Information for Parents of Neurodivergent Children and Young People who are feeling overwhelmed in the midst of navigating the school system and looking for support for their child.
Hi I’m Dempsey, I am a counsellor working with Children and Young People in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
I support Children and Young people with their mental health and wellbeing through 1-2-1 counselling sessions. Some of the young people I see may take time off school to attend appointments whilst others come after school.
As a fellow ADHD’er, I understand from a personal point how challenging the school environment can be at times, and how sometimes children and young people feel that they are doing their best to learn and apply themselves but they often feel like they are failing.
Children and Young People often tell me about their struggles at school for example: teachers not understanding them, finding it difficult to focus and getting into trouble, missing deadlines, missing breaktimes, not understanding the work and feeling overwhelmed by the sensory aspects of the school system. I work with Children to identify the struggles at school, then working together with the parents (under the consent of the child) we look at what reasonable adjustments can be made to support our young people to thrive in the school environment so they have access to education.
SO WHY ARE OUR NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE STRUGGLING AT SCHOOL?
Below are some examples given to me by the children and young people I work with which can help us to understand why they may be struggling with the school environment.
SENSORY PROCESSING CHALLENGES AND OVERWHELM Think of the main 5 senses (Hear, Smell, See, Taste, Touch)
- Hear – Classroom noise, people shouting out, clicking pens, rustling paper, gulping drinks, talking, teachers shouting. Playground noise feels overwhelming.
- Smell – Dinner hall smells like different foods all at once, bad breathe, strong perfumes/aftershaves, body odor, PE changing rooms smell sweaty.
- See – Lots of people rushing round, bright lights, different colours, lots of doors, making eye contact feels painful/ uncomfortable.
- Taste – Needing something to chew, eat or drink – restrictions in place during classes.
- Touch – uniform is restrictive, itchy, it feels funny, rough on their skin, the seams, the parts that are tighter.
OTHER COMMENTS AROUND DIFFICULTIES AT SCHOOL
- Not understanding the work
- Too many instructions given
- Need for movement of their bodies
- Distractions from other pupils
- Worries around getting the work wrong
- Worries that the teacher might ask them to speak in front of others
- Worries around breaktimes and who they will hang out with
- Friends/peers bullying issues and worries around fitting in
- Worries around finding their classes
- Feeling dysregulated and not knowing how to support themselves
- Teachers not understanding their needs
- Not being able to communicate their needs as they sometimes might not fully understand themselves
- Difficulty with controlling their impulses
SO HOW CAN WE HELP SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITHIN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT?
Below is a list of examples of reasonable adjustments that we can ask school to provide in order for our children and young people to feel supported at school.
- Providing clear instructions on the work that has been set for the child, checking understanding and support needs.
- Providing visual aids for children such as colour overlays for dyslexic pupils, or clear instructions written to support the pupil.
- Homework support – checking understanding and guidance on how to complete the homework, outline expectations.
- Allowing the use of ear defenders or loops in classes, corridors and school trips.
- Safe space for lunch breaks – quiet room, classroom etc where the pupil can invite a friend to eat with them away from the busy dinner halls.
- Dinner queue jump pass – allowing children to skip the queue.
- Uniform adjustments to meet the childs needs.
- Early exit pass – leaving the classroom early to make their way to the next class before the other pupils to avoid busy overwhelming corridors.
- Movement breaks during classes to allow children to regulate and get rid of restless energy allowing better focus and concentration.
- Allowing the use of fidget toys, blue tac or paper to doodle on to improve focus and engagement in classes.
- Use of a pen instead of a pencil as some children find the feeling of the pencil on the paper challenging from a sensory perspective.
- Access to a wellbeing room, quiet room, sensory room allowing the child a safe space to regulate and providing necessary sensory input.
- Teachers to avoid “calling on” pupils to answer questions or reading out loud in class.
- Regular check ins with a trusted teacher at the school for the child throughout the day to ensure they have a safe space to talk and avoid the build up of emotions that often comes out at the end of the day.
- Start late/ finish early to support pupils who might feel overwhelmed in larger crowds and busy areas.
- Providing a quiet room for exams and tests, including extra time where required.
SUPPORTING AGENCIES AND ORGANISATIONS
I have linked some external agencies who may be able to help you in supporting your children with other areas associated with their needs both in and outside of school.
The National Autistic Society – Supporting Autistic Children and Young People to improve and enhance education, care and experiences.
PACTS Stockport – Stockport’s official local parent carer forum run by parents for parents, carers, grandparents and family members who have a child / young person between the ages of 0 & 25 years with special educational needs & disabilities including any additional need.
SENDIASS – Special Education Needs and Disability Information, Advice Support Service
ADHD UK – Information, Support, Research, Advocacy and Awareness with a mission to helping people with ADHD.
School Support for Neurodivergent Children and Young People