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Back to School With ADHD

Going back to school after a long summer can be even tougher with ADHD, but parents can ease the transition.

By Martin Downs WebMD Feature

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

New teachers, new subjects, new routines -- going back to school after the summer break can be taxing on any child, but it's often especially so for kids with ADHD. Parents who are mindful of this can do something to make the transition as smooth as possible.

First, give teachers the information they need to help your child have a good school year. They probably have had kids with ADHD in class before, but don't assume they know what it takes for your child to succeed.

"What may work really well for one ADHD kid may not work well for another, so it's important that parents do more than just say, 'my kid has ADHD,'" says Stephen Brock, PhD, a spokesman for the National Association of School Psychologists and an associate professor of psychology at California State University, Sacramento.

It's also best not to wait until the first day of school to address your child's needs. If you've already drawn up a 504 plan, or if your child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), that simplifies things somewhat. Otherwise, write a letter to the teacher, and either mail it or deliver it personally before classes begin. Start the process for getting these plans in place for your child. Each is designed to create a program of instructional services to assist students with special needs who are in a regular education setting.

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ADHD Questionnaire: Which Symptoms Are You Seeing? ADHD Questionnaire: Which Symptoms Are You Seeing?

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In the letter, detail your child's unique circumstances, including:

• Characteristics of the ADHD
• How he or she is being treated -- behavior plans and medications
• Whether the child will need to leave the classroom to take medications
• Who participates in the treatment (pediatrician, mental health professional)
• Specific strategies that have worked in the past
• What has not worked, and what causes problems
• Whether assignments or test situations need modifications

It helps to let the child write a letter, too, says Stephen Kurtz, PhD, clinical coordinator of the Institute for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Behavior Disorders at the New York University Child Study Center. "Kids find it a very empowering experience," he says. "It helps them feel like individuals, not cases that need to be dealt with.

"It also accomplishes the goal of destigmatizing the condition," Kurtz says.

Elementary students typically have one teacher throughout the day, but those in junior high or high school have several, which can complicate the matter. "The parent of the middle or high school-aged student with ADHD should be in contact with the school counselor and/or school psychologist," Brock says. That person will then take your concerns to all the educators your child will be seeing daily.

Expect teachers to be happy to hear your advice. "I've never had a teacher give the impression to the family that it was an encumbrance," Kurtz says.

Back to School, Back on Meds

If your child has been off ADHD medication during the summer break, he or she can go back on it at any time. Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin don't need time to build up in the system over days or weeks; they're effective immediately. "You can go from nothing today to full dosing tomorrow," Kurtz says.

It's hard to say how soon your child should go back on medication before the school bell rings. Again, every child is different, and some doctors might say there's no time like the present. Kurtz, for one, isn't sure that kids should take a vacation from their meds during the summer. He says that children with ADHD should continuously take their medications.

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