How Does Remote Learning Affect My ADHD Child?

Attention Deficit Disorder in children is a condition that causes a person to have difficulty paying attention and staying focused on tasks or activities. It can affect both children and adults. The condition is thought to be caused by a variety of factors such as genetics, illness, psychological factors or interactions between the two. Attention deficit disorder (ADHD) in children is a common and serious problem. It can affect students in many ways, making it very challenging for them to learn and succeed at school. How Does Remote Learning Affect My ADHD Child?, It can affect teachers, parents, and even other children. It’s important to raise awareness of this issue and encourage parents to get help for their children if required. Symptoms vary from child to child and are caused by different factors & conditions. Common features of ADHD include hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, and aimlessness.

In many states and families, isolation was required to be essential during the pandemic. But there is one particular population who had unique struggles: young people with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). There were millions of children and adults subjected to social distancing which caused many to experience a never-before experienced social crisis as they were not able to easily practice their social skills, make friends or nurture their emotional wellbeing. It’s hard not to worry about how remote or hybrid learning, cancelled sports, and never having play dates will impact children in the future. The upcoming months of retuned students will demonstrate any academic changes. The educational level of our children  needs more discovery on the topic.

How Does Isolation Affect My Child With ADHD?

Staying at home during a quarantine was probably really boring and kids may missed a lot of interaction with their friends. As parents, we want to do everything possible to make this time as enjoyable for our children. Now that we all have more experience on at-home learning one thing you might consider is making sure your child has plenty of creative outlet opportunities (e.g., art supplies). This not only keeps them entertained but also helps develop creativity in new ways, such as social development.

Social emotional development is a skill that can be built. By encouraging children to engage and reflect on the social world, parents help them intuitively build these skills. Parents can help children pay attention to, and reflect on, their interactions by asking open-ended questions (who? what?) and practicing reflective listening. Try some recommended strategies to help engage with your children.

  • First, make sure you can have your child’s attention. Seek out a time when the child is not too busy or distracted.
  • Make room for your time together. Our busy minds might jump from deadline to progect constantly or your time at home may be difficult with chores judging from dirty dishes in the sink. But instead, take a breath, ask your child about schoolwork outside of class hours instead! The goal for these conversations should be to have your children expressing an opinion in open ended statements.
  • The social environment is as important as the physical one. It provides us with opportunities to learn, play and discover. These opportunities can be found in child care centers, schools, clubs and even online. Social interaction is key to a happy and healthy childhood. It develops cooperation, understanding, group thinking and problem solving.
  • Unfortunately, today most children are placed in environments that prevent these vital interactions such as heavy use of social media. Research suggests that children between the ages of 10 and 14 spend an average of three hours a day using social media. That’s an increase of more than 600 percent since 2012. What’s more, 75 percent of parents think their children are spending too much time on social media. One solution is obvious: limit your children’s access to certain sites and apps.

 

Trying to go back to school after a year is difficult, and it’s especially hard for children with ADHD. For young students being reintroduced into an environment where there are lots of new sights, sounds, and smells with people crammed into hallways without warning or preparation. The break from in-person learning has not only taken its toll on ADHD children but also adults with ADHD by remote working.

Many of our children are now expected to smoothly return from school and get right back into their classrooms; however there’s no guarantee everything will go according to plan without some adjustments!

How Does Remote Learning Affect My ADHD Child
How Does Remote Learning Affect My ADHD Child

What Does ADHD look like in children?

When individuals with ADHD typically children, are forced to abruptly stop their current activity and start something new, they often react with problem behaviors. For example, a child might have an outburst or refuse when told that playtime is over in order for them to do homework. This can lead to challenges of learning new skills such as reading comprehension or organizational skill development.

 

What should I do to help prepare for my ADHD child to return to school?

When you or your child gets back to school, focus on socialization. If your child has social anxieties or insecurities, make sure they participate as much as possible in the class and lunchroom activities so that people can see how cool they are! Transitioning is hard for everyone but if your kid struggles with it try some simple steps like making a list of what needs to be done during each transition then reviewing them before beginning new tasks. And don’t forget about executive functioning challenges-organize their backpack every night and encourage them not only at assignments but also when studying for exams.

 

How can I help my ADHD child transition to in-person learning?

I recommend using social stories to teach children appropriate reactions and behaviors associated with returning back to in-person learning. Social Stories were developed by a pediatrician named Dr. Carol Gray, who has specifically designed this type of story for kids transitioning into new environments. Big changes such as starting school again after summer break or moving from one home environment to another (i.e., transition). But using social stories can help ease the transition by anticipating their needs before they even know them. One family found that this helped make in-person learning feel more comfortable, leading one child of theirs who had been struggling from anxiety at home to be happy about going back out into the world!

Social stories can be a great way to prepare your kids before transitioning back into an in-person classroom after being homeschooled for the past year. Social stories teach autistic children about important everyday events such as going into stores or meeting new people in familiar places like parks and playgrounds by using pictures (simple symbols) along with short phrases written in language they understand best – often simpler than other text around them but not necessarily easier reading material. As much as we’ve tried to make their experience at home feel like school, there are always going to be some aspects that they have yet to experience firsthand. New experiences with others at school will engage the child for growth as an adult. It’s common for students who just returned from being away during this time of transition to have anxiety about what might happen next – social concerns such as meeting new people and making friends often come up too!

Social stories are an essential tool for teaching social skills. They can be created and shared with others using various computer software programs or apps that range from free to high-cost options, depending on your preference. You can create social stories with images of your child, or generic pictures of a student going on the bus, sitting at their desk in school during recess.

These are just some ideas to consider when creating an engaging and creative story for students.

When it’s time to make a social story for your child or student, you want to be sure that the following criteria are met:

  • The goal of the story should target desired appropriate social behaviors. The more specific and focused this is, then better.
  • It needs to not only be accurate but relevant as well when transitioning back into in-person learning.This will ensure they’re both challenged and provided what their individual needs.
  • uses positive and descriptive language while answering where, when, who, what, and why

 

Any other tips?

As a supplement to in-person learning, you and your child can role play different scenarios that may occur. You could offer constructive feedback on expected behaviors while providing positive reinforcement for good outcomes. Start preparing your child for in-person learning by reviewing the social stories and giving them a copy to take with them as they go. Once returning, you can continue to refer back inside the social story whenever needed.

The transition back to in-person school will take time, but the use of social stories and continuous communication can help you feel more prepared.

The change from remote learning for our kids is a big one: even as adults we find it difficult! But by using things like Social Stories or and engaging social exercises your child will be sure to address their individual needs, they’ll be able get ready for what’s ahead with confidence – after all transitions aren’t always easy!

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