Parents Guide to ADHD: Back to School Edition

Getting ready for back to school? Here’s the ultimate parents guide to ADHD for getting your child ready for a productive, safe, and healthy school year.

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The back to school season brings on a lot of anxiety for parents everywhere and this year is obviously uniquely different. Whether you are getting ready to tackle in-person or virtual schooling, if you have a child with ADHD, you’re probably looking for a parent’s guide to ADHD right now. I feel you. So I created this one in partnership with my friends at ADHDOnline.com

First things first, since Branden was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago, we have treated ADHD like a superpower. I’ve always encouraged him and made sure he understood that some of the most successful people in the world have ADHD, you just have to learn how to harness those amazing powers and use them to your advantage. Yes, it takes some learning and navigating between both children and their parents, but once they get a handle on it, the sky’s the limit. 

RELATED: ADHD in Children – Our Story

Parents Guide to ADHD: Back to School Edition

We are getting ready to send Branden back to in-person school on September 14th, but my parent’s guide to ADHD: back to school edition will highlight tips that pertain to both in-person and virtual schooling because I know there’s a good mixture of kids doing both. 

Parent’s Guide to ADHD: In-Person School

• Organization is key. Make sure your child has a designated spot for their backpack, school supplies, and even a designated time to do homework every night. This will greatly help with managing expectations and minimizing arguments. 
• Limit distractions in school. If kids need to test outside the classroom or be seated alone at times, make sure these things are written into their IEP or that teachers know in advance.
• Reward good behavior, but also provide quick feedback whenever kids are acting out. We’ve learned with Branden that having a behavior chart that he carries from class to class is a huge help. He gets a reward at the end of the week if he scores above a certain average each Friday.
• Make sure that they have breaks. I know this is a tough one when kids are attending in-person school, but if possible make sure that their “fun” classes (chorus, band, gym, art, etc) are staggered in between the ones that take more focus like math and English. 
• Lastly, don’t overwhelm them. Make sure that they have downtime whenever they get home from school each day and don’t cram their schedule with after school activities. Let them choose a couple of things they are really into and let them focus on those. 

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Parent’s Guide to ADHD: Virtual School

• Make sure that kids are able to take breaks often – even as much as every 10-20 minutes. If your child has an IEP, make sure that this is worked into it or that teachers are aware. This will be a huge help!
• Create a space that is just for them to do their schoolwork without distractions. This can be as simple as a small corner at the end of the dining room table or a corner in their bedroom that is away from anything except school essentials. 
• Utilize full-screen mode. This means that they are able to just have one thing on their computer screen at a time.
• And within the same breath, teach them to only have one or two tabs open at one time. Chaos on their computer screen can bring on overwhelm and anxiety. 

Looking for more back to school tips? You’ll love these:

• 5 Things to Do a Week Before School Starts
• The Mental Weight on an ADHD Mom
• Branden’s ADHD Update: Behavioral Therapy
• 5 Things to Do Now That The Kids Are Back in School
• Back to School Supplies: What’s Really Important on Our List
• Our Back to School Checklist: What Big Kids Can Do To Help Around The Home

If you are just beginning to navigate ADHD with your child for this first time, I recommend visiting ADHD Online as soon as possible. ADHD Online is an online platform that allows you to receive a formal evaluation for ADHD from a network of licensed psychologists from your home’s comfort. How amazing is that for kids who struggle to sit still in a doctor’s office?

The team is made up of industry experts across the United States who share the same passion for ADHD and make sure patients have access to critical mental health services. They are a critical voice for those struggling with ADHD and the only organization to offer this level of HIPPA secured ADHD assessments online with certified results from licensed psychologists. They are active in all 50 states!

XOXO,

Allison