Homeschooling for Children with ADHD
Homeschooling is a trend that is becoming more popular in the United States compared to other countries. Around two million students were getting homeschooled even before the pandemic (Neuman & Guterman, 2017). According to Heuer and Donovan (2021), this number has risen by about 11 percent by 2020. Virtual learning was considered the safest means of education to protect the health of both the students and their teachers. Many parents share different views on the topic of virtual and homeschooling. Some parents express their dissatisfaction with the whole trend, while others do not feel confident enough to make their children attend school, fearing the risks of infection. Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/ hyperactive disorder (ADHD) seem to face much trouble in their experiences in learning. The introduction and popularization of homeschooling after the pandemic reveals many benefits, especially for such children. Homeschooling of these children has been successful as per the view of many parents and tutors in the country.
Benefits of Homeschooling for ADHD
Homeschooling children is a trend that has existed for several centuries. Even with the introduction of schools after a long time, there are still parents who willingly choose to homeschool their children. Brown & Brown (2021) identify that parents feel that the public school system is damaging and prefer to give their children a more individualized learning experience. Homeschooling in the United States is eligible to any parent as long as they follow protocol and appropriate legal registration (Carlson, 2020). The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced many parents to consider the option before the country attains normalcy and finds efficient ways to deal with the disease. Many benefits have been seen with the trend, especially in children diagnosed with conditions like ADHD.
Children with ADHD face several challenges in the traditional classroom. This condition has many symptoms that can interfere with the process of learning. Children diagnosed with this condition find it hard to pay attention, making it hard to follow instructions, concentrate on single tasks, listen, and take care of essential items (Zhang et al., 2020). These children also fidget and find it hard to get along with other students during group discussions. These symptoms and lack of equipment contribute to the poorest performance that children with ADHD face in classrooms (Lawrence et al., 2017). Some teachers are also equipped or trained to deal with children with this condition and find it hard to teach.
Homeschooling has contributed to the change in the way children with ADHD take part in learning. There are generally fewer challenges that affect these students when they are at home compared to the classroom. Gaither, (2016) also suggests that homeschooled children present above-average test scores compared to their counterparts in traditional classrooms. Homeschooling provides a more individualized concept of learning which is efficient, especially in students with ADHD. This process allows the children to get to learn and understand concepts at their own pace. The learning style that best fits children with this diagnosis is not offered in normal schools.
Children with ADHD face many struggles in normal schools, like cases of bullying from other children. The child’s guardians can take care of their children’s dietary and nutritional needs, which is difficult in traditional schools. Some challenges are faced by parents who offer to homeschool their children. Financial constraints can prevent one from referring to an expert tutor, making it the parent’s responsibility to educate their child (Greenway & Eaton‐Thomas, 2020). This work is difficult and can be like a full-time job, making it hard to concentrate on other activities and personal jobs. Some parents also find it difficult to maintain the concentration of their children.
Conclusion
The homeschooling process allows parents to educate their children in the comfort of their home, either personally or with the help of experts. The pandemic has made homeschooling more popular as students either have tutors come to their homes or take part in online learning. This process has revealed many benefits, especially in children diagnosed with ADHD. This condition causes symptoms that interfere and make it hard for children to succeed in a traditional classroom setting. Homeschooling has helped parents offer individualized learning techniques to children diagnosed with this condition. Although homeschooling for these children has some challenges, the numerous benefits witnessed outweigh the disadvantages. This fact reveals that homeschooling is the most appropriate and efficient method to educate children diagnosed with ADHD.
References
Brown, H., & Brown, P. H. (2021). Homeschooling the right: How conservative education activism erodes the state.
Carlson, J. F. (2020). Context and regulation of homeschooling: Issues, evidence, and assessment practices. School Psychology, 35(1), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000335
Gaither, M. (2016). The Wiley handbook of home education. John Wiley & Sons.
Greenway, C. W., & Eaton‐Thomas, K. (2020). Parent experiences of homeschooling children with special educational needs or disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic. British Journal of Special Education, 47(4), 510-535. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12341
Lawrence, K., Estrada, R. D., & McCormick, J. (2017). Teachers’ experiences with and perceptions of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 36, 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2017.06.010
Neuman, A., & Guterman, O. (2017). How I started homeschooling: Founding stories of mothers who homeschool their children. Research Papers in Education, 34(2), 192-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2017.1420815
Zhang, J., Shuai, L., Yu, H., Wang, Z., Qiu, M., Lu, L., Cao, X., Xia, W., Wang, Y., & Chen, R. (2020). Acute stress, behavioral symptoms and mood states among school-age children with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder during the COVID-19 outbreak. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 51, 102077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102077
Heuer, W., & Donovan, W. (2021). Homeschooling in Uncertain Times: COVID Prompts a Surge. White Paper No. 237. Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research.
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