Attuning Feelings: How to Help a child with ADHD at School
Children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have not been counted in Russia, however, at the "Everyone's Value" conference in Moscow, it was noticed that there could be up to 3 million of them across the country. At the same time, many of these children do not receive the necessary help and, even with well-developed intelligence, cannot attend school. Izvestia figured out how to help a child with ADHD in learning.
How many children with ADHD are there in Russia
Ksenia Afanasyeva, President of the Marhamat Charitable Educational Foundation, stressed that attention deficit disorder has a very high prevalence in the world. At the same time, there are problems with diagnosis, and this is one of the reasons why there is no accurate data on how many children with ADHD there are in Russia.
"According to research, this disorder is detected in about 6% of children," she said at the "Everyone's Value" conference. — However, depending on the territory and environment, the prevalence can reach 10.2%. There are no statistics in Russia, but the number of children with ADHD can be estimated in the range from 310 thousand to 3 million people."
At the same time, very often the manifestations of the syndrome become noticeable even in kindergarten, but in many Russian regions the first appeal to specialists occurs already at school age, notes Ksenia Afanasyeva, which means that a large part of a child's life simply falls out of the attention of doctors and teachers.
What is ADHD?
Alyona Glazkova, a child psychologist, trainer and methodologist at the Tolerance Center, told Izvestia that ADHD is an official diagnosis that was included in statistical medical reference books back in the middle of the 20th century. However, for a long time, the violation of this kind of behavior was attributed to the shortcomings of upbringing and bad character.
Olesya Ivashkina, a linguist and lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia that she raised a child with ADHD, who is now 22 years old.
"To say it was difficult is to say nothing," she recalls. — 15 years ago, information about this disorder was just appearing in our country. "MMD," one neurologist told me, meaning "minimal brain dysfunction." My son graduated from 11th grade of school, went to college in the budget department, now works and lives independently. The most important rule, in my opinion, is flexibility. We need to organize support for the child. It's much more difficult for him than for you.
Now the approach has changed: ADHD is considered as a neurobiological disorder associated with the peculiarities of the brain, namely, with a violation of dopamine regulation, says Alyona Glazkova. People with ADHD have difficulty concentrating, they can be hyperactive and have poor control over their emotions.
The expert notes that now the diagnosis of this disorder takes into account a whole range of symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, duration (the condition should last more than six months) and the degree of influence on the child's life. The specific manifestations may vary.
Psychologist Nika Bolzan emphasizes that it is possible to live with this condition normally, but with the condition of "understanding, support and a properly built environment."
Do they help such children at school
At the "Everyone's Value" conference, it was noted that teaching staff still often do not have the competencies to teach children with ADHD, although many teachers encounter them.
At the same time, the guys may simply not be diagnosed. A specific case was considered at one of the round tables of the conference: a seven-year-old boy, a first-grade student, without a medical diagnosis. He has a low concentration of attention, fragmentary assimilation of material, difficulties with independent work — monitoring is constantly required. He is impulsive, conflicted, very ill-tolerant of criticism, emotionally unstable and tiring. At the same time, he copes with tasks much better in individual work than in team work. He is in conflict with his peers, and classmates avoid communication with him and tease him. This, by the way, is not uncommon in relation to children with ADHD, although Alyona Glazkova notes in an interview with Izvestia that "the problem is not in the diagnosis, but in the system itself, where bullying is possible," and "anyone can become a victim — a quiet excellent student, a child with a disability, just not like that, like everyone else."
Experts emphasized that in the case of this boy, the most important thing is to carry out a medical diagnosis and confirm that it is ADHD, and not some other disorder (for example, the autistic spectrum). After that, it is necessary to take measures: perhaps medications (prescribed by a psychiatrist); necessarily — pedagogical, which will help directly with adaptation at school. Unfortunately, without this, children with preserved intelligence — and above average intelligence — sometimes simply cannot study at school and are forced to switch to home schooling.
In the case of a seven-year-old boy whose characterization was submitted to the experts, it was noted that it was necessary to pay attention to his strengths, for example, that he works well individually. He was recommended to be seated closer to the teacher. A small class would also help, but there are great difficulties with the formation of such classes in public schools. In addition, an individual curriculum (IEP) can be developed for children with ADHD. This does not mean that they will study at home: according to the IEP, the child learns educational programs, just at his own pace, different from everyone else.
Resource classes can also be created for children with special needs. Students with ASD usually study there, but this format may also be suitable for children with ADHD. Through the gradual inclusion of their peers in the team, they will acquire the necessary skills and adapt faster.
How a Teacher can help a child with ADHD
Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Natalia Inshakova emphasizes that much depends on which variant of ADHD a child has: in the hyperactive version, children are restless, and in the inattentive they cannot keep their attention on one subject. In addition, there may be different degrees of severity of the syndrome — the more severe it is, the more you will need the participation of a doctor and medical intervention.
However, in any case, it is important to understand that children with ADHD are not "naughty", "lazy" or "ill—mannered", it's just that their brains work differently: it's more difficult for them to adjust to strict rules, and they need the right support, Alyona Glazkova emphasizes.
— Teachers should abandon the templates. Such a student may not sit out a lesson, but he brilliantly solves problems on the move," she said. — Allow him to take notes standing up, give short tasks and break complex ones into parts, use visual cues (diagrams, checklists, color markers), take breaks. Be in cooperation with your parents, share your observations, and develop a unified strategy together.
Maria Vavilova, academic director of the Discovery network of bilingual kindergartens and schools, recommends that teachers minimize distractions: a child with ADHD should be placed away from windows and doors, not overloaded with visual stimuli.
"Use active learning methods, including movement lessons, games, and practical exercises," she shared her advice with Izvestia. — Provide clear instructions and use clarifying questions to make sure that the child understands the assignment.
According to her, it is especially important to praise such children for their successes, even small ones.
Valentina Lipskaya, a clinical psychologist and creator of the Dzeny psychological assistance platform, notes that in general it is very important to create a clear lesson structure — children with ADHD cope better if they understand the sequence of actions. She also draws the attention of teachers to the need to maintain friendly contact with the child — such children often feel "bad." Focusing on the strengths of the child will allow him to reveal his strengths: creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, high empathy.
Olesya Ivashkina also recommends appointing a child with ADHD as an assistant who will erase from the blackboard, help in the dining room during breakfast and lunch — so he will get relief even during the lesson.
How parents can help a child with ADHD
The head of the Business Speech Science Research laboratory, psychotherapist Daria Dmitrieva, encourages parents of a child with ADHD to help him manage motivation: to introduce small "instant rewards" for unpleasant and difficult cases.
— Related to this is the life experience of splitting large tasks into small steps. It is very important. Big tasks are frustrating: it's not clear where to start, it seems that you'll never be able to do it. Teach your child to break down a large and complex task into elements and make a step—by-step plan," she told Izvestia. — Instead of "do your homework" - "let's think about how you're going to do your homework: what's first? Then what? Do you want to take a break between them? For how long?"
It is important to help the child reduce the effects of attention deficit: for example, introduce the habit of double-checking something. Daria Dmitrieva says that she herself has been diagnosed with ADHD, and in order to cope with it, she has developed habits: she always inspects the place when she leaves the cafe or transport, so as not to forget anything; keeps lists of things and things; at school she double—checks the answers one by one - first punctuation, then grammar.
It is also important to learn how to control impulsivity. To do this, she suggests teaching the child the game of "freeze" — according to this word, you need to freeze for five seconds. Older children can be taught the rule "count to five before you do it" — this will help control the desire to shout or interrupt.
Daria Dmitrieva emphasizes that sports are "literally necessary" for people with ADHD, as it helps to reduce the imbalance of neurotransmitters (for example, dopamine), due to which the symptoms become more manageable.
Nika Bolzan emphasizes that the most important thing is to stop perceiving a child's behavior as a challenge or manipulation, as children with ADHD often suffer from their own impulsivity, fatigue, and difficulty following instructions. For a child, it is necessary to create an atmosphere in which he feels safe.
— It is definitely worth understanding how ADHD affected the level of psychological well-being and self-esteem of the child, — the psychologist added. — Sometimes it is necessary to work with deep-seated consequences, including childhood traumas. A 2016 study proved that emotional instability with ADHD is often associated with traumatic episodes from childhood, which can exacerbate the symptoms of ADHD and make the adjustment process more difficult. ADHD is not a weakness or a disadvantage. This is a different setting of the nervous system, to which it is important to find an approach.
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