Collaborating with Teachers

For children with ADHD to do well, teachers need to be allies, not adversaries. Below is information about collaborating with teachers to help your child have a good school year. Collaborating can help get symptoms of ADHD under control.

Ways to build a collaborative relationship with teachers:

• Talk to your child's teacher early in the year. You can write your child's teacher a note on the first day or meet with her/him before school even starts. In the note tell the teacher about your child's ADHD diagnosis. Be honest about your child's behaviors that may be challenging in school. Tell the teacher helpful strategies other teachers or you have used. Give the teacher your contact information. Encourage him/her to contact you if needed.
• Meet with the teacher regularly. Schools have parent-teacher conferences so you can occasionally meet with your child's teacher. These occasional meetings are often not enough for children with ADHD. Set up a time when you can regularly meet with your child's teacher. To show your respect for the teacher's time, set these meetings at his/her convenience.
• Communicate with the teacher often. While teachers are busy people, many have a few minutes once a week to touch base with parents. Many teachers like to communicate through email or a journal passed back and forth with parents. Using a daily report card that has boxes for the teacher to initial the steps of work and homework completion has been shown to help. Ask the teacher the best way and time to communicate.
• Find a balance between advocating for your child and taking the teacher's perspective. Recognize that children with ADHD can create stress for teachers. When behavior problems arise, empathize with the teacher and focus on solutions. Offer suggestions for how to help your child do well. Let the teacher know that you expect your child to behave appropriately at school. However, also explain that ADHD can lead to some involuntary inappropriate behavior and that your child is not trying to be "bad." Avoid being defensive or critical of the teacher. These reactions will only harm your relationship with the teacher.
• Tell the teacher about your child's treatment. You may feel reserved about discussing your child's treatment. However, the teacher will likely appreciate knowing that you, your child, and your child's doctor are working hard to improve symptoms of ADHD. Teachers will work harder to help your child if they know others are working too.

Why collaborate with teachers?

• Collaboration with teachers can improve children's treatment. Regular communication with teachers using standard checklists can help correctly adjust the dosage of ADHD medication and has been shown to reduce symptoms of ADHD.
• Teachers are your eyes and ears during the school day. Teachers can let you know about problems that are arising. Many behaviors of ADHD only come out at school where the child has to sit and pay attention for long periods. Teachers can also help you identify your child's strengths. Teachers are great at identifying what is "normal", and "not normal", because they can compare your child's behavior to many other children. This can help you be aware of problems you may have not recognized.
• Teachers can build positive relationships with your child. Teachers can encourage your child to be hardworking and successful.