Treating ADHD has nothing to do with school
And everything to do with self-worth, daily functioning, quality of life, and mental health.
Many children with ADHD are identified as struggling with focus, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and other symptoms when they start school. This is because the demands of our traditional school system are often unrealistic even for typically developing children, let alone children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Sit still, stay in your seat, pay attention, stop wiggling, did you hear what I said? Follow instructions, don’t talk out, raise your hand, and keep your hands to yourself please!
Oftentimes it is teachers who approach parents with concerns about a student, citing these difficulties, and encouraging caregivers to speak to their child’s paediatrician, or asking for permission to refer the child to their school psychologist for assessment. (This isn’t always the case, sometimes it’s the other way around, and we addressed this experience in another blog post).
So it is understandable that when their child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents tend to focus on what their child needs to do better in school. “Doing better” may mean improving academically, behaviourally, socially, or all of the above.
Yes, school is important, but…
Read the rest at twoemb.medium.com