7 months in and we are still in a pandemic. We have some schools that are fully in person, some are doing a hybrid model and some fully remote. Whatever the option, many kids are still struggling. Especially if they have any kind of diagnosis that requires a 504 or an IEP. In the spring it was mad chaos of trying to figure our how to get everyone online and fully remote. Teachers did their very best trying to get everyone on the same page, but honestly, even they were still trying to figure everything out. As consequence, some states had grades and tests not count towards the students grade at the end of that quarter.
The fall is different. Everyone has (mostly) gotten their bearings, figured out this pandemic learning and how they are going to teach. So, now students are being graded and expected to stay in class, whether that class is fully online, hybrid or in person. This is good and bad. It presents some challenges to certain students and families. Lets specifically talk about ADHD. Kids with ADHD already have issues with executive functioning skills. What are executive functioning skills and why do they matter, you ask? Glad to help! Here is an article from additude magazine explaining just that Executive Functioning. When kids are in person, they have many supports written in to a 504 or IEP, such as sitting next to a teacher, having frequent checks that they are doing their work, asking them to hand in their work, extra time to do their work, etc. Not all of these transfer over to an online format if that is what your child is doing right now. And this can make for a very frustrating year!
What is different during online learning and how can this go wrong? Well, lets see...With online learning, students have to have organizational skills as well as be able to focus without interruptions and without impulsively looking at something else like going to another tab like YouTube or looking at a book, etc. They need to have the ability to manage time. They are in their own house, so it is very easy to get caught up with going to get some food, see something interesting and forget that they have to log back on to the computer, whereas in the school they had 5-7 minutes to get to class before a bell rang notifying them they were late. It is MUCH different than being in a real classroom. And yet, I get the enormous pressure teachers are under to cater to ALL the different styles of teaching they have to do. And I get that there also are tons of different kids who have tons of different needs. Recently I was talking to a mom who said that her child was having a lot of difficulty staying in class and she got an email telling her that his grade went from a B to a D because he didn't stay in class or finish any of the work. Come to find out (he's 9) she had no idea he wasn't finishing the work because there was no communication about that and he was telling the teacher it was too hard and all the teacher would say is "if you focus it wouldn't be." He has severe ADHD. Lack of focus is part of his problem as is impulsivity. He gets bored, he turns off Zoom. And mom works during the day, at home. She is not always there to watch him every second. Mom told the teacher that online learning is really difficult for him due to his ADHD, but he is trying. The teacher went on to say, "online learning has been shown to be easy for everyone and has proven benefits." Now, clearly this is not true. There are many students that are struggling with this. How do we help them? How do we make it easier for them to succeed?
One thing we can do is ask for more online learning friendly accommodations in the IEP or 504 plan. Currently, the only accommodations in my daughters' plan are "teacher check in throughout the day particularly during independent work time" "Abby will keep her camera on" "teacher reminder to turn in work" ""homework calendar updated weekly that parent can access" "teacher reminders to go re-check work". Yet, despite these, my daughter failed to turn in work for over a month. So, something is happening that she is losing focus, her impulsivity is making it harder to do her work and she is not self-motivated. So now, we are way behind and playing catch up. She was impulsive and had a lack of focus in person, this is true, it's why we got the 504 in the first place. BUT, she turned in her work and had good grades. So, we can see there is a change. But, in a pandemic we need to keep everyone safe, so she is still at home. How do we help her, and children like her to either get their grades up, keep their grades up, or not lose hope?
One thing parents can do at home is having timers and rewards. So, when the timer goes off at the end of class, give a movement break, give a little fidget, anything to help get them moving a little bit since they are mostly sitting in front of a screen all day. Kids with ADHD also have trouble with intrinsic motivation, so sometimes extrinsic motivation will be needed to get them started with self-motivation. This can be whatever you decide. Little toys from the dollar store, a handful of M&M's for finishing all their homework or staying in class the whole time, it's really up to you and your family. Another thing you can do is chunking assignments. So, if your child is like mine and missing a ton of assignments, having them break them up in to chunks so they don't freak out and say "OMG I have HOW MANY assignments to finish?!? I'll never be able to do that!" and just shut down. Chunking the assignments in to bites of 3-4 or however many you think your child can handle will make it more manageable. And this can work even if your child has no missing assignments, but usually gets a lot of homework, or the homework they get is really long. Break it down in to answering 3-4 questions, take a 5 minute movement break and answer 3-4 more. It may seem like it will take a lot longer this way, but, it beats the "I can't do this so I won't even try!" battle. And now is the time for a lot of positive praise for the assignments they DO finish! The other thing you can do is find out where their interests lie, and if they are having a lot of trouble with a subject, see if you can incorporate their interests in to that subject to show they have mastered it. For instance, if your child has trouble writing, but loves to talk, have him do an oral presentation to show what he learned, or a podcast, or pretend he is a radio host. If your child loves art, have him draw an artists rendition of his interpretation of what is going on in a story they learned about. These are just a couple of ways that you can alternate the homework, but still show mastery. And these can all be incorporated in to an IEP or 504.
As I said, Executive functioning skills are hard for kids with ADHD. But, there are ways to accommodate for them whether at home or in school, or if you are doing a hybrid option. We are all going through a massive change right now, no one likes any of these options. One thing I have found helpful is helping my daughter prioritize which assignments need to be done right away, with need to be done soon, and which can wait a day or two. This also helps her not be overwhelmed and helps her finish more work. And the teachers have noticed her progress and have started praising her more, which gives her some of that extrinsic rewards, which hopefully will transfer over to becoming intrinsic eventually and she will want to finish it for the reward of being successful. What have you found to be helpful for your child with ADD/ADHD?
No comments:
Post a Comment