ADHD and school

Depending on the severity of the syndrome, AD(H)S leads to learning problems in many children - regardless of their intelligence. Those affected show difficulties in areas that are necessary for children in everyday school life (ability to concentrate, perseverance). But also in areas that make everyday school life more difficult for them (impulsivity, hyperactivity) because they often lead to problems with classmates and teachers.

Concentration plays an important role in learning and processing learning materials. Concentrating means focussing your attention on a specific task for an extended period of time and not losing sight of the objective of the task. Ideally, you should be able to block out everything that is distracting and not important.

Children with ADHD cannot process all information

This is a major difficulty for children affected by AD(H)S: Their perception and information processing is overwhelmed. They have too much information that they cannot connect, process and sort. This is why AD(H)S children live very much in the here and now. Looking ahead, planning, concentrating and devoting energy to achieving a goal is extremely difficult and exhausting for them. Difficulties in focussing attention over a longer period of time manifest themselves in the fact that the children are unable to follow lessons attentively.

They are distracted by many things: by what is going on outside the window, by a noise in the corridor, by classmates talking to each other. Much of what the teachers say is lost in the maelstrom or is overheard. The children forget what they are supposed to do, don't finish their tasks or lose things they need. Group work is difficult.

Due to their short attention span, children not only struggle in class, but also at home with homework and during tests. Impulsivity and hyperactivity refer to behaviour in which the child reacts spontaneously to something - without thinking about what might be a good reaction in the situation. ADHD children simply have to react, and do so immediately.

Impulsive people appear uncontrolled to those around them

They see or hear something and then act without considering the consequences. Sometimes these children also display risky behaviour because they don't think about the dangers beforehand. Fidgeting and moving around can also be a sign of inner tension that needs to be relieved.

This can be seen in everyday school life: they shout the answer in the classroom without raising a finger, they interrupt others, cannot wait and push ahead or take something away from others without asking. In short, the child finds it difficult to hold back and control what they sense, feel and think.

Impulsive individuals appear uncontrolled, often exaggerated and thoughtless to those around them. Due to these varying degrees of difficulty, it is not surprising that children affected by AD(H)S experience many setbacks, particularly at school, and can develop the feeling of being inadequate.

After all, children are expected to sit still and listen for a certain amount of time, complete tasks in a focussed manner and follow rules when interacting with each other. But this is incredibly difficult for AD(H)S children.

Stressful for teachers and pupils with ADHD

For teachers, a child with ADHD in the classroom is usually very stressful. It requires much more attention and control than the other children. Sometimes it is very difficult to organise lessons because of a single child who cannot sit still and is always talking.

Constant admonishing, instructing and controlling can make teachers tired and frustrated, even overwhelmed and helpless. Especially when no strategy seems to help. The relationship between child and teacher suffers greatly under such circumstances.

The challenge for parents of children with ADHD is to deal with their child's difficulties at school in a calm and supportive manner. They have to remind the child to do their homework and remind them to take the right things to school.

In discussions with parents, they are repeatedly told that their child is difficult. They worry and often feel helpless in the face of the teachers' judgements. Children with AD(H)S at pre-school age often do not realise the core problems themselves.

At school age, however, they realise that they are different and many of them can describe their problems well. Above all, they realise that they have a harder time than other children. This is because they realise that they are always troublemakers, get into trouble with their parents and teachers and are also ostracised. As a result, these children often feel unfairly treated by their peers.

The learning difficulties and negative reactions of their environment to their behaviour trigger self-doubt, as the children are unable to fulfil their potential. Up to 45 percent of children with AD(H)S suffer from other behavioural or emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and aggressive behaviour, often as a result of difficult experiences, including in everyday school life. This can be helpful.

You have to observe exactly what is particularly difficult for the child. This helps to find strategies so that they can be attentive at the crucial moments. As these are fundamental difficulties for the child, it is important that teachers and parents pull together.

This means that they have a shared and well-founded knowledge of what the typical behaviour of AD(H)S children is, why it is like this and how they can support the child. Agreements and clear arrangements help to ensure that school and home work together in a coordinated manner. Here too, every child is different!