ADHD in IB students and what you (and us) can do about it

Guide for Parents: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in IB Students and What You (and Us) Can Do about it

How to identify ADHD in IB students and what benefits IB Schools and Tutors can bring to their development

bymanelllado/September 27, 2023/inProductivity, Tutoring, Well-being

Does your child struggle to focus in class? Do their teachers complain that they’re always “distracted”, “in the clouds” or “in their own world”? Do they always forget their assignments or their exam dates? Is their academic performance worse than you expect from their capabilities? Do you feel that your child just needs to “get it together”, but don’t know how to help them?

You may be surprised to find out that this is a very common issue with teenage students, and doesn’t necessarily have to be the result of “bad parenting” a “bad attitude” or a “teenage phase”. For some people, concentrating on tasks and deadlines can be way more difficult than for others, simply because their brain is wired a little differently: They have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

In this post we’re going to discuss what ADHD is, the different types of ADHD and how to recognize it. We also present what tools and resources parents, IB schools and tutors can use to help a child with ADHD strive and improve their academic performance, as well as their whole life.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in IB students and what you (and us) can do about it How to identify ADHD in IB students and what benefits IB Schools and Tutors can bring to their development

What is ADHD?
Can my child have ADHD even if they donâ€™t present all the symptoms?
What causes ADHD?
Who should diagnose whether my child has ADHD?
What does having ADHD mean for my child? Will they fail at school?
How is ADHD treated in children?
How can my IB school help my child with ADHD?
How can a private tutor help my child with their ADHD?

What is ADHD?

But first things first, what is actually ADHD? The Center for Disease Control defines ADHD as a “neurodevelopmental disorder where children may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors or being overly active”. The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as an “ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development”.

Don’t be scared by the words “neurodevelopmental disorder”. What they mean is simply that a child with ADHD has a brain that is wired a little differently. In contrast to a learning disability, in which the ability to learn a specific thing (writing, reading, making mathematical calculations) is affected, a child with ADHD has a completely normal learning ability but can struggle with concentration, intrusive thoughts, and impulse control.

ADHD is a very common disorder, with up to 6-10% of people worldwide presenting this condition.

ADHD Symptoms

The main symptoms of ADHD in children are classified in three types:

Inattention:
- Continuous daydreaming
- Difficulty keeping focus
- Tendency to lose attention even when actively trying to listen
- Difficulty with finishing tasks and keeping concentration/motivation
- Avoidance of tasks that require sustained mental effort, like homework or assignments
- Tendency to overlook or miss details and make seemingly careless mistakes
- Tendency to forget or lose things
- Tendency to forget appointments and daily chores
Hyperactivity:
- Squirming or fidgeting often, especially while seated
- Leaving their seats in situations when staying seated is expected, such as in the classroom
- Constant movement and restlessness
- Tendency to talk too much
- Answering questions before they are fully asked, finish other peopleâ€™s sentences, or speak without waiting for a turn in a conversation
Impulsivity:
- Difficulty with waiting and taking turns
- Tendency to make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks
- Difficulty resisting temptation
- Difficulty delaying gratification

Interestingly, ADHD is more common in boys. For this reason, most symptoms described are found in boys. However, ADHD may present differently in girls, which may lead to underdiagnosis in girls.

Can my child have ADHD even if they donâ€™t present all the symptoms?

Yes, they can. Interestingly, there are two major types of ADHD. In the past, they were known as two different disorders, called ADHD and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), but recently they have been unified into one disorder with three distinct types, called presentations:

Predominantly Inattentive Presentation:

In this type of ADHD, children struggle mostly with attention, focus and organization, as well as attention to detail. They are also often forgetful, especially with appointments.
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation:

This is what we know more as the stereotype of a hyperactive child, with lots of fidgeting and inability to stand still, as well as restlessness and impulsivity. In young children, this can lead to running, jumping and climbing a lot, as well as reckless behavior. They can also be very impulsive, including interrupting conversations or behaving inappropriately even if they know better.
Combined Presentation:

This is where children present both types of symptoms to different degrees.

What causes ADHD?

Although the cause of ADHD is unknown, a certain genetic component seems to be present. However, other possible causes and risk factors are being studied, and we will hopefully know more in the future. Some of those risk factors are:

Brain injuries
Nutrition
Social environments
Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy
Premature delivery
Low birth weight

Who should diagnose whether my child has ADHD?

To be clear, lots of children can present some of those symptoms without it meaning they suffer ADHD. However, the increased presence and recurrence of many of these symptoms can indicate that a child has ADHD. To avoid doubts, a diagnosis must be made by a mental health professional, like a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Still, some teachers with enough experience dealing with ADHD children can recommend parents to have their children tested when they believe they may suffer from it.

Getting a diagnosis is essential, not only to provide your child with the best possible treatment but also to allow parents and child to understand each other better, which has been shown to greatly reduce frustration and improve the parent-child relationship.

What does having ADHD mean for my child? Will they fail at school?

First of all, it’s important to mention that having ADHD does not mean that a child has lower capabilities that other children. Interestingly, some people can have ADHD and be excellent at school. This is because while this condition can make some things more difficult, a student with high capabilities will often find a way to work their way around this condition and continue to produce good results.

In other cases, students that would normally perform average-to-good in school can see their grades suffer because of ADHD, and proper treatment and counseling can help them improve their performance and avoid underachieving.

However, academic performance is not the only area of a person’s life that can be impaired by ADHD. In a lot of cases, people can be very good at school because they are very intelligent but then struggle in university or in their professional careers, where effort, consistency, and attention to detail are more important than one’s pure intelligence. For this reason, a lot of adults with undiagnosed ADHD, who always performed great at school, struggle with their life before receiving a diagnosis and treatment. And research has shown that, after diagnosis and treatment, a lot of those adults can significantly improve their life quality and their professional/academic performance.

For this reason, having an early diagnosis and treatment of ADHD can be very important to make sure that it doesn’t affect your child long-term, even if in the present they don’t struggle at school.

How is ADHD treated in children?

As we mentioned, ADHD is not the same in all children, and as such, it is not always treated in the same way. But generally, treatment for ADHD will include a combination of medication and functional treatment:

Medication:

While different types of medication exist, the most commonly used and widely known are stimulants. Even though it may sound counterintuitive to treat hyperactivity with a stimulant, research has shown that the main traits of ADHD are due to the brain needing more stimulation. Stimulant drugs can be tested and adjusted by a psychiatrist and have been shown to significantly improve ADHD symptoms in many children and adults.
Functional Treatment:

Although medication can help with ADHD, it is not the only approach. Normally, functional treatment (also known as behavioral therapy) is used to complement medication. It consists of giving the patient enough knowledge and tools to deal with their condition in an effective way. For example, children with ADHD can be taught how to better organize and schedule their days, how to better resist and control their impulsivity, and how to split tasks into smaller sub-tasks to avoid being overwhelmed. This will create healthy habits and stop them from spiraling into an ADHD-driven life. In addition, the parents are also included in this process, which helps them better understand their child and how to help them, and reduces frustration between parents and child.

As with any other type of treatment, not everything works immediately, and some adjustments may be necessary, especially with medication, to achieve the best results. So have patience and trust the process. Luckily, research shows that most patients present marked improvements after treatment, and can function normally both at school and outside.

How can my IB school help my child with ADHD?

IB Schools present a curriculum that includes a lot of experiential, inquiry-based learning, where students develop creative and critical thinking skills through real-life, hands-on experiences. This system can sometimes be a great way to engage kids with ADHD when compared to more monotonous systems, where inattention and lack of focus can represent a bigger problem. In addition, IB Schools tend to have protocols to help ADHD students adapt to their demanding curriculum, which include:

Extra tutors that can support and help the student concentrate and work during class.
Extra time for exams and assignments to accomodate for their issues.
Counseling for both the student and the parents.

These can help accommodate an ADHD student to the IB curriculum, but may not be enough in more severe cases. In those situations, out-of-school mentoring and support can make a significant difference for your child.

How can a private tutor help my child with their ADHD?

Because the IB is such a specialized, unique, and personalized academic program, it can be a great fit for many students who have ADHD. At the same time, it can also be overwhelming to keep up with the demands of the intense classwork and then to add all of the IB specific alphabet soup projects (IAs, TOK, CAS, EE, etc). Thatâ€™s where ADHD can represent an issue.

In addition, parents can have very busy schedules that don’t allow them to dedicate enough time to help their children with their schoolwork and organization. For this reason, private 1-on-1 tutoring can be a great tool to help a child with ADHD. However, it is important that the tutor can properly understand the limitations and needs of their student to help them in the most effective way. Otherwise, the tutor may demand or expect things from the child that the child is just unable to do. This can lead the tutor to think that the child is not interested in their help, or does not want to pay attention, which causes frustration between the tutor and the child.

For this reason, if you decide to get a tutor for a child with ADHD, it is very important to openly communicate the condition to the tutor so that they can adapt their teaching methods. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to share that your child has ADHD. It is extremely common and a lot of very successful people deal with it every day. It’s nothing for you or your child to be ashamed of, and the more people know about it, the more they’re going to understand your child.

At U4Success, we have several tutors with experience in teaching ADHD children. Our Learning Support uses established science-based protocols and methods that can help your child better deal with their condition and feel understood and motivated to improve. This first-hand experience allows us to help your child organize themselves better and be more focused when learning, leading to better outcomes in school and in later life.

About the Author

Manel is a scientist with PhD in Gene Editing who also tutors Science and Math at U4Success. He is passionate about sharing the skills he acquired during his life in academia and he hopes that more students can benefit from his experience.

Guide for Parents: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in IB Students and What You (and Us) Can Do about it

How to identify ADHD in IB students and what benefits IB Schools and Tutors can bring to their development

Table of Contents

What is ADHD?

ADHD Symptoms

Inattention:

Hyperactivity:

Impulsivity:

Can my child have ADHD even if they donâ€™t present all the symptoms?

Predominantly Inattentive Presentation:

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation:

Combined Presentation:

What causes ADHD?

Who should diagnose whether my child has ADHD?

What does having ADHD mean for my child? Will they fail at school?

How is ADHD treated in children?

Medication:

Functional Treatment:

How can my IB school help my child with ADHD?

How can a private tutor help my child with their ADHD?

About the Author

Our Policies

Categories