What does ADHD coaching at school involve?
Our ADHD coaching sessions are conducted with students, face to face or online, in the same way our sessions are run outside of school times. They typically last for one hour, or half an hour, depending on the student’s individual needs and we aim to book them during student’s free periods or times which would allow for minimal disruption to learning. During these sessions, we focus on various areas to help students with ADHD thrive in the school environment.
Key focus areas
1. Organisation and Planning Strategies:
Many students with ADHD find organisation and study timetables overwhelming, leading to difficulties in managing assignments, assessments, and classwork. We work closely with students to develop effective strategies that enable them to stay on track and overcome the challenges associated with ADHD-related organisational issues.
2. Learning: Receiving and Consolidating Information:
Some students with ADHD face sensory overload and find it challenging to cope with transitions and the multitude of changes that occur throughout the school day. Moving from one period to another, subject to subject, and adapting to different teaching styles can diminish their capacity to learn and produce work. We collaborate with students to develop tools to cope with these changes, enabling improved focus on learning and processing information.
3. Behaviours:
For some students, anxiety related to ADHD can be debilitating during class time. This anxiety may stem from social stressors or their difficulty in switching off the part of their brain that constantly seeks movement or distraction. As a result, various behaviours can emerge – such as an inability to concentrate, self-destructive habits, disruptive behaviour, and even unintentional property damage. Our collaborative approach focuses on working closely with students to develop effective tools and strategies that make it easier to embody mindful behaviours and enjoy the benefits of a positive environment.
4. Identifying Learning Styles and Barriers to Learning:
Students with ADHD may excel in certain situations but encounter unseen or unrecognised barriers in others. We work to identify these barriers and, wherever possible, suggest interventions or changes to the learning environment that can remove them. Often these changes are surprisingly simple and discreet. If we identify the need for additional professional help, such as tutoring, occupational therapy, optometry, audiology, or psychology, we support the student in seeking those resources.
5. Addressing Personal Areas of Interest:
While academic work may be the primary concern for parents and caregivers and teachers, we recognize that students have various personal areas that can impact their motivation to learn. These areas may seem unrelated to school-work but can significantly influence their overall well-being and, therefore, a student’s academic ability. Through our sessions, we help students explore and develop skills in areas like sports goals, thoughts about future aspirations, relationships, finding motivation, and more. We often uncover sources of demotivation that students may not have discussed with others, and work together to overcome challenges.
Student support and advocacy
Our coaching approach is centred on the needs of the student. We encourage and support students to advocate for themselves whenever possible. However, we understand that not all students are able or willing to do so. In such cases, we create individual plans and suggestions based on our coaching sessions, which we then discuss with parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals. Collaboration is key, ensuring that teachers are aware of the student’s needs can enable them to provide the necessary support, without creating additional work. Our supports are practical and pragmatic, and we consult with external educators to develop the most appropriate interventions for both the student and the school.
For parents and caregivers, and teachers
We are available to attend meetings to support our students and their families when discussing ADHD support with their teachers. This can help to articulate both the needs of the student and collaborate with schools on how best to implement supports.
Teachers and staff may also request individual sessions and group workshops to increase their knowledge of how to support students with ADHD. As with all of our coaching, these sessions are collaborative – acknowledging teachers’ already extensive knowledge by supporting schools with pragmatic and effective strategies.
