Tips to help students with ADHD transition back to school
TYRONE, Ga. - Getting back into a school routine can be challenging for students with ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
But, Psychiatrist Dr. Suvrat Bhargave of the Center for Family Psychiatry in Tyrone, says schools are better prepared than ever to help students with ADHD.
"You know, we are lucky in that this diagnosis is one that's being better understood and better diagnosed, I would say, with each year," he says.
Bhargave says there are some simple things you can right now do to help smooth your child's transition back to school.
First, he says: set goals for this year, and include your child in the process.
"So if your child had a hard time last year getting assignments turned in, getting them done on time, which happens for a lot of kids with ADHD, let's come up with a goal that we want to get those things done, and how are we going to do that," he says.
Another must-have for students with ADHD: a strong daily routine.
"Routine is a really important way of compensating for ADHD symptoms," Bhargave explains. "And, if you have a morning routine, for example, sometimes it just sets the tone for the rest of the day. So, definitely come up with a routine that works well for you."
Maybe the most important step, he says, is to talk to your child's new teacher.
"I would say go into it not ready to fight for your child," Bhargave says. "Go in there to have a discussion, to get everyone on the same page, and to get a process started.
Psychiatrist Dr. Suvrat Bhargave of the Center for Family Psychiatry in Tyrone talks to FOX 5.
He recommends parents do that now – the earlier in the school year, the better.
"You're not going in there to tell them what to do," Dr. Bhargave explains. "You're giving them information. 'This is who my child is. These have been some of the struggles he or she has had in the past, and these are the things that we're doing that really help him and seem to make a difference.'"
Bhargave says an estimated six million children have been diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S., so it is a disorder teachers are well-aware of. Parents and guardians do not have to chart a way forward on their own.
"When you involve the teacher, and you involve the school system, there are things in place right now, accommodations that can be done and have been done for other children, that can also be put in place for your own child," Bhargave says. "So you're not recreating the wheel. You just have to get the discussion started."