Part I: Benefits of Homeschooling a Child with ADHD

Homeschooling can absolutely be a game changer for a child with ADHD.

Children with ADHD struggle with the traditional learning environment. Interrupting, impulsivity, social skills deficits, fidgeting, trouble waiting their turn, hyperactivity, and let us not forget more attention to all sensory experiences in the environment...every single one of these ADHD characteristics interferes with traditional learning environments. To top it all off, because ADHD is a developmental disorder, the child will generally stay at least three years behind his or her same-age peers in these areas throughout school. Year after year, this can cause self-esteem issues and increase the risks of anxiety and depression.

Homeschooling can be SO different. While homeschooling we can deal with these challenges differently.

Let's take interrupting. Fewer lectures means less to interrupt!

If a child struggles with impulsivity, a homeschooling parent can manage their child's environment in a more supervised way, reducing the possible harm from impulsive behaviors by preventing some problems before they start.

If a child has social skills deficits, the parent can explicitly teach about them in the home environment or in the library, on the playground, etc., while having compassion for the child's development. This is much harder in a traditional environment where social skills will be compared to other children his or her age. The child easily can become the subject of bullying at traditional school; at home, bullying can be much more easily prevented.

For trouble waiting for turns, there are fewer people to take turns with. This allows the skill to grow in a less challenging (and sometimes shaming) environment.

Hyperactivity is a big one where homeschooling can be of benefit. A parent can do SO much. A child can learn his multiplication tables while bouncing on a trampoline. She can use Legos or Magna-tiles to build things while listening to books being read. He can color while listening to musical pieces. She can do hands-on experiments starting in elementary school! She can grow butterflies from a kit while learning about metamorphosis. She can plant seeds in her yard while learning about the plant growth cycle. She can view the constellations and the moon while studying astronomy. The options are endless. Adding in more sensory breaks throughout the day when the child can go outside and run off energy is a big plus. Homeschooling allows more learning to happen in a shorter time, too, allowing for more free time and less time with forced sitting still.

Most people don't understand that ADHD is actually an over-attention to stimuli (stuff in the environment). Traditional classrooms are typically very stimulating in the lower and middle grades. Making the learning environment less cluttered, having fewer people around to distract the child, and providing a more exciting curriculum that is individualized to the child ALL address this issue.

Homeschooling, as long as one doesn't try to replicate traditional school, can be a HUGE gift to the child and to his or her family. I have provided just a small taste of why. Look for more blog posts to come with more specifics and even some free lesson plans that might work for kids with ADHD.