• What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
    • Inspiring stories from people with ADHD
    • News and Research on ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD >
        • Tips on how to support children with ADHD
        • Parent Support is a Phone Call Away
      • ADHD in schools
      • ADHD in tertiary education organisations >
        • FAQs for staff at tertiary education organisations
        • Feedback from staff at tertiary education organisations
      • Tips for adults managing life and ADHD
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • ADHD NZ 2021: past, present and future
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador
ADHD NEW ZEALAND
  • What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
    • Inspiring stories from people with ADHD
    • News and Research on ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD >
        • Tips on how to support children with ADHD
        • Parent Support is a Phone Call Away
      • ADHD in schools
      • ADHD in tertiary education organisations >
        • FAQs for staff at tertiary education organisations
        • Feedback from staff at tertiary education organisations
      • Tips for adults managing life and ADHD
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • ADHD NZ 2021: past, present and future
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador

managing adhd in schools

Think you have a student with ADHD in your class?

There’s a couple of children in your classroom who you find challenging to manage.
 
One is really quiet – she often looks like she’s day-dreaming. You’ve caught her out a couple of times because she missed hearing the homework tasks. Because of this, she’s actually started to fall behind.
 
The other is completely the opposite – from the minute he arrives, he’s constantly on the move and talking to others. It’s exhausting just watching him.
 
You’ve noticed them both at lunchtime, not paying attention when with their friends and missing social cues at times, either because they are too busy or daydreaming.

If your student does have ADHD this means they have to work much harder to control and filter attention, behaviours, emotions that come naturally to others of the same age. This is the nature of the "disordered" part. It commonly results in significant fatigue and an even more profound loss of control by the end of the school day.

Having ADHD has many benefits, and you want the best for them. However, not knowing how to manage certain behaviours exhibited by children can be frustrating - especially when you're managing 30 other children as well. 

Hear Dr Sarah Watson on the Impact of ADHD on Learning

This is provided for educational purposes only. ADHD NZ does not provide medical advice, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Your GP can recommend a suitable healthcare professional.

What should you do if you think you have a student with ADHD?

​The first thing to do is to share your thoughts or concerns with the SENCO at your school and the student’s parents. It’s important you say what your concerns are, but at this stage not to propose a specific diagnosis (as it may confuse their parents should this not be the case when their child is later assessed).
 
If their parents ask what they need to do next, please encourage them to speak to their GP. Their GP will arrange a referral to the appropriate specialist – whether private, public or using insurance etc.
 
Successful management of ADHD is a team effort between home and school. Therefore, you’ll need to maintain a close “working” relationship with their parents.

Click on each heading or "+" below to find out more.
Behavioural techniques and classroom management strategies for managing children with ADHD
a) Consistency is the key
Children with ADHD need to have a sense of external structure, as they tend to lack a sense of internal structure, so do not deal with change very well. Even if it's a positive change. 

b) Help them focus by:
  • seating them nearest the blackboard or close to the teacher, and
  • minimise their distractions by seating them in a quiet study area or minimising the number of other children sitting at the same table. 

c) With ADHD there are two kinds of time… lots and none. 
Help them manage their time optimally and meet your expectations for task completion by:
  • helping them to break tasks down into small components, and/or
  • using colours or shapes to help them organise.

d) Many are VISUAL learners
Try making things more visual or tactile and they may grasp them better. Instead of memorizing words, ask them to “make a movie in their head and play it back”.

e) Encourage creativity
These children are often extremely creative. Try to encourage  artistic (or musical) abilities. But to avoid chaos, keep any creative sessions structured.

f) Try to work within their attention span
Frequently changing the type of work enables them to continue to work productively.

g) It's not a reflection on you…
Don’t take their behaviour personally and do not vent your frustration on them.

​Maintain a close relationship with the parents/guardian
Successful management of ADHD is a team effort.

If you have any ADHD children in your classroom, you're automatically part of the treatment process. Therefore you have to maintain a close “working” relationship with the other members of the team (namely the parents).
​
This can be achieved simply by:
  • weekly updates on behaviour/work in class (either written or phone)
  • keeping an eye out in the playground to see if they're they making and maintaining friendships, and
  • alerting the parents immediately if you notice any changes in behaviour.
​
find out more about adhd
The more informed you are, the more manageable things will be. Find out:
  1. What is ADHD?
  2. Whether you have a role in the ADHD diagnostic process
  3. How to manage ADHD 
  4. What organisational support and healthcare services are available in NZ, and
  5. What your legal responsibilities are.

FAQS on children with ADHD at school

Q: Teachers don’t seem to understand how ADHD can affect children. What can you do?
​
A: You need to find a way to work with teachers to manage ADHD in the classroom.

One way to do this is to get an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) set up. At the IEP you and your support person/advocate will be able to identify, with the teachers, your mutual concerns and what can be done to accommodate your child’s needs.

​The best possible plan is drawn up with everyone’s agreement to be reviewed at a later date.

​Whatever you do, the sooner you do it the better it will be for everyone. The problem won’t go away if you do nothing.
Q: Your child seems OK at school but his behaviour changes when he gets home. Is this ‘normal’?
​
A: Yes it is ‘normal’ for you to experience this!

School life for someone with ADHD can be very stressful. Many are astute enough to know what is required of them ‘to get through the day’ without getting into too much trouble. Tension can build up at school by having to behave in a way that is not natural for them. By the end of the day, this tension can reach a tipping point, so when 
they get home their stress levels are extremely high. This may be what you're seeing.  

A suggestion – some team sports or other exercise can be beneficial for relieving some of the stress.
Q: Your family is really stressed out after each school day trying to get the required homework completed.  What can you do?
​
A:  Homework should never cause stress, cause family disharmony or disruption in the home. 

Talk to the teacher and ask that if you make sure your child spends the required time on the homework but does not complete it in that time, that this not incur punishment.

​Home-life is far more important than any homework will ever be.

10 strategies for managing children with ADHD in the classroom
10 strategies for managing children with ADHD in the classroom
Does your child have ADHD?
Does your child or teenager have ADHD?
Sign up to get connected and stay in touch
Sign up to get connected and stay in touch
The material on our website is provided for educational purposes only. Your use of our website is governed by our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer. We are a not-for-profit organisation that can provide you with ongoing support in your ADHD journey. However, we do not provide medical advice, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Your GP can recommend a suitable healthcare professional to you.

What's ADHD?

Adults with ADHD
​Children and teens with ADHD
​ADHD is more common than you think
Why it's good to have ADHD
​Inspiring stories from people who have ADHD
​
News and research

Have you got ADHD?

Think you're an adult with ADHD?
Think your child has ADHD?
How to get a diagnosis for ADHD

Getting an assessment and diagnosis of ADHD
Self-screening tool for adults with ADHD
Co-morbidities
​
FAQs

Succeed with ADHD

Find healthcare professionals near you
The different types of healthcare professionals
Managing ADHD
Families living with ADHD
​Tips on how to support children with ADHD
ADHD in schools
ADHD in tertiary education organisations
​
Tips for adults managing life and ADHD
​ADHD medication
​ADHD stimulant medication
​ADHD non-stimulant medication
ADHD anti-depressant medication

Get support from other organisations
Become a member of ADHD NZ's community
ADHD Wellington
ADHD events and promotions
Vlogs, blogs and ADHD NZ in the media

About Us

ADHD NZ 2021: past, present and future
Our people
Help us by volunteering
Contact us
Sponsors
​Ambassador

Follow us

Privacy policy

Disclaimer


Content on ADHD.org.nz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License.​
Picture
  • What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
    • Inspiring stories from people with ADHD
    • News and Research on ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD >
        • Tips on how to support children with ADHD
        • Parent Support is a Phone Call Away
      • ADHD in schools
      • ADHD in tertiary education organisations >
        • FAQs for staff at tertiary education organisations
        • Feedback from staff at tertiary education organisations
      • Tips for adults managing life and ADHD
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • ADHD NZ 2021: past, present and future
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador