ADHD and School Success: Supporting Your Child's Learning Journey

When your child has ADHD, navigating the school system can feel overwhelming.

A Personal Journey with ADHD

Hi Parents! Today's letter is about the best thing you can do to help a child with ADHD succeed at school.

I didn't find out I had ADHD until my third year of university. When I did, it was transformative. I went from being a C+ student to graduating with honors.

Understanding I had ADHD helped me figure out a few things:

• It explained why I found it hard to sit still in class
• It helped me see that the school system is not set up for me to succeed
• It brought forward a host of strategies to mitigate my challenges

Expert Insight

I'm not the only one who has had that experience. Here is a quote from Jerome Schultz, a pediatric neuropsychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School:

"I've observed that when enlightened educators, parents or therapists help kids understand the nature and effects of their condition on thinking and learning, this has resulted in a sense of competence and increased confidence—traits these students carried with them as they encountered (and sought out) more challenging academic tasks."

The Power of Understanding

By helping your child understand the way their mind and emotions works, you're doing the most impactful thing you can in helping them build the skills they need to succeed.

Parents get this wrong simply by not talking about it with their child. Helping your child understand themselves is the most powerful tool you have.

A Framework for Success

Try hosting a conversation with your child using this framework: identification, acceptance, and adaptive behavior.

1. Identification

Ask questions about what it's like to be in class:

• How do you experience different teachers?
• What do you notice about yourself versus your classmates?

2. Acceptance

Accept them for who they are and what they experience:

• "Thank you for explaining that to me. I'm grateful to be getting a better sense of what school is like for you."
• "You're doing such a great job. You're a truly special person."

3. Adaptive Behavior

Ask them what strategies they could try to cope with the challenges they face. Then, ask how you can support them:

• "What could you do to stay focused for a bit longer in math class?"
• "That makes sense. What can I do to help you try that idea out?"

The Path Forward

Host this conversation once a week for a few months and you'll have done your child a huge service.

Peter
CEO & Founder
Fawn