If you’ve been searching for schools with support for students with ADHD, you may be aware of how daunting the task can be. Here’s how private schools offer specialized support and benefits for children with various symptoms of ADHD.
Kohai educational centre - Photograph by Stan Behal
Support for Children with ADHD
Private schools that are either geared toward students with learning disabilities or those that have systems in place to help your child with such conditions are the best schools for kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
“ADHD is not a learning disability, although it impacts how children learn,” Heidi Bernhard, the Centre for ADHD Awareness’ executive director, tells the Globe and Mail. “It’s lifelong, it doesn’t go away and it’s very complex and highly individualistic with a wide variation in how it is manifest in a particular child.”
Finding and Choosing a School with ADHD Support
In short, many private schools provide your child with teachers who have special training in dealing with ADHD. Here are some other benefits, unique from public schools, of sending your kid with ADHD to a private school.
- Private schools have smaller class sizes and are well-controlled settings. Therefore, they can identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses and cater to his or her needs. In short, teachers can be more attentive to each individual than they would be at public school. As Bernhard notes, ADHD is “individualistic.” As such, smaller class sizes allow the school recognize your student’s distinctive ADHD symptoms or behaviours.
- A private school will thoroughly review your child’s application before welcoming him or her into the school. This evaluation gives the school the opportunity to identify whether it can adequately serve your son or daughter. At public schools, on the other hand, your child will not have to write an admissions test or sit through an interview as part of the admissions process.
- Where you live does not limit your school choices. Indeed, if you enroll your child with ADHD at a private school, you will have had the chance to thoroughly research a multitude of choices.
- Some specialty private schools are specifically designed for youth with special needs.
- Most private schools offer extra help both before and after school. With this opportunity, your child can ask a teacher questions in a stress-free and relaxed environment. This point is hugely important because children with ADHD have a tendency to academically fall behind their classmates. Being surrounded by teachers who volunteer their out-of-school hours to for extra-help will show your child that they care, a positive contributor to your student’s self-esteem. In contrast, a public school may not notice your child’s inability to keep up, so he or she would be in danger of falling behind.
One Very Important Tip:
Admission advisers recommend that when you fill out an application or during your in-person interview, you should be as detailed as you possibly can. Concealing anything that could help the private school improve your kid’s education will only harm him or her in the long run.
To find a suitable private school for kids with ADHD, be sure to check out our listing for private schools with support for ADHD. However, our list is not exhaustive, so you should do also do your homework elsewhere. Good luck!
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What would you look for in a private school that serves students with ADHD? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Related:
Schools With Special Needs Education
Autism Schools: Private Schools Supporting Autistic Children
Ten Misperceptions About Learning Disabilities
Secrets to a Successful Application
Finding the Right School for a Child with ADHD (Globe and Mail)
Jake Roth
Jake Roth is a contributor to Our Kids, as well as a politics student and a debater at Queen’s University. Follow him @jacobdroth on Twitter
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