top of page
tips.png

Tips on ADHD management during COVID-19

​

How social workers can guide parents during the pandemic:

​

​Online schooling and social distancing may affect management of children with ADHD. The following suggestions help empower parents in relationship management during COVID-19:

Continue Medication

continue.png

  • Cessation or reduction in medication may affect treatment process; adherence to prescribed regimen is important.

  • Social workers can follow up with parents on children’s status in taking medication:

  • Are they sticking to the medication schedule?

  • What are the effects of treatment?

  • Reminding them to follow the regimen

Develop positive behaviour

develop.png

  • Facilitate behavior therapy at home by rewarding positive behavior and intervening before bad behavior happens.

  • Social workers can educate parents on ways to reward good behavior with praise and points systems, ignoring mildly bad behaviors, and setting punishments for bad behavior.

Entertaining the child

entertaining.png

  • Identify the timepoints when the child may become bored and begin engaging them in fun activities earlier to keep them busy, a good set up would be to have various stations and let the child move through the circuit one by one.

  • Social worker can provide feedback and observations of sessions with the child or family, clear up any misunderstanding or miscommunication between parents and child.

Establish regular daily routine

establish.png

  • Routines allow help manage expectations, plan free time, and maintain healthy lifestyles.

  • Social workers can help plan with parents and include activities that the child enjoys so that they tend to develop a focus for such activities.

Listening to the child’s concerns

listening.png

  • Communicate with a calm voice and appropriate language, reassures the child and demonstrates problem solving in the restricted conditions that COVID-19 has led to.

  • Social worker can learn about the child’s likes and dislikes and develop activities that interest the child for parents to explore at home

How social workers can guide teachers during the pandemic:

​

Online schooling and social distancing may affect management of children with ADHD. The following suggestions help empower parents in relationship management during COVID-19:

Introducing interactive activities during online schooling sessions

introducing.png

  • Teachers can introduce interactive activities such as educational games or physical activities for the student to exercise their mind and body during class to maintain focus in class

  • Enable more verbal interaction between students to allow students with ADHD to continue building their social interaction skills

Setting up appropriate breaks in between teaching periods

settingup.jpg

  • Without the pressure of being in a physical classroom, students may be prone to distractions at home, therefore having appropriate breaks in between long learning sessions can allow students to re-focus during different sections of the class

Setting virtual reminders to students on homework

setting.jpg

  • Clearly list out the homework/assignment items and due dates at the end of class and set up virtual reminders ​

Maintaining contact with parents

maintaining.jpg

  • Teachers can provide regular updates (bi-weekly/monthly) to parents of students with ADHD following-up on the student’s progress in class during online schooling, and whether additional assistance from parents is required to maintain a good learning progress.

bottom of page