As the last sounds of the final school bell on a Friday fade away, so everything fades out of an ADHD child's brain. This has serious effects on our ADHD children's schooling.
In effect this means that Mondays for ADHD kids are "Start-over days." When they arrive back at school on Monday morning, the activities of weekend is still paramount in their minds.
In the USA studies have shown that the long 3 month summer holiday has serious effects on all children unless they are stimulated during that period. The group left to their own devices fall behind and keep falling behind!
Since June of last year, South Africa has been smothered in public holidays. The 5 weeks during the World Cup, the long summer holidays, and now nearly a month over this Easter time, and to crown it all, another day to go and vote.
The effect of these holidays on ADHD children is more severe than non-ADHD children.
Some good ways to counteract this are:
- Get your children to go over their work in short bursts - not longer than 30 minutes at a time! Short bursts more frequently will deliver much better results.
- Educational camps or tours
- Have study parties - don't laugh - you can create your own peer pressure!
- Get them to do non-school related projects in areas they have a passion for.
Point is, strive for balance in everything. Too many holidays are just as bad as too few!
Image by Dimitri Vetsikas
Print Edition is long since sold out, the revised pdf version available soon
I have been coaching people with ADHD for 20-plus years, and I know that they either have lots of money or hardly any.
