Investigating the impact of at-home learning on secondary school aged children with ADHD: a qualitative study

Students with ADHD can benefit from at-home learning in terms of managing their symptoms, however lockdown restrictions due to the pandemic are having negative impacts on the student population. This study was designed to ascertain how students with ADHD have been impacted by at-home learning under lockdown restrictions. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted using semi-structured interviews from students, parents and teaching staff. These interviews were used to identify three main themes (anxiety caused by at-home learning, change in social interaction and academic impact of at-home learning) that best identified the participants experiences. The results suggested that whilst supportive home environments helped students with ADHD to better manage their symptoms, social anxiety was a significant problem and not all schools allowed students with ADHD to take full advantage of at-home learning for their students with ADHD.
Secondary School age children who experienced at-home learning during the lockdown of the Covid pandemic in 2020/2021.