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

Abstract

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.