🏫School Support for Children With ADHD - ADHD Awareness Month🏫

Mary_Scope

Part One - What Is ADHD?
Part Two - What to Do if You Suspect Your Child Has ADHD and the Diagnosis Pathway
Part Four - Practical Strategies for Parents & Carers Who Have Children With ADHD

Navigating school with a child who has ADHD can feel challenging but you're not alone and schools across the UK are required to support children with additional needs

Talk To The School

Your first and most important step is to communicate with the school. I have created asking my child's school for a meeting & tips for a productive meeting that I hope will be helpful when asking for a meeting.

Schedule a meeting with your child's teacher and the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). In Wales, this person is called the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo).

During the meeting, it is helpful to share what's working at home, your child's strengths, and the challenges they face in the classroom as you can work together to create a support plan.

What Support Can School Offer?

Schools can make many "reasonable adjustments" to help your child learn and thrive. A diagnosis is not always needed to get this kind of support. But support can differ from school to school based on capacity, funding etc.

Examples of helpful adjustments can include…

• Movement breaks
• A change in classroom seating to reduce distractions
• Fidget tools
• Breaking down tasks and giving clear instructions
• Extra time
• Access to a quiet space
  

What If More Support Is Needed?

If your child continues to face challenges despite classroom adjustments, they may require more substantial and legally binding support.

• In England
  You can ask your local authority for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan assessment and An EHCP is a legal document that details the specific support your child needs.
  
• In Wales
  The system is now called Additional Learning Needs (ALN). Children with ALN can get an Individual Development Plan (IDP) which is a flexible plan that outlines their support needs.
  
• In Scotland
  For children with complex needs requiring support from more than one service (like education and health), a co-ordinated support plan (CSP) can be created. This is a legal document that ensures all services work together.
  
• In Northern Ireland
  You can request for a statutory assessment from the Education Authority which can lead to a statement of special educational needs and this is a legal document specifying the help your child must receive.

What has been your experience in getting support for your child with ADHD in school? Or if you have ADHD, what has been your experience in school?

Jane315STARX

I think there is a long way to go in terms in what needs to be done to help children with Adhd.For example in my sons case it took years to get a diagnosis after previously being turnt down.But he got the diagnosis I was under the misconception that all suggestions put forward in terms of care,directions and planning from the School would be implemented.I have found its a VERY hard and continuous struggle.The only change I saw is in the recognition of diagnosis and being placed in a different seat in class.A written Sen plan ( piece of paper) with literally a few lines was drawn up which was left dormant for a year.I made numerous calls for meetings and was told "This is the norm unless we have concerns ".During this time my son has has SO many detentions for fidgeting and talking.Which to my mind fits in perfectly with the criteria of his diagnosis.Im not sure what the answer is really.But having met a couple of Sencos I think alot is dependent on the person who is doing that job.Its the not qualifications that they have but how much care they put in to each individual child and the reality into practice.I think the data and other people's stories are not dissimilar to mine.It is incredibly sad that children like my son are being left behind unyet understanding of these types of conditions have come such a long way

Wibbles

Why are so many children diagnosed with ADHD nowadays ?

Back when I was in Junior school (early 70's) ADHD was just being disruptive / naughty and you were punished for it - but the numbers now appear just way too high ?

UK - 5% of 3-17 year olds have ADHD

US - 11.4% of 3-17 year olds have ADHD

Why so many ? What has changed in 50 years so dramatically ?

Chris75_

The $64,000 question. I doubt there is a simple explanation.

Jane315STARX

@Wibbles its a very interesting question and something I've thought and debated about.When my son was 6 I took him to a friend's house.Her and her husband were both in their early eighties and had 6 grown children.She commented that none of her children were like my son and she'd never seen anything like it.What she meant was hyperactive ( not being able to sit still and running around,despite my desperately trying to keeping him occupied after a 3 hour walk in The nearby forest!.Delayed speech ( Had speech intervention).The list goes on.The only thing I can come up with is what we are exposed to in the atmosphere around us and the foods that we eat.I also think genetics have a role to play as I see a connection there.For example I think foods that were eaten years ago were perhaps cooked more often from scratch and with less additives and preservatives.The air that we breathe is probably far more polluted than over say 30,40 years ago.I could be entirely wrong but I do think there must be a connection.Im not sure why it wouldn't necessarily affect more people but that's where my genetics theory comes in.

Jane315STARX

Just to add at that time my friends thought was that my son was 'a naughty child' needed clear boundaries and that I needed to raise my voice and shout more in order to get him to listen.I apparently was nothing like my son as a child in terms of hyperactivity or behaviour etc.However and very interestingly his father apparently was exactly the same.What im terrified of is that he will inherit his narcissism.

Chris75_

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1079656#Comment_1079656

30-40 years ago, we had leaded petrol and CFCs.

I asked my old man what this area was like in the 1950s, the tenaments etc; he said the same, but dirtier (soot clinging to everything).

Jane315STARX

As I say I don't have the answer.I wish I did because statistically the future doesn't look very optimistic for him for numerous reasons.