Homeschooling ADHD: How to Start

Once you have made the decision to homeschool your child with ADHD there are a few things you need to know before you start.

1)  You should be aware of the laws governing homeschooling in your state.  These are ever changing, so the best thing to do is check out the Homeschool Legal Defense Association's website.  Some states require testing or other means of demonstrating adequate progress through the year.  If your state is one of these it is worth your while to get an understanding of what kinds of provisions are made for children with learning disabilities, and what kind of documentation you will need of said disability.  You'll also want to know what will happen if your child does not make adequate progress. 

If you have any questions about the laws in your state, contact HSLDA directly.  They are usually very happy to help.

2) You should make preliminary plans for school (i.e. choose curriculum).  As tempting as it is to use the most rigorous curriculum out there, remember that children with ADHD are motivated by success and extremely demoralized by failure.  Chances are your child is already turned off by school.  It may take a few weeks or months of success before they begin to see that learning can be fun and they are willing to try something more challenging. 

Keep in mind that all children are different.  So these recommendations are general and may not apply to your child.  They are merely a starting point.

Teaching Method.  Children with ADHD may struggle with methods requiring a lot of seatwork or workbooks.  Also, they may have problems with large amounts of copywork if they also have dysgraphia.  Shorter lessons are to be preferred.

Math.  Children with ADHD tend to have a concrete learning style.  They often understand math in context (for example, oral word problems) rather than in abstract (for example, sheets of sums) and they usually do better if they can see a concept demonstrated with manipulatives.   However, colorful worksheets are often distracting.  For these reasons, Right Start Math and Math U See are good places to start.

Handwriting.  Children with ADHD often struggle with dysgraphia, or difficulty with handwriting.  It is not a good idea to just plop your child down with a ton of copy work, though, because kids with ADHD find copying extremely boring, unhelpful, and downright painful for both parent and child.  A formal curriculum such as Handwriting without Tears or A Reason for Handwriting is probably best.  If your child continues to struggle, consider bringing in an occupational therapist to help with the problem early on.

                                                   

Reading.  Many children with ADHD also have dyslexia.  If this is the case, a strong phonics background is a must, as is high interest material.  There are many strong programs.   The key is patience and trying different approaches while continuing to read age appropriate materials aloud to continue to build vocabulary.  The parent should count on reading a lot aloud, or purchasing books on CD. 

Composition.  Composition can be a tough subject to teach because it requires handwriting, coming up with ideas, organization, planning, careful attention to details, and a decent working memory, all of which are areas that ADHD affects.  You should probably use a curriculum that not only involves practicing these skills, but also has specific strategies for addressing these issues, such as using a graphic organizer, and proofreading.

Physical Education.  This isn't one of the core subjects, but you should make a plan for your child to have some physical activity for at least a hour a day.  This applies to winter as well as summer.  If you are unable to participate (for example if you are disabled, infirm, or pregnant)  and keep your child on track you may need to consider an outside class or classes.

5)  You should set up your space and your schedule.  While you can homeschool off of the dining room table, having a dedicated space for your child with ADHD to work at least some of the time can be helpful.  This helps especially if there are other siblings who need to use the dining room table for school or other things (like eating).   Having a dedicated space  also helps to keep the space used for schooling free of distracting nonschool items.   Posting rules can also help your child to know what you expect in the classroom.

While many homeschooling families can get by with a very relaxed routine, children with ADHD  usually do better with a fairly strict routine, which aids with transitions and with self-discipline.  Posting a daily agenda, or organizational strategies such as workboxing also may help with these same things.  Notice that a routine is not the same as a schedule.  You will find that some days will take longer than others, depending on your child's motivation (and yours).

Be sure to include some time for breaks.   Alternate easy and hard subjects, or just get the hard ones out of the way first, for starters.

6)  You should know your child's areas of struggle and investigate accommodations.

Not all children with ADHD struggle with the exact same issues when it comes to school.  Hopefully you have some idea from teachers' reports or from your own observations.  You'll want to have a plan entering into schooling, of what kinds of things you'll want to try to address your child's areas of weakness.  Curriculum and scheduling are part of this, but not the whole for some children.  For example, a child who has dysgraphia may need a special pencil grip or ongoing help from a physical therapist.  A child who struggles with defiant behavior needs a plan for what happens when they refuse to do schoolwork.

7)  You should identify a support system.  Did I mention that schooling a child with ADHD is difficult?  You'll want to look for a support system, preferrably one where there are other children with ADHD or other learning issues.  In this day of Facebook forums and online groups, there is really no excuse for not getting help with a problem when you face it.  There are academic co-ops, enrichment co-ops, support groups, and informal gatherings of moms on playgrounds, at church, and at various home school classes.  HSLDA and some other national groups offer consultation as well.  

8)  You should accept that things will change.  For one thing, most of us don't get it right the first time.  For another, kids with ADHD crave novelty, so it helps their enthusiasm to shake things up a little once in a while.  Really big changes can be disturbing, but tweaking things now and again is usually appreciated.  You should still plan ahead.  A child with ADHD who faces the day without a plan will run around and accomplish little.  However, re-evaluate frequently and if things aren't working, be open to change.

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