Homeschooling Children with ADD/ADHD and/or ODD

A compilation of resources by Delana H. Stewart

 [Links checked 12/12/13]

ADD and Flourescent Lighting — An article by Ann Zeise (8/3/2002) called “Light and Learning.”  Discusses how fluorescent lights can cause a variety of problems such as: attention, stress, hyper-activity, distress, depression, high blood pressure, aggression,…

Homeschooling Kids with ADD — An article by Dawn-Elise Snipes about homeschooling kids with add/hd. In this article she says: “Kids with ADD/ADHD need a place with few distractions, short bursts of learning followed by physical activity, structure and learning materials tailored to how they learn and learning times scheduled around when they learn best.”

Curriculum suggestions for kids with ADD/HD (recommended by the parents who teach them):

Kinesthetic Homeschool Curriculum Recommendations

A listing of multiple curriculum choices for each subject and a variety of grade levels;

Visual Spatial Learners (right brain) Homeschool Curriculum Recommendations

A listing of multiple curriculum choices for each subject and a variety of grade levels;

Many parents’ comments on several websites suggest the following—

Teaching Textbooks

Moving Beyond the Page

Konos (and other unit study based curricula)

Time4Learning http://www.time4learning.com/learning-ADD.shtml

Handwriting Without Tears

LifePac

ACE

Math-U-See

Drive Thru History

Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Books:

Homeschooling the Child With ADD (or other special needs)

Other common tips and tidbits:

Utilize things in the child’s area of interest.

Encourage right brain thinking and find curriculum designed for right brained thinkers.

Teach according to your child’s intelligence (see Education Café article on Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences).

Aerobic activity 2-3 times during the school day.

Allowing movement during the teaching of a lesson (e.g. child to play with legos while being read to, squeezing a ball while figuring out math). Hands on learning activities.

Allow healthy, non-messy snacking during a lesson.

Use stability (or yoga) balls instead of chairs.

Adapting programs to meet your child’s needs and interests.

Schedules and structure are key. Children with behavioral or emotional issues need stability and sameness. If giving a choice in which subject to do first, limit to a choice of 2.

Links to articles for Homeschooling Children with ODD:

Homeschooling and the Defiant Child

Oppositional Defiant Disorder—Managing Your Child’s Behavior

Oppositional Defiant Disorder—by Anthony Kane, MD

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See Also on The Education Cafe:

Helping ADD/ADHD Students Learn Effectively

No Angry Breakfast: Tips for kids with ADD or Strong Wills

Resources and Curriculum for Educating the Right-Brained Learner

Math for the Visual Spatial Learner

Homeschooling a Child with ODD

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Here is an article about the use of stability (yoga) balls instead of chairs to help kids focus. Check it out! http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-11-03/features/os-school-yoga-balls-lake-20131103_1_stability-balls-john-kilbourne-lake-teacher

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Struggling with whether or not to medicate? Please read this post by a fellow blogger:

Making the Choice to Medicate Your Child – The Chaos and the Clutter

 

ADOPTION AND BEHAVIOR

10 Questions Adoptive Parents Ask – Short video clips by Dr. Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family. The 10 clips address these issues:

1. How Do I Handle Manipulation & Control?
2. Will Trust-Based Parenting Work for My Child?
3. Why Won’t My Child Act His Age?
4. How Do I Handle Lying?
5. How Do I Find the Right Professional To Help Us?
6. Should I Parent My Adopted Child Differently Than Birth Children?
7. How Long Do I Have to Parent This Way?
8. Is It Adoption Related or Not?
9. Will Trust-Based Parenting Prepare My Child for the Real World?
10. How Can I Be Fair?

 

You may also be interested in:

5 Pros and Cons for Homeschooling the Older Adopted Child

Are you struggling with parenting a child with ADHD? See: Just Five More Minutes and Of Sheep and Shepherds.*******************************************************************************

Need Encouragement for the difficult days:

Is parenting and teaching overwhelming at times? Do you ever feel caught in an emotional undertow?

Three Days at Sea: Soul flotation when the waves are pulling you under

Remembering Being Rescued

Rays of Hope

Gifted by Grace

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nine-Year-Pregnancy/312101615473700

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