Many parents and students struggle to find a good tutor. Finding a tutor who has both experience working with individuals with ADHD and is an expert in your school subject can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, we’ve got a guide to helping you with your search, as well as some tips for students who have been recently diagnosed (and their parents!).
Quick definition: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a spectrum disorder. It describes and classifies a number of behaviours that can include inattention, disorganisation, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There is no explanation for why ADHD occurs, and no single description for the diagnosis. Most people with ADHD don’t exhibit all the behaviours related to the diagnosis, but struggle with a certain area or cluster of behaviours.
ADHD impacts learning by inhibiting focus. For young students, it can mean poor attention in class, and distraction during tests or individual seated work. For teenagers, it can look like working hard on an essay, only to forget to hand it in. It might also mean having good marks, but struggling to keep their room clean, or balance schoolwork with socialising and extracurriculars.
Feeling like they “can’t get it together” can have a real impact on a teen’s self-esteem and mental health. This is why getting a diagnosis and professional help, including ADHD tutoring, can be so important for young people.
For this reason, it’s critical for students with ADHD at every age to find a tutor who is experienced with ADHD tutoring. These tutors will understand that the diagnosis isn’t a single set of issues, but can encompass a variety of behaviours. Experienced tutors can adjust their lessons according to their individual student, and be empathetic when they require special accommodation.
How ADHD Affects Learning
As noted above, ADHD can pose significant challenges for students in the classroom. For example, a young boy may struggle with restlessness and fidgeting, or talking and interrupting others at inappropriate times. He may also have difficulty taking turns and waiting in line. These are the “common” symptoms that many people recognize as ADHD, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Contrast this behaviour with a teenage girl who sits quietly in class, doodling in her notebook. She daydreams frequently, and is very focused and skilled in school subjects that interest her. These behaviours aren’t disruptive to others, but they may have a negative side. Doodling instead of taking good notes, daydreaming instead of paying attention to others, and becoming hyper focused on certain subjects (to the detriment of other schoolwork) can have real negative impacts on grades. They can also impact the teen’s ability to make friends, and perform as well as they would like to in school and their hobbies.
The older they get, the more difficult ADHD can make it for teens to manage their schedules and busy lives as they transition from childhood to becoming independent young adults.
The impact of ADHD tutoring and personalised learning strategies can be substantial. Because ADHD can present as a variety of symptoms, it’s important for a tutor to tailor their teaching style and lessons to the student. This might even include experimenting with different methods in a single lesson, or over the course of the tutoring relationship. In every case, the tutor must display a high level of empathy and adaptability. They must also be committed to helping their students be as successful as possible in their sessions.
Choosing the Right Tutor
Finding a good tutor is as much a matter of taste as it is suitability for the role. Regardless of your age or your child’s age, you should look for a tutor who is a good personality fit, as well as one who is qualified on paper. Ask plenty of questions during the interview process, and don’t be afraid to meet with several tutors until you find the right one. Remember to include teenagers in the selection process, so they can feel comfortable with the choice and enjoy their tutoring sessions as much as possible.
If you’re the parent of a primary or elementary school student, the best tutor for your child will often be one with an education degree, and specific experience or training in working with children with ADHD. You might also consider a tutor who has a successful track record of working with children with ADHD, even without an education degree. You can find lots of helpful tips on how to find and interview a good tutor (in any subject!) in our article 4 Steps to Choose the Right Math Tutor for Your Child.
If you’re looking for a tutor for a high school student, you are likely looking for specific help with a certain subject. Your ideal tutor should have a degree in that subject, and experience or training working with students with ADHD. If you’re not looking for help with specific school subjects, but with issues like planning and time-management related to school work, consider seeking out an ADHD coach. These professionals are specifically trained to help adults and teens with clarity, scheduling, self-management, and other issues related to ADHD.
If you’re a university student, you may feel open to working with a tutor without specific training. Look for an experienced tutor who is willing to accommodate you and understand your needs. If you’ve had your ADHD diagnosis for some time, you may feel like you’ve got a good handle on your issues, and can give direction to a tutor on how best to support you. If your diagnosis is relatively new, however, you may benefit a great deal from an experienced ADHD tutor or coach. They can give you insight into the methods and strategies that have worked for other students with ADHD.
When you begin looking for a tutor, you should also feel confident that you’re using a credible service with a solid reputation for employing quality tutors. At TutorLyft, we only accept the top 5% of applicants on our platform, and all our tutors have at least three years of experience and a bachelor’s degree in their field. Plus, our tutors offer a free phone consultation before you book your first session. You can discuss your needs and accommodations for ADHD up front, ask plenty of questions about their teaching style, and compare their qualifications with other tutors before you commit to working with them.
You can learn more about how we select our tutors on our vetting process page.
Supporting Your Child at Home
In addition to tutoring, parental support for young children and teens with ADHD is essential to their success in school. Whether your child is newly diagnosed with ADHD or has had professional care for a long time, you likely already know the importance of consistency and routine at home. All children need routines — children with ADHD thrive on them.
When it comes to school and homework help, go for short, focused sessions every day, including on weekends. This consistency will be more helpful for your child for two reasons: 1. It will give them more opportunities to practise their focus and recall their lessons from school, or from the previous day with you. 2. It will make studying a neutral (or maybe even positive!) event. Because it happens each day at the same time and is short, your child will know what to expect. Irregular study sessions of indeterminate length can be stressful for children with ADHD, who will find it harder to focus. They’ll also feel badly when they can’t meet your expectations during that time, and this will make homework help at home prone to cause arguments and tears.
You can find more helpful tips on completing homework with your child in this article from WebMD.
Tips for Teens and Adults with ADHD
It’s estimated that up to 16 percent of college students have ADHD — but did you know that adolescents and young adults with ADHD are also at a higher risk for disorders like depression and anxiety? One of the most important things that young adults with ADHD can do is to take care of their mental health. Exercise regularly, eat balanced meals, get enough sleep, and make time for fun activities like seeing friends and pursuing hobbies. It has become a cliché, but this advice gets repeated for a reason — these healthful behaviours are often the first to go out the window when you’re suffering from depression. As a student with ADHD, keeping an eye on your own mental state can be the best form of self-care and prevention.
If you feel like you need more support for your mental health, remember that most college campuses have a mental health clinic that you can take advantage of. Most universities and colleges will also offer accommodations for students with test anxiety or similar needs. If you’re a high school student, speak to your teachers or guidance counsellor about which supports are available. And remember, getting the extra help you need isn’t a sign that you’re less capable than other students.
Coupled with this advice, many young people can forget to take their ADHD medication when their parents are no longer reminding them to take it each day. Set a reminder on your phone, and keep the pills in an obvious place so that it doesn’t slip your mind.
Once you’ve built a routine around your medication, consider what other routines would benefit you. Scheduling your study sessions, working with a tutor, or making time each day to do chores can keep you on track. Rely on your parents or roommates to be your accountability partners. Find a task you each must do daily or weekly, and do it at the same time to help build a strong routine.
Conclusion
A weekly or biweekly tutoring session with a professional tutor is critical for young learners with ADHD. Making a connection with a supportive adult can be very positive for your child’s self-esteem. A tutor can also help you as a parent: supporting you with resources for working with your child’s special needs, and helping you to understand more about how they behave in the classroom and in learning situations.
As noted, ADHD is likely to be as different in each child as their unique personalities. When your child is struggling, it’s important to find them a tutor who can offer a tailored tutoring solution. A great tutor for students with ADHD is one who is student-centred, and open to trying as many techniques and tools as is necessary to find what works for them. If you’d like to learn more about scheduling a session with a TutorLyft tutor who specialises in ADHD, please contact us.
