“Navigating learning at home is hard. Navigating learning at home with a child with ADHD… is Everest,” writes Emma Wijnberg, and occupational therapist based in Pietermaritzburg.
Although 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. Although these kiddies are very often attracted to screens, 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. The problem is, the ADHD children very often show a strong preference for the foods that are bad for them… This is often due to sensory difficulties, which can often be managed to some degree. 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. More often than not, these little people will rebel against any routines, rules or expectations. Most often though, 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. Have your visual schedule cards ready, with the ones you know NEED to happen in the day (maths, reading, history, or whatever), combined with chores and with things like 20 minutes of TV, soccer etc. (things that your child enjoys). Allow him or her to organise the day so that they get through everything. This gives them some degree of control, accountability and ownership. They then need to stick to this. This needs to be a consistent boundary that is not flexible.
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 in the same boat. Everyone is going to have to play catch up when they get back to school. Do what you can, when you can. Lower your expectations. You are first and foremost a parent, not a teacher.
By Emma Wijnberg, Occupational Therapist.