit everyone’s taste. Try to ensure your child gets exercise every day or at least three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes per session. Many teenagers will probably already be motivated to stay in shape.
Support
Online school is about children working independently and parents supporting them. It is not about parents teaching children their lessons all day. • Set your child up with the work they have been given and leave them to get on with it, with the understanding that if they need assistance, they can call you. • If you find that your child is constantly needing your support, ask yourself whether this is a confidence or attention seeking issue or whether the work really is unmanageable for them. • If you find that the work is too complicated, then contact your child’s teacher. • If you have the time, go through your child’s timetable with them in the afternoon and check that he/she has completed all work and whether there were any issues. You might find that high school age children become demotivated or overwhelmed by having to constantly read, understand and complete tasks independently within given times. Should they hit snags, listen, empathise and ask what they can do to sort it out. They often aren’t asking you to solve the problem, they are just wanting a bit of empathy and acknowledgement that it is difficult for them. Express how proud you are of them, all the valuable life skills they are learning from this process.
Life Skills
• It is hard to switch from being in a busy classroom where you are told when and how to do it to now having to motivate yourself to work alone every day, manage your own time and to solve problems independently where previously you put your hand up and received direction. • Engaging in this process is teaching your child the valuable skills of self-discipline, time management, independence and problem solving which will be used for the rest of his/her life. • Support your child in developing these life skills by putting the structure in place and by giving lots of encouragement, praise and empathy. • Forgive yourself and your child for days that don’t go according to plan. At the end of the day, we can all only do our best and that is enough for now.
By Wendy Corfe, counselling psychologist.
