The Benefits of Sending Your Child to a Private School for ADHD Children
School can be a very challenging place for ADHD children. There are a lot of things and dates to keep track of, and oftentimes they don’t get the kind of support ADHD kids need in order to succeed academically. Many children with ADHD struggle in mainstream school because it feels like fitting a square peg in a round hole. It’s simply not a good match, especially if the students with ADHD don’t have the proper tools yet to tackle the environment and demands of mainstream schools.
Private schools for ADHD children aren’t cheap. However, they are helpful to students and parents in many ways. Here are some of the most compelling reasons why parents should consider a private school for ADHD children:
- Individualized education – Consider why students often do better in school when they have somebody to tutor them in the classes they are challenged with. In ADHD schools, classes are very small and there’s a low student to teacher ratio. There aren’t many students in one class to compete with for the teacher’s attention. Teachers aren’t overburdened with the number of students and are more able to get to know the individual challenges of children. Students don’t conveniently melt into the background and just go through the motions of attending classes and going home.
- They become self-advocates – Private schools for ADHD kids usually provide additional academic support for students, primarily geared towards helping them become self-advocates. Young people with ADHD may get used to (and become productive) certain routines and structures, but it’s also important that they adjust to different situations because this is the reality that they have to face outside their home and their school. When students become self-advocates, they recognize when things aren’t working out for them and think of solutions that would help them overcome their challenges. They learn to voice out their needs and find ways for them and other people to help meet these needs.
- Specially-trained staff – Teachers in private schools for ADHD children are specially trained to structure daily activities in such a way that would maximize the learning of ADHD kids. They understand ADHD in children and strive to create an environment where these kids can feel safe enough to get to know and accept themselves.
- Specialized support – For many private ADHD schools, additional support is given to meet the needs of the students. A lot of these schools makes sure that students take their medication, which is something that they can easily forget. They may provide therapy and counseling as well.
The ultimate goal of sending adhd students to these schools is to help them go mainstream eventually, if not in high school then in college. They aim to stabilize the students emotionally, get their self-esteem level up, and teach them skills that would help them thrive and flourish in the real world. It’s not all about academic success but also about personal success.
These kinds of schools are often expensive, but there are schools that also offer financial assistance. The waiting list is usually long, because the results they produce speak for themselves. Even if the education is expensive, it could make a huge difference not just in their academic performance but in the entirety of their life.
Dealing with the symptoms of ADHD takes a multi-faceted approach. Support at school is one thing, support from home is another, long-term medication, therapy, and changes in diet could also be included in the approach.
