I know that it can be hard for ADD Students to make and keep friends. ADHD can make it hard to learn good social skills and to pick up on non verbal cues from others.
But if you can manage it, your ADD Student could benefit greatly from a buddy in each of his or her classes.
A buddy doesn’t have to be someone you hang out with on a regular basis, just someone who can help fill in the blanks when your child needs it.
For instance, my son Andy has a buddy in his psychology class and one in his speech class. If he forgets an assignment or a due date, he can contact them and find out what he’s missing.
Hmmm…..just realized both buddies are girls. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
My daughter Caitlin has a sort of similar arrangement. She has buddies in some of her classes, too, but she also knows which teachers have a comprehensive syllabus that she can refer to and which ones are open to her contacting them.
It’s important when these relationships are set up that the buddy doesn’t feel taken advantage of.
It can easier for a kid with ADHD to rely on their buddy for things that are difficult for them, like remembering assignments, but if it becomes obvious that they are letting the responsibility fall to their buddy, they will find themselves buddy-less before too long.
If you can work with your ADD Student to help them develop skills of their own, and to think of their buddy as emergency back-up, you will all benefit.