Navigating Classroom and Exam Adjustments for ADHD children
This is a guest blog written by Jada Maloney, one of four undergraduate Psychological Sciences students from the University of Newcastle, that ADHD Done Differently has the pleasure of working with as part of their Work Integrated Learning placement over term 1 and term 2 of 2024. As part of their placement, they have been investigating neurodiversity, ADHD, and evidence-based supports that will benefit parents/carers in raising their ADHDers.
It’s coming up to exam time again, and with it comes a wave of worries and stress about how your ADHD child or adolescent will go. This setting is usually unsupportive for them, and leaves them without the support they need to thrive and truly show how hard they’ve tried.
The classroom setup and lesson structures were made for neurotypical minds, which may not necessarily be the kind of structure that suits your adhd child and their type of learning.
So, what can we do?
A BIT ABOUT ME!
My name is Jada Moloney, I am a third year student at the University of Newcastle completing a Bachelor’s Degree of Psychological Science (Advanced). I am working with Linda at ADHD Done Differently as a part of my placement experience. I have always had an interest in finding out more about how to support neurodivergent people and kids, a part of this stemming from having multiple ADHD members of my close family.
Across my years of schooling, I noticed the lack of proper information available to both teachers and students/their caregivers about ADHD educational support! This was part of the reason a few of my neurodivergent friends didn’t get any help or adjustments until the end of school (eg. HSC time). My mum is a primary school teacher and has been for over 15 years now, and in talking to her she has confirmed my thoughts about this lack of support available (or at least the easily accessible, well known, and affordable support).
I’ve found it very interesting researching the topic we are looking at in the blog post today, and trying to navigate the websites/resources that tell you how to go about it.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW BEFORE READING ANY FURTHER
I myself am not an ADHDer, so my perspective can only reflect what I know and have found in my research for this post. I acknowledge the wide variety of experiences and perspectives that each individual in the ADHD community has, and that this information may not be applicable/true for everyone. Also, some of the statistics/research results that I mention have been gathered from external sources, which each have their limitations and thus are not likely representative of everyone.
I also acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, from Awabakal and Worimi country on which I stand, and pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging. I also extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reading this post.
SOME STATISTICS and FACTS ABOUT ADHD PERFORMANCE IN ACADEMIC SETTINGS.
A report by James Birchwood and Dave Daley (2012), looked at the links between ADHD symptoms and academic performance for adolescents (ages 10-19).
They found that those with ADHD symptoms were more likely to encounter difficulties when completing academic tasks without accommodations. The data which they based this on was taken from the student’s GCSE scores (like the HSC exams) which reflected their overall academic performance over a long period of time. It should also be noted that in this situation, exams like the HSC or GCSEs are not typically set up to be 100% supportive for those with alternative learning preferences like some ADHDers.
Additionally, an article from the Journal of Attention Disorders (Arnold et al., 2020) had results which matched those of Birchwood and Daley, but also found that undiagnosed children with adhd symptoms performed worse than those with a diagnosis.
(It should be noted however, that while this study’s findings can be useful, some of the terminology used is not very neuroaffirming, and that if you would like to look further into it please be aware of this).
What can be done about this, what does this information tell us and what are some common misconceptions surrounding ADHDers in the classroom?
This is not to say that ADHD children cannot achieve greater academic outcomes, as they 100% can and have the ability to when given the resources and support that best suits their needs!
The results from the above studies reflect only the findings from studies that offered no support or accommodations for the ADHD individuals, which in turn is going to reflect their marks as worse than their peers.
Exam and classroom settings are usually catered to neurotypical students, with the needs of ADHDers not kept in mind, hence leading to a surface level assumption that their performance is not as good as their neurotypical peers.
This is why it is important for us, parents, teachers, and others around us to be properly informed on the options available to support adhd kids, and help them to properly reflect their true abilities in their schoolwork.
This is where provisions, accommodations, and individual learning plans/individual education plans come in handy! They have the potential to create a more supportive and catered environment for ADHD children, and properly accommodate for their needs.
The issue is working out how to go about applying for them, and in my research I’ve discovered it isn’t easy to find all the resources without going on a massive deepdive.
This is why my post is all about what these provisions are, and what you need to read and do in order to get the most out of them.
WHAT SUPPORTS/ADJUSTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY CHILD
Being aware of what supports are available for your child allows you to advocate for your child to receive them and realise their potential in the education system.
It is important to know that all schools should have knowledge of the information in this blog post. You can ask to speak with a relevant contact person at your child’s school to get the ball rolling!
WHAT SUPPORTS/ADJUSTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY CHILD FOR EXAMS
Students with disability | NSW Education Standards: Here you will find the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) page that clarifies what is classified as a disability that enables children to receive accommodations/an ILP or IEP in NSW, Australia.
Applying for disability provisions for the HSC | NSW Government: Here you will find the NESA page that talks about disability provisions and the HSC.
NAPLAN – Accessibility: Here you will see the options for provisions to be applied during NAPLAN, which we believe to be a good time to trial whether certain adjustments work best for your ADHD child. The NAPLAN results don’t ultimately have an effect on their marks at the end of the year, and can be used to work out what works for them before a school-based assessment comes up that will count to their grade.
Adjustments: Here you will find what kinds of adjustments are available to use for the NAPLAN examinations.
Scenarios: Here you will find examples of situations in which a child is applying for provisions, and what kinds of provisions they can receive.
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLANS AND SCHOOL INTERVENTIONS
School intervention plans are important for both home and school, and should be tailored to each child specifically. You should work with your child, their teacher, the principal, and any counsellors/psychologists that your child is seeing to develop them.
Dr Stephanie Margolese recommends the following:
Individual Learning Plans (ILP)/Individualised Education Plans (IEP) are tailored to the ADHD child’s particular learning needs, and have outlined specific measures that should be applied at school and at home. They should meet the needs of the child/student. Plans can include many things, eg. extra resource support, tutoring, modifications to their school program or daily schedule, etc → eg. classroom seating, modified workload, testing accommodations.
You should keep open/regular communication with both your child and their teacher, and receive feedback from them about what modifications are or aren’t working for them.
So, What exactly is an INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN?
ILPs are written by a school to help children who are experiencing difficulties, and aim to improve their skills and knowledge in their own way/at their own pace. They are used when the child/student requires something additional or different from the set learning program for the class (which is usually based on the abilities of neurotypical students). Parents, carers, and the child should be involved in the process of creating the ILP.
What should be included, what should they do and how they should be reviewed:
* ILPs should be written in simple straightforward language to ensure understanding by all involved (e.g. teacher, allied health professionals, carers and when the child is able they should be able to have access and contribute to their ILP)
* A description of the child’s specific learning needs
* Short term targets of achievement and a time-period this would be expected to be completed over
* They should focus primarily on what’s different (or what additions are required) to the regular curriculum and teaching practises that are used for students without additional disabilities, or learning needs.
* Any teaching strategies to be implemented by their teacher/s and promote effective planning
* Any provisions – any staff involved, how often the support is required, any specific programs, activities, materials, equipment etc
* Any support needs – like counsellors, allied health professionals or medical services
* A monitoring and assessment system – how are these strategies effectiveness being measured? When and how will we have regular check ups with teachers/carers/parents/professionals. It is also important that a child is given the opportunity to see what profress they are making.
* Review dates and arrangements:
– they should be regularly reviewed (reviewed at least twice a year, but would be beneficial to review them each term) and changes to suit what is found to be working and not working.
– they should discuss future planning and direction and
– an opportunity for all parties to provide updated advice or information
* A set of success criteria to measure how the ILP is going/how well it is assisting the child’s learning
What should they target?
* They should focus on 3-4 individual targets, based around the needs of the child.
* Can relate to the curriculum (e.g. they are allowed to have a C-Pen, they will participate in a MultiLit program or even the teacher will pre-teach vocabulary prior to introducing a new topic) and/or be focussed around social-emotional skills (e.g. they will have methods/strategies of seeking help when needed.)
* Should specific what should be taught, how often, how it should be taught and how it is based on their individual needs.
* The targets should be underpinned by the child’s strengths and abilities, and they can be used to achieve their goals.
* Using SMART goals are a fantastic way to plan goals.
For more information and support to plan your child’s ILP, check out these links below:
* The Individual Learning Plan Guide by the NSW Department of Education (DET) outlines specifically what you should put in your child’s ILP and even how to format it!
* The Raising Children’s website goes through everything involved in the application process! I would recommend checking it out. It says about how it is best if the plan is implemented before the beginning of the school year, however you can approach the school and begin at any point throughout the year.
Tips about timing, deadlines, and what to do if your application is initially rejected:
* While there is no cut-off time for applying ILPs, they will be most effective if implemented at the beginning of the year. You, your child, and the teacher will then all have more than enough time to work out how to go about things and what can be changed along the way. This will maximise support and positive outcomes!
* However, there are deadlines to know about for applying for disability provisions for NAPLAN and the HSC. On the NSW Government website “Applying for disability provisions” , it has a section about deadlines for applications (however, it is best to talk to your individual school about when they are going to submit them).
* There are also important points about appealing declined provisions. IWhen you receive a declined application, you have to submit an appeal within 14 days of receiving it. You must state why their rejection is unacceptable, and reference your evidence of need included in your original application (why your child should have provisions). You also have to include new supportive evidence for why they need the provisions, which could be in the form of medical reports or recent test results that reflect this need.
Here are some NESA contacts which you might find useful for NSW, Australia:
* (02) 9367 8111 or 1300 088 111
* Contact for people based in specialised curriculums: (02) 9367 8333 or curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au
* NAPLAN adjustments/Provisions: (02) 9367 8382 or naplan.nsw@nesa.nsw.edu.au
* HSC adjustments/provisions: (02) 9367 8117 or studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au
* If you feel your child isn’t being granted fair assistance or adjustments, you are able to file a complaint to NESA HERE.
* The general student support contact where you can ask questions about anything related to disability provisions is: (02) 9367 8117 or studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au
Thank you for reading my blog post about adjustments that can be made in the classroom and during exams to better support your ADHD child! I hope I could provide you with enough information to be able to better understand what is actually available, and how to go about applying for them. But remember, first talk to your child’s school to begin the process and they can guide you too!
It may seem intimidating or overwhelming, but this overview should help you with getting started. There are many tips and sources of information from other parents and educators which will help you with understanding it, so I recommend you do a deep dive into all of the resources available if you are interested!
I hope this motivates you to look into this if you’ve been thinking about it, and to share this information with others who feel confused too. You can do this!!!