Walk Alongside Children with ADHD
Cover photo image credit: UnsplashI’ve recently invited an old classmate and a close friend, Kathy, to record a podcast episode together. We discussed the gap between ADHD research findings and the realities of classroom teaching.
Kathy worked as a secondary school teacher in Hong Kong for over ten years before later supporting SEN students in primary schools. She has extensive teaching experience and eventually moved to New Zealand to study educational psychology. I’ve learnt a lot through our conversation.
In this podcast episode, we discuss how teachers may recognise behavioural characteristics associated with ADHD, and why both educators and parents benefit from developing a stronger scientific understanding of ADHD. At the same time, even when research evidence is available, there are still significant challenges in translating scientific findings into real classroom practice.
Kathy also shares several practical teaching examples and principles, including:
- Common classroom behaviour observed among children with ADHD
- Why language learning and Chinese writing acquisition can be particularly demanding for some children
- How adjustments in teaching approaches can help children participate more confidently in class
- Ways parents can support children at home
- How we can more compassionately understand children’s behaviour and learning difficulties
The most memorable point from Kathy was that supporting children with ADHD is, in many ways, no different from supporting any other child. They are all simply children. What they need is not only more cognitive-behavioural training, but also more understanding and patience from adults. We don’t mentor; we walk with them.
This left me reflecting on something broader: approaching research and education with a mindset of treating all people with equality is itself a fundamental form of humanism. Should we then have “special education”, if education is just for all?
Anyway, the podcast will be held trilingually (English, Cantonese, Mandarin), depending on the preference of the guests. I hope the subtitle translation on YouTube can benefit conversations across communities despite the language we speak.
The first episode is now live: “From the Classroom to Educational Psychology: Walk Alongside Children with ADHD”:
