Support for girls with ADHD (twinkl)

I recently had a discussion with Lauren Brown (Digest Content Writer, SEND at Twinkl) about how schools and other settings can support girls with ADHD. Lauren was looking for input from school staff working in this area on what they see, and what is effective and impactful to make ADHD girls’ experiences of school better. She didn’t get many replies, so she ended up asking if she could base an article on my responses.

Her article How schools and families can support girls with ADHD explores some of the reasons why it can be hard to spot ADHD in girls – perhaps this also explains why she didn’t get more responses from people who felt confident they know how to do this effectively. I think there is a lot of uncertainty amoung school staff about whether know how to support their ADHD students. It’s also confusing if they work with a student who masks. They read about challenges with ADHD, but with these students they don’t always see them as they've read about them. The impacts are still there, but school staff (and parents) can be left confused: What is really going on? Is my support helping or not? Is this a behavioural issue? Is it a mental health issue? Why doesn't this student's ADHD look like that student's ADHD?

I'm working with around 10 girls as an ADHD Coach for teens in Yeovil, Sherborne, Dorset, Somerset and online (don't worry, boys - I work with you too!) and shared some of what I see with Lauren. Within a coaching relationship, I get to see some of what can be hidden by masking – trying to be “how you are supposed to be”, instead of understanding and harnessing how you actually optimally work, learn and express your strengths. This takes a lot of energy, often not very productively – and can have significant impacts on mental health. Support can often be well intentioned, but sometimes aims to help the student continue trying to be someone they are not, and work 'better' in ways that don't work for them. The more school staff can do to understand how ADHD students think and behave - and why – the less need students will have to mask, and the more space they will have to work to their strengths.

As an exam arrangements assessor, I also hear direct from students how ADHD impacts on their learning and particularly on exam performance. Some have been on NHS waiting lists for years and are still waiting for a formal ADHD assessment. That's not OK - but the good news is that there is plenty you can do at home and in schools to support them immediately. You can see Lauren's article with strategies, tools and further links here (and browse Twinkl's other brilliant articles and resources).