Four Reasons to Consider a Private School for Your Child with ADHD
If you have a child that has been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and he or she is currently enrolled in public school, there are many good reasons to transfer them to a private school with a specialty in teaching kids with this condition. The following are four reasons to consider changing schools.
Your public school may be underfunded
Public school programs for children with ADHD vary greatly. These variations are often due to funds. This can result in too many students per teacher. In addition, some of the teachers may not have as much experience as those found in private sector schools teaching children with ADHD. Your public school may be working
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Children are simply placed in classes far from the rest of the children. But this form of isolation can stigmatize children as being different from the others in a negative manner. This form of stigmatization can stay with your child for the rest of their life.
Your child will enjoy going to school
If your child doesn't like going to school, it may be due to any number of reasons, including the ones listed above. But if their unhappiness at schools relates to their ADHD, this is likely to change in a private school that specializes in children with ADHD. They will be around children their own age who will show empathy towards them and not cruelty. The teachers will have the experience and skill to teach them, and as they learn, they will become more confident and enjoy school.
Although you may decide to keep your child in their present school, you should give the idea of a private school with dedicated education for children with ADHD consideration. What you do for your child's educational needs today, can have a profound affect on the rest of his or her
Although medication therapy is one of the main choices for the diagnosis of ADHD, many parents do not wish to use medication therapy on their children. Recently more studies are being conducted on other ways to treat this order. Alternative or complementary therapy are starting to begin
I'm not only an educator working directly with these children but a mother living with a child with this challenge and a learning disability. My viewpoint comes from my direct experience on a raw and personal level. In the end we made the decision not to medicate our daughter for the ADHD, although we were highly encouraged to do so. If the same information was given to me five years earlier, I would have gone right out and gotten the prescription from our doctor. But, my experiences and research told me it wasn't the right path for us at that time. I wanted to try and help our daughter with a natural approach, using medication as a last resort. Of course, I'm in no way saying that medication is bad. I've actually seen it work incredibly well with many children over the years. On the other hand, I've seen the terrible side effects children have to endure when the medication is wrong or the dosage is not right. Treating attention issues is a personal decision every family has to make based on the individual needs of the child and family. There is no one size fits all cause or treatment for attention disorders. Every person is different and comes with individualized needs. In my next blog post I will outline the things I have tried as both an educator and mother to help children
Families who have children with ADHD often experience much higher anxiety and stress levels. A large number of children, almost half, will exhibit signs of ADHD by the age of four. However, most children are not diagnosed until he or she reaches elementary school. The behaviors that are associated with ADHD in children put them at risk for a host of other problems and complications such as completing their education, alcohol and other drug abuse, and an increased risk for delinquency. There has been much research on ADHD in recent years and many different types of medications and interventions have proven to be quite helpful. With the proper diagnosis and treatment, children with ADHD can learn to cope with the daily demands of the classroom, social situations, family interactions, and life in general.
There is an alternative medication though. According to a study done on a group of 40 children, “...combined therapy of executive function and sensory integration to children reduces attention deficit and hyperactivity of the children.” (Studying the Effectiveness). What the writer of this study is saying is that therapy can make a child's ADHD affect them less. Another thing is been suggested is “school-based intervention strategies including behavioral interventions, modifications to academic instruction, and home-school communication programs”(ADHD in the Classroom).
Sometimes kids don’t need medication, they need the basics back. The first basic is a balanced diet. “Eating a healthful diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (for example, beans, peas, and lentils), lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds” (Disease group). Eating a balanced diet can replenish children with the nutrition they need for their brains to process information. This nutrition helps their brain activity increase which helps them focus in school. The next basic is exercising. “Participating in physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day” (dISEASE). Taking part in physical activity helps children get their rambunctious energy out and centering it on a fun outside activity instead of the classroom. Another basic is limiting children’s screen time. “Limiting the amount of daily screen time from TV’s, computers, phones, etc” (Disease). In this day and age, it is hard for children to not be involved in screen time. Many school districts are incorporating laptops or apple products into classes daily. Limiting screen time can diminish headaches, eye problems, mood swings, and even hyperactivity. The last basic solution is getting enough sleep. “Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night based on age” (Disease). Getting enough sleep will help when kids go into school so they aren’t tired and not paying attention. Most symptoms of “ADHD” are caused by not getting enough
Being a child suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not an easy thing to overcome or to live with. Children who suffer from ADHD often also have dyslexia, which is just another obstacle to overcome. I understand where children with ADHD could also develop behavior defiance issues stemming from always being told what to do and how to do it. Just because a child has ADHD does not mean that you should take any creativity or a learning opportunities away from them. For the children that are old enough to understand the difference, Ritalin is a vital tool in
Kids with ADHD are eligible for special services or accommodations at school under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and an anti-discrimination law known as Section 504. Keep in touch with teachers and school officials to monitor your child's progress.
Children with ADHD are in need of a group that will help to improve their academic functioning. This group would be important for children with ADHD because those with ADHD have significant impairment in multiple domains of functioning. “The most problematic is academic impairments because children with ADHD will most likely be retained, placed in special education, and drop out of school
It’s normal for a child to occasionally forget to do their homework, get fidgety when they lose interest in an activity, or speak out of turn during class time. But inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are all signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a neuro-development disorder and can start as early as three years old throughout adulthood. People with ADHD have trouble focusing on tasks and activities, this can have a negative impact on the individual in different ways. It can make the child feel alone, incompetent, and powerless and those that don’t understand this behavior only intensified their struggle. Family and schools have a major impact on the life of a child suffering with ADHD. Parents who
When people think of ADHD they tend to think of overactive, noisy boys who are disruptive in class and won’t sit still. In reality, ADHD affects both sexes and all age groups. Also, hyperactivity is only one part of ADHD and may not be relevant at all for some children. When present, the hyperactivity often burns out by adulthood. In many cases children at school with the disorder tend to be quite smart and creative but the lack of focus can result in not doing their work, constantly daydreaming and not making contact with the present world. To help the child focus, there are some tips to follow. One of them is to keep a special journal with all the time to write down things, like what homework I have and when things are due. You can try to
The child who is showing some symptoms of ADHD should get the proper diagnoses and the parents should bring their child to a specialist. First of all, the child would be seen by a pediatrician or a child psychologist. The specialist would gather information from everyone, the school, caregivers or parents. The health care provider will look over the information and compare it to the regular children of the same age group.
I am most familiar with ADHD. My sister was diagnosed with it a few years ago and it has greatly affected her ability to learn. My sister has always been very smart and when she puts her mind to something she can do exceptional work. The problem was my sister's ability to remain focused and to be motivated about school often prevented her from reaching her full potential as a student. My sister would easily get distracted and not be able to stay in her seat. She would not be motivated to do her homework and would often leave assignments incomplete. This greatly affected her grades. After observations and evaluations, my sister was diagnosed with ADHD and was determined eligible
Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life.
I think that this is an important topic that teachers should be an advocate for because it allows the kid to feel somewhat normal. Even if they are dealing with a disability and no being singled out and pulled out of a classroom to receive special education that is tailored to them and their learning disability. Before we even think of talking about how to handle kids with ADHD we need to know what signs to look for to tell if a child has ADHD. The signs teachers should be aware of that tell them one of their students has ADHD are displaying inappropriate levels of inattention and/ or hyperactivity-impulsivity for a student’s developmental stage of their life (DuPaul and Jimerson, 2014).
Students, who have ADHD have trouble focusing in class, are easily distracted, have very short attention spans, have trouble following through and completing projects, often jump around between tasks, and following simple conversations and instructions. This would obviously make being successful in a traditional classroom very difficult for students who have this type of learn disability. Simple things like going over instructions, explaining assignments or completing homework. These students could easily become behavior problems in the classroom as they have growing frustrations levels over not being able to complete tasks get good grades or follow along with the class. They would require preferential seating and one on one contact with the teacher. By sitting towards the front of the room that would allow to the teacher to constantly check for understanding and make sure the student is on task. They would also require ILP or individual lesson plans. ADHD students would need long term projects and complex assignments broken down into smaller more manageable segments and would need the curriculum and grading expectations adjusted according to the student’s ability. You could also pair an ADHD student with another student in the class to help them with simple task and assignments. These are some of the challenges and solutions that would face students that have ADHD in a classroom.