Teaching Teachers 1: ADHD
Part one of my blogs about correcting misinformation and finding ways to help teachers in the classroom, specifically about ADHD students.
The misinformation: “that all ADHD students can take medication, or that ADHD can be solved with therapy, and that the students who aren’t taking medication are making teachers lives hell – and it’s all the parents’ fault for not disciplining them, or giving them medication or therapy”
1. Diagnosis is a privilege – not all of us can get a diagnosis, and some diagnoses affect our later life.
· Some ADHDer’s have been discriminated against later in life due to their diagnoses of ADHD. Eg: a pilot was recently told he can no longer fly because he gained a late diagnosis – even though he’d been flying for years without problems or incident. Other’s have been told they must jump through hoops to get a drivers licence – even though research has said that ADHD’ers make great drivers (eg: F1 driver Lewis Hamilton).
· ADHD needs to be diagnosed by a clinical psych for younger children and a psychiatrist for adults – to get medicine prescribed… there’s a huge waitlist of up to 2 years, and in some areas – there aren’t any available at all – which means booking into a major city to get a diagnosis.
· Children who are both autistic and ADHD have a unique problem that ADHD masks the autism and vice versa… which makes diagnosis sometimes difficult. But being AuDHD comes with it’s own predicaments and problems – where the person’s own brain/bod wiring will fight within itself to win… sometimes the ADHD wins, sometimes the autistic side wins. And when an AuDHD’er is medicated – the autistic side comes out more… so you need to be prepared to support the autistic side being hidden beneath the surface visible ADHD traits.
2. Medication is not for everyone.
This one is vital!!!!! If you’ve ever been part of an ADHD page or group, you’d know that ADHD’ers ask each other (all the time), questions like: “What meds do you take, because mine aren’t working?”, or “Has anyone found ADHD meds that don’t give you side effects?”, or “My country has a shortage of ADHD meds, what is everyone doing in the meantime?”
ADHD meds can give horrific side effects, but are they?
· Appetite suppressant. Kids who have ARFID or Anorexia CAN’T take meds that suppress their appetite – it is extremely dangerous and life threatening to do so. Many ADHD meds are also an appetite suppressant.
· Brain fog: some ADHD meds give the patient brain fog or a distant feeling. It makes the patient not feel right, sometimes sick, or sometimes like they are dissociating. You can’t learn if your meds are doing this – it stops the ability to take in information.
· Some ADHD meds cause a huge meltdown when it wears off EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Meltdowns are exhausting, and you can’t live your life having a medication reaction that severe every day.
· Some ADHD meds work for a few days, and then stop working
· Some ADHD meds don’t work at all for some ADHD’ers
· Some ADHD’ers lose their strengths when they are on meds – they can no longer hyper focus, or lose their joy… it’s like being numb. Noone should have to feel numb their entire existence just to make others comfortable to be around them
· Some ADHD’ers have trauma from trying meds and can’t bring themselves to retry more meds
· When medicated some ADHD’ers find their autistic traits are so severe that they can’t take their meds – because they become completely unable to do things if they do. Eg: perhaps their OCD tendencies come out, their social anxiety becomes crippling, or their food restrictions rise, or anything else
· They are still ADHD – so some days they still forget to take their meds
Meds can help some ADHD’ers – but not al!
3. Therapy for ADHD:
There is no ‘therapy for ADHD’! Please stop assuming that there is.
There are ways to help and support them, but not necessarily a ‘therapy’ as such.
· ADHD’ers are often told to try using a schedule, or to sit quietly with calm/gentle hands/inside voices, to use eye contact and to sit properly and face forward. All of these things don’t work for us -it actually stops us from listening. Try “Bumper: the whole-body listener” by “Autism Level UP”.
· ADHD’ers often need a body double to be able to do things (like pack things away or do a specific task).
· We often need to fidget to be able to listen, if we are autistic as well, we may need to stim.
· We need intrigue. If we aren’t interested, if it’s ‘busy’ work, or it’s repetitive – we can’t do it – we can’t concentrate or take it in – not WONT – it’s can’t!
· ADHD’ers mask just as autistics do, they need to feel safe and secure. That means schools need to take bullying seriously. Don’t yell at ADHD’ers – they are yelled at and told off more than 80% than their peers – it affects their mental health and forces more masking – and causes them to act out more in some instances (eg: what’s the point of being ‘good’ if you get yelled at and told off anyway)
· ADHD’ers can have multiple co-occurring disabilities, two of the most common ones are autism and dyslexia. Apparently 20% of all students are dyslexic, but the biggest cohort of dyslexics are ADHD’ers. What tests are you doing for all students to identify dyslexia early? and what strategies and methods are you using to help those students? (remember to check out my blogs on this topic – ADHD dyslexia is sometimes the opposite of typical dyslexia – and phonics can actually hinder or prevent them from being able to read).
· What type of ADHD does the student have? If they have hyperactive – they will need different tools and strategies to the inattentive type…. But the combination type will need strategies that meet the needs of both. Hyper may need more interactive learning (kinetic) and body doubling – where you do things together and feed off each other (but if they are also autistic, they may need to do all the work alone). If inattentive – they need time and space for executive functioning and time (as well as interest driven learning) to get into hyperfocus. If distracted or the work is too slow/repetitive/busy work – they will come out of hyperfocus.
Remember that a student who is ADHD and medicated will still need these things. Medication can help a little – but you still need to meet the basic needs of: interest led work that is constantly stimulating and moving. And that’s for all children – not just ADHD’ers. A child who is not interested will not be able to retain it, a child who is not engaged or understand the topic, will not take it in, a child who is not stimulated will quickly see the learning as irrelevant and delete it from their brain.
Perhaps don’t do difficult subjects after lunch – when the child is tired and had it for the day…. Also try to regulate them (co-regulate with them) before starting anything in the morning. Find out if they prefer to go for a run before starting class, or if they need quiet time – to be able to focus.
Talk to the child and ask what stimulates them into hyperfocus, and what drops their dopamine levels and forces them into hyperactivity or overwhelm, or understimulation. And then follow through and ask the whole class if those things work for them, or against them – and then split the class into groups – and do what works for each group for 5 to 10 minutes at the start of each day. If they have homeroom first thing every day – get the homeroom teacher to do this with every single class. It’s not hard – it’s about understanding your students and their individual needs and then doing it.
Keep trialling things that might work. Join an adult ADHD run group/ or autistic run group and read about how to help your student (not a group run by NT’s – but a group run and populated with people who are ADHD and/or autistic themselves). Read posts and educate yourself about what it is like to be disabled in school. Understanding your students properly is the best way to learn how to teach them. Your university degree and your placements teach you how to teach neurotypicals – not neurodivergents.
Since ND’s are actually possibly more prevalent in society than NT’s – it’s best to learn how to teach them. Eg: the umbrella of ND covers all divergences including things like: autism, ADHD, dyslexia, hyperlexia, linguaphile, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, epilepsy, downs syndrome, OCD, BPD, apraxia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s, depression, anxiety, Anorexia, SPD, APD, PTSD, Fragile X, gifted/talented, GDD, motor disinhibition, and many more.
If you don’t understand what is going on for the child – how can you possibly teach them? If you aren’t taught how to teach ND’s – how can you be expected to? This is not a teacher’s fault – this is the universities fault and the fault of society for perpetuating the myth that all students learn the same way at the same time, using the same methods and tools. We don’t – it’s that simple.
4. Discipline
Some teachers think that permissive parenting is the issue – I can assure you it’s not. AND “gentle parenting” is NOT permissive parenting – you need to learn the difference and why parents choose gentle parenting (Strategic parenting) with ND children.
· Gentle parenting is strategically thinking about how to meet your child where they are at – and meet your own needs simultaneously, while putting in place things like; boundaries, expectations, accommodations, supports and teaching kindness, and other life skills
Permissive parenting is checked out parenting – as in – the parent isn’t involved at all – and the child does whatever they want.
Parents of ND kids use Gentle parenting – NOT permissive… please learn the difference.
The reason traditional parenting (using strict discipline) doesn’t work:
Because it disrespects children, it disrespects disabilities, and it harms children.
“Discipline” doesn’t work for ND kids – it actually activates PDA and creates friction and disrespect of adults. To use discipline on ND kids is to throw fuel on the fire.
For PDA’ers – strict discipline removes all autonomy and forces them into fight/flight mode.
Rewards and punishments do not make sense to them – because they are often unfair and unjust – ND people often have a strict understanding of fairness – and will not budge when you overstep.
What does work – respect!!!!! Treating the child as you like to be treated. Treating them with equity, fairness and justice. Treating them like human beings – like adults who have control over their own behaviour, learning, autonomy etc. Do not treat them like imbecilic toddlers and they won’t treat you that way.
ND’s need autonomy, they need the WHY??? To every single question and request you make. And not “because you said so” – they need pure logic and complex responses that truly tell them why… not a brush off. You wouldn’t tell an adult – because I said so – unless you are a tyrant or a-hole, so why do it to a child?
Collaboration works best – want to know more, join “The B Team” FB group. Read “The explosive child” by Dr Ross Greene… or use his CPS method.
For parents helping teachers:
· You can help your child by looking into options for medications (if suitable and available, and you are privileged to get a diagnosis)… and trial them and help your child to remember to take them (if they have ARFID – you can look at my ARFID course which includes information about how to take meds). If you are privileged enough to be able to get meds for your child, and they work for them, also help them to take them consistently.
· You can look at getting a sensory profile done with a neuroaffirming OT (if you can find one, there aren’t that many around – this is also a huge privilege not available to many)… and find tools and strategies to help your child to concentrate in class. Buy things that help your child, and let the teacher know you are sending the child with X, and how it helps them – so there are no misunderstandings.
· You can get an IEP in conjunction with the school – and look at options to help the teacher understand your very unique child and their circumstances – and how to support them best.
· Keep trialling things that might work. Join an adult ADHD run group/ or autistic run group and read about how to help your child (not a group run by NT’s – but a group run and populated with people who are ADHD and/or autistic themselves). Learn methods and tools that may help your child now and into the future.
Collaborate with your child’s teacher. Yes, I know – I’ve been there, some won’t listen, but some will and have – but teachers are also up against a broken system, and they are pressured to not collaborate – to not help, because the system wants clones – the system wants everyone to be the same to make it easier on them…. But we are not clones and never will be, and we struggle on- advocating against that immeasurable brick wall trying to get society to understand.
Let’s collaborate to help our ADHD children to succeed, after all, there’s many many successful ADHD’ers in the world (you can google them if you want), they didn’t get there alone, they managed with help. With tools and support that worked for their neurology.
Many ADHD’ers had wonderful supportive families that nurtured their needs and abilities, and had wonderful teachers that understood the need for a differentiated curriculum that challenges us and keeps that dopamine balanced. ADHD is sometimes complicated and sometimes more simplified…. But no matter what, we all need support in our lives, that support just differs from person to person.
For both parents and teachers:
Find out what your childs/students co-occurring issues are (teachers: most ADHD’ers will have the basics, ie: RSD, executive dysfunction and hyperfocus issues)…. Once you know their co-occurring issues, you can understand their difficulties and their barriers to learning – collaborate to come up with ideas. Most families are desperate to help their children and want to help the teachers to achieve that, they don’t expect you to do it alone – reach out to them. Most families have been attempting to get teachers to listen and to collaborate for years – you’ll see the utter joy and relief of a teacher and a family member when everyone truly collaborates to solve the issue.
A NOTE ABOUT IEP’s:
IEP’s are often fraught with ‘us vs them’ mentality BS – but it’s not necessary, both parties are screaming in support groups for help from the other – but they are screaming it into the echo chamber (in other words, teachers are only talking to teachers, and parents only to parents) – and neither is currently listening to each other (from what I can see). It’s ok as a teacher to tell a parent that you don’t have the time or tools/money to do X or that your principal or administration is blocking you from doing y. It’s also ok as a parent to say you also don’t have the time/money/privilege to do X or Y….. but after you’ve discussed your limitations – move on! Talk to each other about what you can do - together.
This blog post began because I saw teachers demanding medicine and discipline for ADHD’ers – but that’s not how ADHD works – the teachers have been unknowingly told or taught the wrong information – so where are they going to hear the right information?
From educators like me – or from parents. Please… both parents and teachers, don’t shut yourselves off from learning from the other party. You don’t know it all – no one does. Keep your mind and your options open – especially learning from ADHD’ers themselves…. From your students and children.