August 5, 2019
Children with ADHD tend to struggle in the early school years as
compared to their peers. A new study says this is because they take more time
to be ready for school and this is an even bigger struggle when the child is
not diagnosed.
In many cases, children with ADHD or autism are not diagnosed on time. It’s
only when they start going to school and often struggle with language and
skills that the diagnosis takes place. Now, a new study says that children
with ADHD are more likely to struggle in certain key areas as compared to
their peers.
These key areas are – physical well-being and motor development; social and
emotional development; approaches to learning; language development; and
cognition and general knowledge. Because of this, they have “impaired school
readiness”.
The study was conducted on 45 children with ADHD and 48
children without the disorder. Most of them were between four to
five years old and were either enrolled or attending school.
Parents of children with ADHD agree with the findings and say it mirrors
their experiences as well. Preetha Anoop Menon’s
My son was initially in an inclusive school and the struggles that he had
to undergo were many. He had a tough time handling academics and there was
a lot of peer pressure as well. How can you make a child who cannot even
sit properly, do things like his peers do? – Preetha Anoop Menon,
parent of child with ADHD.
Preetha believes that parents with ADHD kids must wait longer before sending
them to schoo. “I feel parents must wait until the child is five years old to
assess if he/she is school ready. And like this study says, it is important
to diagnose the child early, earlier the better”.
Late diagnosis is a common problem so when the child is reluctant to go to
school, parents tend to attribute it to laziness. The child’s struggles with
coping with peers or the school environment is not realised soon enough. If
diagnosed at the right time, the child can do well.
Experts say that it is important for parents to be vigilant and respond to
any behavioural issues. “Parents have to be watchful of their child’s
behaviour and reach out to them. Most importantly, they must find something
that interests them so that they like going to schools”, says Shiny
Vinson, Principal, Navajeevan Special School.
Identifying and helping kids with ADHD symptoms is clearly key to
making their early school experiences enjoyable and motivating.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/children-with-adhd-take-more-time-to-be-school-ready
