A Guide to Working with Teachers If Your Child Has ADHD
To ensure your child with ADHD succeeds with their schoolwork, it’s important for the child’s parents and their teachers to work together to create a unified educational support system. For parents looking for tips on working with their child’s teachers to help the child achieve scholastic success, Dr. Lazarus, our Littleton Child Behavior Psychologist presents a complete guide in this latest post.
Ask for a Meeting in the First Few Weeks
Beginning the working relationship with a direct meeting is critical. Try to ask the teacher for a meeting after they’ve had a few weeks to work with the child and get settled into the school year. You can then discuss any challenges your child has and any questions you might have about how you can improve the child’s performance from in the home environment. This first meeting will set the foundation for communication with the teacher over the long-term, and so you might ask if they’d be willing to provide an email address or telephone number through which you can regularly communicate for updates.
Keep the Teacher Informed on Elements that May Impact Performance
The teacher cannot respond to your child’s challenges if they are not kept fully informed of the child’s behavior and events outside of school. If you feel there may have been an issue that could affect the child’s performance in future, you should inform the teacher through the proper communication channels. The teacher can then alter their strategies and address the child according to their current standard of behavior. This will help your child feel respected and understood by both their parents and their teacher.
Ensure Consistent Accountability
There should be a plan made between yourself and the teacher on how to keep the child accountable for their actions. For example, if they don’t have their homework completed by a particular time, it’s important that you support the teacher in their response to this problem, whether it’s working after class or removing certain privileges until they act responsibly. By using a joint process for keeping the child accountable, parents and teachers can minimize conflicts in their working relationship and help the child develop their understanding of responsibility and rewards.
Discuss Upcoming Work with Your Child
One area in which parents can support their child’s teacher is by discussing upcoming tasks with the child. Try to find out more information on their assignment and the work requirements and then create a plan with them on how to complete the work. This will help make for a comfortable classroom environment for the teacher and ensures your child remains focused both in the classroom and at home.
Navigating the waters of the child/teacher relationship can be challenging at the best of times. If your child has ADHD, the challenge is even greater, which is why creating an open line of communication with the teacher is key. To learn more about building a strategic rapport with your child’s teacher, speak with Dr. Lazarus, Littleton ADHD counseling psychologist today!