ADHD and homeschooling might seem like an impossible task. Due to the symptoms of ADHD, just the idea of teaching your ADHD child might feel overwhelming. Depending on your situation, though, homeschooling your child with ADHD might be the right choice.
Research and experience shows us that ADHD impacts learning in grade school. Children with ADHD struggle with learning for many reasons. They have trouble focusing and sitting still. Many also have additional common learning disabilities on top of ADHD.
For a parent wanting to school their children at home, you might not feel qualified to address all the elements at play. While homeschooling might ultimately not be for every child or every household, you should still look into ADHD and homeschooling if interested.
Here we will look at some factors to consider with ADHD and homeschooling and how to identify if it might be the right fit for you and your child.
Deciding Whether or Not to Homeschool
Many families with ADHD children struggle with the decision as to whether or not to homeschool their children. ADHD and homeschooling presents unique challenges that are important to reflect on. For parents, you need to weigh the pros and cons of homeschooling ADHD kids.
To make a right decision for your household, what factors should you consider?
Do You Want to Teach
First, you need to consider whether or not you as the parent really desire to teach. If you do not have much interest in teaching, your efforts will end in disaster. Without interest, you will quickly burn out, and your kids will notice and feed off your lack of energy and interest.
If you don’t have an interest in teaching, you shouldn’t try homeschooling. Your child’s education is a big responsibility. Consider that responsibility and your desire. Ultimately, if you don’t want the responsibility of homeschooling and don’t have the desire, it might be best to consider other options.
Do You have Access to the Right Resources
Second, you need to consider whether you have the resources available to teach at home. Homeschooling requires a lot of time, money, support, and resources. If you live in a city or situation where you need two incomes, homeschooling most likely won’t work for you.
Additionally, do you know anyone else who home schools around you? Before starting homeschooling, you need to build a support network. As you begin the process of homeschooling, you will soon realize why homeschool support groups are important.
If possible, you should join a homeschooling community. A community or network provides invaluable support and resources both for yourself and your child. ADHD and homeschooling requires a lot of effort and energy. Build a network before starting the process so as to maximize your effort.
Have You Consulted with Others
Thirdly, you need to consult with other individuals involved in your child’s ADHD treatment. Here at FastBraiin, we adamantly believe that success with ADHD treatment requires an ADHD support team. You should consult with your child’s doctor and counselor and tell them your plans.
Effectively treating ADHD symptoms should involve all levels of a child’s development. You shouldn’t drastically change one of your child’s environments, such as school, without properly assessing how that change will affect their medical and social wellbeing as well.
Finding the Right Curriculum
So you have weighed the pros and cons of homeschooling and still want to move forward with ADHD and homeschooling? What do you do now, though?
After deciding that homeschooling might be right for you, you need to find the right curriculum before starting.
There exists many options for homeschooling curriculum. To best succeed, you need to identify the right homeschool curriculum for your ADHD child. When deciding which approach to use, you should consider several elements.
How Does Your Child Learn Best
When considering what curriculum to go with, you need to know how your child learns best. Do they learn best by seeing? Or are they a tactile learner, and prefer touch? Or, finally, do they learn best by doing and action?
Different curriculums might highlight one learning style over the others. You should understand the importance of the intersection of ADHD and learning styles in your child. Once you know your child’s learning style, research curriculum reviews to pick the one that emphasizes that learning style best.
What Are You Excited About
Learning needs to be fun and engaging. Unfortunately, not all curriculum engage on the same level. The level of engagement greatly depends on how interested both you and your child are in it.
To pick a curriculum that works for your needs, find something you get excited about. For your ADHD child to get excited about school they need to see your excitement. Research curriculum subjects and structures and find one that you really can get into. Effective planning beforehand will pay off in the end.
What Can You Teach
You have decided you want to teach, but have you identified what you can teach? ADHD and homeschooling presents additional challenges than just teaching. Teaching, though, must be the starting point.
To pick the right curriculum, find something that you can follow along with. If you can’t follow the curriculum, you will find it difficult leading your child. Research curriculums and try samples of some to see how well you follow their structure.
Making ADHD and Homeschooling Work for You
Making ADHD and homeschooling work for you can be a long process. Take some time, though, to put in the research in the beginning so that you can set yourself up to succeed.
Put some time into assembling resources and support networks. If you feel at a loss as to how to choose homeschool curriculum, talk to others in your network for advice.
If you find it difficult managing ADHD while teaching, read up on ADHD management tips. Some helpful articles might include this one for handling homework for ADHD kids or this one for anger management tips for parenting ADHD children.
Homeschooling might not be for everyone. With effort, though, you can make ADHD and homeschooling work for you.
