How to help a teenager concentrate with adhd

[OneCoolMintMember]

Hi son is really struggling to concentrate in school, feel like he is hardly learning at.the moment. He is currently on pathway for adhd but he said he literally just zone's out and doesn't concentrate. Any fidget toys you can recommend as he is 13 or any other hints and tips would really appreciate it thanks

I’m sorry to hear he’s struggling. I’m an adult who still has ADHD, so I get it.

Is his ADHD being treated with medication? Stimulant meds are the first line of treatment. Trying to implement strategies without medication has an abysmal success rate and can cause quite a hit on self esteem.

If he’s not yet medicated, if you are 100% confident in his diagnoses, getting him that treatment should be the #1 priority. He’s at the age where his brain is still plastic enough to be retrained with good habits, but without meds, those habits are highly unlikely to stick.

If he is medicated, there are other tips that might help if you are waiting for cognitive behavioural therapy or ADHD coaching. Happy to share once I’m finished with work (because I shouldn’t be getting distracted by mumsnet :))

Diagnosis, privately by the sounds of it.
Medication.

Fiddle toys are great, but they're basically rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic unless you're addressing the underlying disorder.

My son said this morning his meds saved his life. He's 13. They were game changers. When he's on them he can use sensible strategies and regulate himself. When he's not, he can't. You wouldn't try and treat a broken leg yourself, meds are basically the plaster cast.

I would echo the previous posters, DS went on meds just as he turned 13 and the difference it made to his focus at school is amazing. His most recent report cards are like a different child from the first ones we read. We did have to go private, waiting list here is 3 years.

Meds, and basically eliminating his phone use as much as you can. It’s toxic for all our concentration spans but particularly those with ADHD.

Fiddle toys just distract, they don’t seem to help kids focus. It’s very unlikely that he would be allowed anything beyond a tiny piece of blu-tac in a secondary school environment anyway.

Medication, if it suits him, can be a game changer. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 50 and am now medicated for it. I can honestly say it has changed my life, it has turned down the noise in my head and allowed me space to focus on the things I want to.
Also, better to investigate now than be scrambling for help nearer GCSEs.

Agree.

DS had lots of great interventions and courses from CAMHS before he had meds. No use AT ALL: couldn’t engage.

after meds a totally different boy.

sorry to say but if you can afford to get a private diagnosis from a reputable clinic you should be able to key back into NHS to continue prescription.

good luck

I have a ADHD and use the Pomodoro technique at work - 25 mins work followed by 5 min break. Also, listening to Binaural Beats or Isochronic tones helps me concentrate when working on a tricky piece of work.

I’m not familiar with CAMHS because I’m cross the pond, but out of curiousity, once a child is diagnosed, is it the norm in the UK to try medication as a last resort? I know some parents want that but I kind of put that down to just not having the information, but if that’s the recommended approach, it’s very unfortunate and flies in the face of research based best practices.

I wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my 30s, and by that too late for my brain to reengineer itself too much. I have a great career, hobbies, friends, but due to the energy it takes ti manage my ADHD, I’m single with no kids. By choice because II’m simply not organized enough to be a decent parent or partner and I’d be miserable trying.

@CanadaNotAMum CAMHS is Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. It covers everything from depression to anorexia to ADHD.

DS was diagnosed with ADHD via them but was referred into the 'anxiety' pathway - lots of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. They had lots of great interventions like art therapy, anger management, counselling, family therapy; BUT weren't able to prescribe meds, and weren't that keen. I had to specifically ask to be re-referred to the ADHD and ASD section. Sadly the interventions made no difference to DS as he wasn't able to engage, but had they been offered WITH meds they would have been amazing.

The ironic fact was that the ADHD branch of CAMHS (in our area) didn't offer the same level of interventions!

Thanks all really appreciate all of your feedback. He isn't yet diagnosed so unable to get medication as yet so just trying to manage it as best we can. We are a bit torn when it comes to the medication if and when we need to decide as he has a lovely personality and I don't want to suppress that, I just want him to concentrate especially in school.

He’s lucky to have such a caring mum :)

In terms of medication changing his personality, unless it’s during the titration period (finding the right meds and dose) this is not something that really happens. What CAN happen is that, for some people, being “random”, clowning round, and generally disorganized, and then covering up these things with humour, can seem to others like it’s their personality. And when the meds + strategies start working, those symptoms reduce, and therefore their actions might change because they’re not trying to mask their inner turmoil.
it was never really their personality, it was ADHD symptoms and workarounds from someone struggling to cope. When I started to get my ADHD under control, I was like “Thank god I can finally start acting like the person I am inside!”

Another tip: if he does go on medication, don’t expect changes right away. It can take a long time and a lot of trial and error to find the right medication and dosage. And THEN you have to get to work with habits and strategies. Some people report an instant improvement, but that’s likely just that it IS a stimulant and the first few doses can trigger a bit of euphoria. That euphoric effect should not last…once he’s on the right dose for a few weeks, he shouldn’t have any physical reaction to taking his meds.

And finally, don’t think of ADHD as just a school thing. We can’t medicate people with stimulants 24/7 because it would be hard to sleep, but he has ADHD 24/7. It affects overall organization, hobbies, employment, being more accident prone, risky behaviour, driving, procrastinating doctors appointments, etc. (Just right now, I’m procrastinating caulking my bathroom lol.) People with untreated (unmedicated) ADHD have a higher change of dying before age 30 due to accidents and doing risky stuff. Even after that, our lifespan isn’t as long as the general population because we put off going to the doctor, etc. When properly treated, these risk factors are almost eliminated.

I hope I didn’t scare you and trust me, he’s got a bright future ahead of him! He might always struggle with certain things, but there are loads of ADHD people who have fantastic lives as adults. I’m one of them! It’s constant maintenance, but I’ve got my own business, make plenty of money, have hobbies, have my own house, etc. I may struggle to empty the dishwasher in a timely fashion, but could be worse!

I highly recommend checking out Dr Russell Barkleys books and YouTube. Stay away from Dr Gabor Mate who is not a specialist in ADHD, and even ADDitude.com does promote a lot of pseudoscience. If he does get diagnosed and gets meds, feel free to reach out because there are two or three specific apps that have proven very useful for me, and I’m more than happy to share.

@CanadaNotAMum please would you mind sharing the useful adhd apps via DM? I work with teens with adhd and I'm never sure which apps are useful or not.

I think it's helpful to look at whole lifestyle if you don't already.

Sleep v important. Also exercise.

My son exercises at least twice a day including his lunch break as it helps him focus on classes.

He also had movement breaks in classes.

Not sure if any help for your DS.