Actionsets help people take an active role in managing a health condition.  How to help your child with ADHD be successful in school

Why? - Why the action is important? Why should you help your child be successful in school?

Inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity can interfere with the ability to learn and participate appropriately in classroom activities. The child with ADHD who does poorly in school has an increased risk for:

  • Poor or failing grades. If the symptoms are not treated, a child may lose interest in school and drop out.
  • Developing behaviour problems, such as school phobia or a conduct disorder.
  • Risky, antisocial, or criminal behaviours.
  • Alcohol and drug use.

Poor school performance can harm a child's self-esteem, which affects personal, family, and social life. People with low self-esteem feel that they do not belong, that they cannot learn and accomplish things, and that they do not have anything to contribute. They lack confidence in their abilities to be successful in life.

Test Your Knowledge

  1. If a child with ADHD is successful in school, he or she is more likely to have which of the following qualities?

    1. Low self-esteem
    2. Confidence
    3. Participate in antisocial or criminal behaviour
    4. Develop behaviour problems

Continue to How? - Learn the steps involved in taking action. How to help your child be successful in school
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Author: Carrie Henley
Sabra L. Katz-Wise
Last Updated: August 31, 2006
Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Mina Dulcan, MD - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics

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