ADHD at school: how to help your child and their teacher

All children move a lot and lose focus sometimes. The difference in ADHD is intensity and persistence: behaviour that appears in more than one setting (home and school) for over six months, and genuinely disrupts learning or relationships.

Three presentations, not one

• Hyperactive-impulsive: cannot stay seated, interrupts, answers before the question ends.
• Inattentive: quiet, “daydreaming”, forgets materials and homework, seems not to hear — the most overlooked, especially in girls.
• Combined: both together.

At home

• Split homework into short blocks (10–15 minutes) with a movement break in between.
• A fixed, visible routine: a picture schedule on the wall beats repeated verbal reminders.
• One-step instructions, with eye contact before giving them.
• Reward effort, not only results, and right away rather than at the end of the week.

In the classroom

• A seat close to the teacher and away from the window and door.
• Short consecutive tasks instead of one long task.
• An agreed signal between teacher and child to regain attention without embarrassment.
• Allow structured movement: handing out papers, wiping the board.

When is an assessment necessary?

When the same behaviour repeats at home and school and affects achievement or friendships, or when the child starts calling themselves “stupid” or “bad”. A psychological assessment separates ADHD from conditions that look like it: learning difficulties, anxiety, sleep or hearing problems. Any medication decision stays with the specialist doctor, coordinated with behavioural and academic sessions.