Tutoring for students with ADHD

When people think of tutoring, they might think of a college student who helps a child reinforce grade level concepts which may be harder for them. When we here at Progress Parade think of tutoring, especially for neurodiverse learners, we know that academics are just the tip of the iceberg in the work we do. In this article, School Psychologist and Executive Functioning Coach, Lauren Schutz discusses what many parents didn’t know they wanted or needed: tutoring for students with ADHD!

In my initial conversations with parents, many of them say, “My child is so smart, but I cannot get them to do their homework. The meltdowns and shutdowns happen daily, and I need a better way.” As someone who had very similar meltdowns growing up (sorry, mom!) and who has gone on to explore educational psychology, I am excited to share what I needed and what will likely help your child as well.

We give you permission to quit your job as bad guy/drill sergeant!

When we tutor students with ADHD, our magic wand is unfortunately something you as a parent will never possess: We’re not the parent!! This particular trick requires no training but often makes a big difference for maintaining household peace. Since we’re an outsider, they’re less likely to “let it all hang out” when we’re working together. Kids with ADHD are often tired at the end of a long day of “behaving” (or not) at school and the last thing their struggling brains can process is focusing on homework, especially if medication may be wearing off. This is a recipe for a meltdown. People tend to “fall apart” around the people they’re most comfortable with, so kids are just less likely to shut down with someone who doesn’t live with them. Many parents tell us that not having to be the “bad guy and drill sergeant” is worth every penny spent on a tutor!

Aside from removing a lot of unwanted academic stress from the parent-child relationship, we also bring expert tools and strategies to the table, tools which may not always come naturally to parents. With a little bit of practice and implementation, kids tend to feel less overwhelmed when attacking homework. An additional value ADHD tutors bring to the table is providing consultation and guidance for parents in a coaching model. Even though we focus on our work with kids, we’re available to support parents too.

Tutoring students with ADHD and helping with the overwhelm

While many students with ADHD are gifted with seeing the big picture, all of the details, especially at once, can get overwhelming. In ADHD tutoring, we can provide support to help get started on a task. That may look like using an assignment notebook as a playbook. Or it may look like creating a clear structure to the day (e.g. “First math, then reading, then a 20 minute break, then history project.”). Adding visuals to the plan can provide further support. Some kids really like checklists, so being able to cross off each task as they finish can be rewarding. Timers can be another really helpful tool. They help break down time, a really abstract concept, into something more tangible that kids can then understand.

Sometimes, our work involves breaking down a large assignment. Kids may miss a lot of details when tasks are written in large paragraph forms. We can teach them to create bullets or tables that break apart long text into more easily digestible information. This allows kids to follow the process one step at a time. We can also help kids break down a project that may last several weeks. With such a long, looming deadline, it can be very hard to know where to start and how to arrive at the end goal! Kids with ADHD are notorious for putting tasks off until the last minute. We work with students weeks ahead and break down the project into daily chunks that feel more manageable to make that final goal more tangible and achievable.

“Many parents tell us that not having to be the ‘bad guy and drill sergeant’ is worth every penny spent on a tutor!”

Accountability and “Insider” tips for navigating school assignments

We can also help provide accountability. With parent permission, we regularly monitor increases and decreases in grades and review teacher feedback on tests, papers, and projects. We provide immediate and detailed feedback as needed to help our students devise a plan to implement the new knowledge moving forward. Kids with ADHD often forget to do or turn in assignments, so we rely on digital gradebooks and Google Classroom to help make sure things don’t go missing. Sometimes, these websites can feel very overwhelming to parents as well, so it helps to have an “insider” know what to look for.

We also have found that parents are often busy with their own day-to-days and with managing the house, work, and other demands. It helps to have that time regularly scheduled where our only focus is your child and keeping their grades up. The built in accountability goes a long way in keeping your child on track.

We do have one important caveat; hiring a tutor does not mean parents are off the hook for monitoring their students' schooling. We are often only meeting our students a couple of days per week. Some students with ADHD may need daily support, especially at first before they have learned to use new skills independently. More importantly, parents who are actively engaged in their students’ schooling tend to have students who perform better over time. 

“Sometimes, school websites can feel very overwhelming to parents as well, so it helps to have an ‘insider’ know what to look for.”

Helping students with ADHD turn learning challenges into life changing achievements

Lastly, we can provide emotional support for students with ADHD. Many kids who struggle with school tasks have a decreased confidence as they feel they can’t do what others seem to do so easily. Students with ADHD may also struggle with anxiety and depression. This can lead to decreased motivation to do work, especially when they feel their hard work doesn’t lead to the success they envision for themselves. In our coaching, we can guide children beyond their comfort zones and support them as they learn to tolerate the anxiety that often comes with taking their skills to the next level! 

We’ve seen so many kids who learn new organizational and emotional regulation strategies with the help of an ADHD tutor soar from fighting to maintain Cs and Ds to feeling confident at the top of their classes. Students with ADHD are not lazy or stupid. They simply haven’t learned to work with their unique predispositions. With every strategy learned, incrementally over time, we see our students with ADHD turning learning challenges into life changing achievements!

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