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Message March 2025Dear parent/carer,A warm welcome to our spring SEND newsletter. In this newsletter I wanted to cover ADHD, which is thefocus of our next SEND-specific staff and parenttraining session. Neurodiversity week also begins on the 17th of March,with events to celebrate happening in school. More details to follow! As always, if you have any questions or queries, pleasefeel free to get in touch.With warm regards,Emmaemma.boustead@madeley.set.orgSEN-DNEWSLETTERUnderstanding ADHDWhat can ADHD look like?ADHD and the impact on learningExecutive FunctioningHow to stimulate the ADHD brainwithout stimulants5 evidence-based strategies todevelop and support executivefunctioning at home and schoolHow to support your child at homeADHD coping skills for kidsADHD coping skills for teensStrengths of the ADHD brainHow do we harness these strengthsin school?Useful links to find out more aboutADHDCON TENTSA GUIDE FOR PARENTS/CARERS ON SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD

It is not fully understood what causes ADHD, but it can be more prevalent in some families.ADHD affects around 5% of the population. More boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD butthat may mean that they present in a different way. The same may also be true of autism.Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD can also have other conditions e.g. autism, anxietyor sensory processing disorder. These are known as co-occurring. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition which oftenbecomes noticeable in early childhood. Some people, particularly those who have an inattentivepresentation, may not be diagnosed until adulthood. Signs of ADHD include difficulties with focusand attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, which can have a significant impact on everyday life. Understanding ADHDADHD CAN BE DIVIDED INTO 3 PRIMARY TYPES:Inattentive presentationHyperactive-impulsive presentationCombined presentationHow ADHD affects the brain

What can ADHD look like?Behaviours from both typesDifficulty staying focused on tasks or playactivities Being easily distracted Being forgetful in everyday activities Avoiding or disliking tasks that needsustained mental effort Difficulty organising tasks and activitiesFidgeting or squirming Difficulty remaining seated Talking excessively Impulsivity in speech and behaviour Interrupting or intruding on other’sconversations or activitiesInattentive presentationHyperactive-impulsive presentationCombined type

Working memory: ADHD can make it difficult to hold onto and manipulate information when reading orwriting. Long-term retention: Problems with attention can make it more difficult to store information in thelong-term memory, which can impact revision for tests or assignments. Interest levels: It can be difficult to feel motivated if the reading material or task is not on an area ofinterest. This can mean that key skills are not practised. Starting and completing tasks: Procrastination and difficulties starting tasks can impact how long ittakes to complete tasks or completing them in the time allowed. ADHD and the impact on learning Inattention: Difficulty sustaining attention can lead to problems in reading comprehension due to astruggle to focus on reading tasks for extended periods. This can mean that key details or the ‘bigpicture’ are missed. Distractibility: When external stimuli break concentration, it can be challenging to maintain a train ofthought. Reading comprehension: Difficulty retaining information can mean that a passage needs to be readmultiple times to grasp the meaning and might mean important details are missed which impactsinference of themes and ideas. Decoding: Inattention and the sustained effort required to practice literacy skills can lead to slower skilldevelopment and reading fluency. Skimming: Pupils may use skim reading to cope with attention difficulties, which can limitcomprehension and retention of information and ideas. Organisation and structure: Writing requires planning, organising thoughts and coherence – all ofwhich can be difficult for people with ADHD. Writing can lack structure and can mean that people withADHD skip from one idea to another without transitions. Impulsivity: There can be a drive to complete work quickly without proof-reading and improving. Attention and ConcentrationReading SkillsWriting SkillsMemory and RetentionMotivation and Engagement

Executive functions are a set of processes that help people to regulate their thoughts, actions andemotions to achieve their goals. These are essential for everyday day tasks, learning and socialinteractions.People who have a neurodivergence, like ADHD or autism, can have varied and ‘spiky’ profiles when it comes toexecutive functions, which can present challenges.Executive Functioning Impulse control is the ability to pauseand think before acting, rather thanhaving an automatic or habitualresponse. An example of this would be tofocus and resist distractions.Emotional control is being able tomanage and respond to emotionalresponses in a healthy way and beingable to stay calm under pressure. Anexample of this would be being able tocope with a challenging situation, likebeing given feedback on how to improve.Flexible thinking is the ability to switchyour thoughts between differentconcepts, adapting to new or unexpectedsituations and seeing things fromdifferent points of view. This might looklike a child being able to move from oneactivity to another and trying a differentstrategy if the first one doesn’t work out.Working memory is the ability to hold and manipulate information over a short time. An exampleof this could be when a child has to solve a multi-step problem in maths.Self-monitoring is being able to self-reflect, recognise mistakes and make improvements. Anexample of this is checking or proof-reading before submitting a test or assignment.Planning and prioritising is the ability to set goals and work towards them, resisting distractionsand accepting challenges. An example of this is a child who can revise, over an extended period oftime, for a test or exam.Task initiation is the ability to begin tasks promptly, without procrastinating. Pupils who have thisfunction are able to begin tasks quickly after instructions have been given.Goal-directed persistence involves the ability to set goals, develop steps to achieve them andarrange information and tasks logically. This helps with time management and task completion.Pupils who have strengths in this area may use checklists to keep track of their progress and tomeet deadlines.

Make time more tangible by using a phone, iPad or Alexato set timers. Give a time limit of 3 songs to complete atask, for example.Break down larger tasks into smaller steps. Rather than givingan instruction like tidy your room, break this down into:1) make your bed2) put dirty washing in the laundry basket3) open the blindsRecord these steps as a bullet-pointed list.Support emotional regulation by helping to recognise and name emotions asthey occur. Provide vocabulary to discuss emotions. Model responses; talkabout your own emotions and how you feel about books or films to provideneutral ground to explore these. Help your child to develop self-regulation bydemonstrating and practising techniques like deep breathing, grounding andmeditation.Help your child to reflect and recognise where they have successfully overcomea challenge associated with executive function. Encourage them to think howthey could use this technique in a different situation.Use visual prompts like photo prompts, planners, calendars and to-do lists.Use a highlighter to draw attention to key information.5 evidence-based strategies to developand support executive functioning athome and schoolConnections in Mind have a free tool to gain an overview ofyour child's executive function profilehttps://s.pointerpro.com/parent

Parenting a neurodiverse child can require a different ‘toolkit’ of strategies. Beloware some suggestions from Young Minds that you may find useful. Separate your child from their behaviour when you find yourself feelingfrustrated. Get your child’s attention before giving them instructions. Talk slowly. Breakdown tasks into smaller chunks. When presented with challenging behaviour, set clear boundaries, withappropriate consequences, staying calm in the moment. Make sure family, friends and anyone working with your child knows abouttheir diagnosis, so they don’t view behaviours as choices. Build strong routines – regular sleep patterns, physical activity and mealtimes. Help your child to be organised with visual timetables, phone alarms, stickynotes etc. Gradually remove these as they become more independent. Praise in the moment with a specific reason/observation. Manage triggers – look for early signs that your child is struggling and act ifyou can, for example leaving an event early before your child becomesoverwhelmed. Help your child to identify their strengths and celebrate them. How to support your child at home

Like all differences, ADHD presents challenges but also lots of strengths that we want toencourage and celebrate. When given a task or challenge in an area of interest, the ADHD brain can enter a stage ofhyperfocus – meaning a quicker and more efficient outcome. Many of our pupils with ADHD show great resilience and self-awareness; overcomingchallenges, getting to know how they learn best and what strategies work for them in differentsituations. Creativity is a strength of the ADHD brain. Viewing situations from a different perspective canoften lead to unique and unusual solutions to complex problems. Children with ADHD can besome of our big thinkers! Studies have shown that those with an inattentive presentation make greatconversationalists, have higher levels of social intelligence, humour and the ability toempathise with others. They do well in situations where being attuned to others is a keyfeature. Spontaneity and courage are behaviours associated with the ADHD brain. Pupils will often putthemselves ‘out there’ and push themselves out of their comfort zone. Energy! Those with inattentive ADHD can thrive in sporting and physical pursuits. Many eliteathletes have an ADHD profile, including Michael Jordan and Simone Biles. Strengths of the ADHD brain

ADHD and Mental Health | Get support | YoungMindsParents' Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health | YoungMindsChallenging Behaviour | Parents' Guide To Support | YoungMinds A diagnosis of ADHD can only be given by an appropriately qualifiedhealth professional. Referrals can be made via your GP or someauthorities, like Staffordshire, allow parents to make referrals directly.A link to their hub is below.Young people - Online-referral - Combined WellbeingParents, pupils and school will be asked to provide information thathelps with the assessment process. An example of questions that youmight be asked can be found by following this linkSNAP_IV__Teacher_and_parent_rating_scale.pdfSome subjects naturally lend themselves to the ADHD brain, for example PE and other practical lessons. Inother subjects we provide reasonable adjustments for pupils to achieve the regulation they need. Examples of these are:Considering your child’s position in the classroom, to create an environment that providesreduced distraction.Movement breaks or tasks that encourage movement around the classroom or school site.Scaffolding and or adult support to help with organisation.Use of timers or other visual prompts to support time management.Allowing the use of ear loops to block out background noise.Breaking down big tasks into smaller chunks.The use of fidget toys or doodle padsUseful links to find out more about ADHDHow do we harness these strengths in school?Many of our pupils have siblings who have a learning or physical disability, some of whom help to carefor them. This can bring both benefits and challenges.Sibs is a national charity that offer online resources and support for under-18s who fit this criteria. Wewill be signposting this in school, during neurodiversity week, but there is also a good parent and schoolarea to the site that you may wish to look at. YoungSibs - SibsStaffordshire local authority also offers support for young carers, following an initial assessment. Thiscan include mentors, activities and short breaks for carers and their siblings. Young carers - Staffordshire County Council