logo
How to Help Your Kid With ADHD Study for Exams

How to Help Your Kid With ADHD Study for Exams

Yahoo11-05-2025

The end of the school year is here and with it comes exam time for your kids. It can be stressful for all, but especially for kids with ADHD. Many families already have a plan in place, sometimes even worked out with the child's school, on how to accommodate specific needs for test taking.
But there are things parents can do at home to help your child study, keep focus, and reduce the anxiety around test-taking.
Dr. Mukesh Kripalani, a psychiatrist from the The ADHD Centre, reminded everyone that: 'Young people with ADHD aren't lazy or unmotivated, they're simply wired differently and need to revise differently.'
Related:
Dr. Kripalani suggests a different approach to helping kids with ADHD prep for tests. His suggestions are helpful for kids of all ages when studying.
Work out a study plan with your child. Remember to let your child lead the plan, and then it's your job to give them the tools to follow it.
Ask your child things like 'How can I support you today?' instead of saying "You need to study now."
Remind your child to take breaks. Maybe prepare them snacks after 25 minutes of study time. And if they are planning a weekend of power-study, try to have them include a healthy break with friends or even go out to dinner to really allow them to take some time off before delving back in.
Do your best to remove distractions around the house.
Keep their confidence up. Be sure to praise their hard work along the way.
Be flexible and patient. If your child prefers to study at night, be open to it.
Related:
You can think of this as being your child's support system. You are there for them to lean on if they need help, but you aren't there to dictate how and when they should study.
Giving them that support and encouragement may go far in helping them with confidence so they know they can succeed.
Up Next:

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UD professor earns $400K+ for new brain study
UD professor earns $400K+ for new brain study

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

UD professor earns $400K+ for new brain study

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A local professor is receiving quite a boon for their research. University of Dayton biology professor Pothitos M. Pitychoutis, is receiving a grant of $413,681 to study a potential catalyst for conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and ADHD. The purpose behind the study is to find more effective and safer treatments for these conditions. 'Overall, gaining insights into the regulation of calcium-cycling processes in the brain may pave the way for developing new, safer and more effective drug therapies for the treatment of these debilitating and costly brain disorders,' Pitychoutis said. Pitychoutis' study will see a closer look at phospholamban, the calcium-handling protein and its impact in the part of the brain that manages sleep, attention and how we process stimuli around us. The grant will help with Pitychoutis' efforts as well as opportunities available for UD students. 'Working on this project will help prepare some of our talented students to pursue postgraduate studies in neuroscience and follow careers in industry and academia, as well as in biomedical and health-related professions,' Pitychoutis said. While the university currently hosts a neuroscience minor, the program will expand to serve as a major for students beginning this fall. For more information on the study and the grant award to Pitychoutis, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NeuroSigma Announces Notice of Allowance for Patent Protecting Monarch eTNS System in China
NeuroSigma Announces Notice of Allowance for Patent Protecting Monarch eTNS System in China

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

NeuroSigma Announces Notice of Allowance for Patent Protecting Monarch eTNS System in China

LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based bioelectronics company commercializing the Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) device for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), today announced a notice of allowance in China for a patent protecting the Monarch eTNS System. The patent, titled Pulse Generator for Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation, protects certain embodiments of NeuroSigma's core eTNS technology, including its second-generation Monarch device. The patent was allowed by China's National Intellectual Property Administration on May 27, 2025. In 2022, NeuroSigma licensed rights to the Monarch eTNS System for treating ADHD in China to Ignis Therapeutics, a leader in the development of novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) conditions. 'As NeuroSigma continues to grow and work with our partners at Ignis, China will be a critical market for the Monarch eTNS System,' said Colin Kealey, M.D., President and CEO of NeuroSigma. 'This patent protects our second-generation Monarch device in China and significantly strengthens the company's intellectual property position.' "NeuroSigma's Monarch eTNS System is a highly innovative and effective therapy for ADHD,' added Tom Paschall, Director of NeuroSigma and CEO of Checkmate Capital. 'China is one of the largest and most important markets in the world for new CNS therapies. With this patent award, the Monarch device will benefit from robust intellectual property protection, which, we believe, will facilitate commercialization in this key market.' About NeuroSigma NeuroSigma is a Los Angeles, California-based bioelectronic medical device company developing technologies to transform medical practice and patients' lives. The company's lead product is the Monarch eTNS System, which is the first non-drug treatment for pediatric ADHD cleared by the FDA. Pipeline indications for the Monarch eTNS System include neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), learning disabilities, and epilepsy. NeuroSigma has received Breakthrough Device Designation for the Monarch eTNS System from the FDA in drug-resistant epilepsy. For more information about NeuroSigma, please visit For more information on the Monarch eTNS System, please visit Contact:Colin Kealey, M.D., President of NeuroSigma at CKealey@

Red tape stops SA kids from getting ADHD meds
Red tape stops SA kids from getting ADHD meds

News24

time10 hours ago

  • News24

Red tape stops SA kids from getting ADHD meds

Many kids in South Africa, especially those who can't afford monthly doctor's visits, don't access their attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder medication regularly. It's time that we change that script, argues psychiatrist Renata Schoeman. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects between 5% and 7% of schoolgoing children, but because doctors can only prescribe treatment for a month at a time, many kids in South Africa, especially those who can't afford monthly doctor's visits, don't access medication regularly. Methylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant that can significantly reduce symptoms in about 70% of users with the condition and that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends for the treatment of ADHD, helps people with ADHD to concentrate better, and to be less impulsive and overactive. Gold standard Studies have shown that when the methylphenidate - the gold standard for ADHD treatment - is used correctly, children's school marks improve and they become better equipped to develop social skills. In other words, effective ADHD treatment doesn't just help schoolgoers with ADHD to sit still and focus in class, but it also supports them to learn and socialise - outcomes which form the foundation of a healthy and productive adulthood. Methylphenidate is, however, classified as a schedule six drug in South Africa, placing it in the same regulatory category as medicines with a high potential for abuse. Pharmacies are, therefore only allowed to dispense the medicine to people with doctors' prescriptions, and by law, physicians can only prescribe 30 days' worth of methylphenidate treatment at a time. This means patients need to visit their doctor each month for a new prescription. In the private sector, they'd need to pay for a doctor's visit each month, in addition to paying for the medication. In the public sector, patients would need to take a day each month to queue up at their local clinic - and they'd have to make sure a doctor, as opposed to only nurses, is available at their health facility. The current scheduling, as a result, creates huge administrative and financial difficulties for patients and caregivers when they try to get treated, especially for those navigating ADHD's very symptoms: executive dysfunction, forgetfulness and inattention. Daily realities As a psychiatrist working in both the public and private healthcare sector, I've seen first-hand the toll that untreated ADHD takes on children, adults and families - from fractured educational journeys to unemployment, depression, addiction and even suicide. These are not theoretical risks but daily realities for many South Africans. Yet, one of the biggest obstacles that lock people out of treatment - our own healthcare policies - remains unchanged. LISTEN | LISTEN | Do ADHD meds work to cram during exams? It's time for us to change that script. A 2024 qualitative study with 23 South African stakeholders, which included healthcare professionals, pharmacists, regulators, patients and caregivers, revealed they did not see the current scheduling as an effective way to prevent misuse and illegal use. Instead, participants said, classifying methylphenidate a schedule 6 drug ' negatively impacts on treatment adherence '. Our medicines regulator, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) must urgently review the scheduling of methylphenidate to consider rescheduling it to a schedule five drug, which will allow doctors to prescribe six-monthly scripts. Schedule 5 medicines are medications with a low to moderate potential for abuse or dependence. Here are four reasons why methylphenidate should be a schedule 5 medication. More people with ADHD will get treated ADHD is not rare - a review of 53 research studies shows it affects 7.6% of children between 3 and 12 years and 5.6% of teens between 12 and 18. In 65% of cases, children's ADHD persists, at least partially, into adulthood. While we rightly invest in treating chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, we continue to overlook the profound, lifelong impact of untreated ADHD. Studies have confirmed that people with ADHD have a higher chance to also develop other psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression, they're far more likely to suffer from substance use disorders, to have accidental injuries, underachieve in school, be unemployed, become gamblers, fall pregnant as teenagers, die by suicide or die early. These factors contribute to the burden of disease and consequent stress on the health system - but most importantly, they reduce the quality of life of people with ADHD and their families. Medication can change this, yet access is limited. In many poorer communities, virtually no children who need treatment are receiving it. Although stigma and the cost of methylphenidate (on average, in today's terms, between R700 and R1 000 for a month's treatment in the private sector) play a role in making treatment harder to get, having it classified as a schedule 6 drug plays a big part in making the medication inaccessible - and it affects people in rural areas, the unemployed, and those without medical aid the most, which further widens the treatment gap between public and private healthcare sectors. Current scheduling does not prevent abuse Opponents of rescheduling often cite concerns about misuse - especially among tertiary students using methylphenidate for academic enhancement. Although these concerns are valid, evidence suggests that the current schedule 6 classification does little to prevent non-medical use. In fact, studies show that 28.1% of medical students have used methylphenidate without a prescription. This raises an uncomfortable truth: those determined to misuse the drug will find ways to do so, regardless of scheduling. One South African study, showed that of the 11.3% of students who reported having used methylphenidate in the past year, only 27.3% had been diagnosed with ADHD. Despite this, two-thirds obtained their medication through doctors' prescriptions, just under a third got it from friends and 6.1% bought it illegally. Meanwhile, genuine patients - particularly children and teenagers - are penalised by overly restrictive policies that reduce access to the very tools designed to help them succeed. We must ask ourselves: is the current scheduling preventing abuse, or is it merely restricting access for those who need it most? If the answer is the latter, then we have an ethical obligation to change course. Rescheduling does not mean deregulation. It means creating a more nuanced, risk-based framework - one that acknowledges both the need for control and the realities of living with a chronic disorder. More people will take their medication correctly How well someone adheres to their medication determines, to a large extent, how well the medicine works for them. But studies show between 13% to 64% of people with ADHD and who often use methylphenidate, don't use their medication as prescribed. For people with ADHD - with symptoms that impair their ability to organise, plan and follow through - the monthly schedule 6 script requirement can become a self-defeating cycle. The very condition we are trying to treat creates challenges in adhering to its treatment. LISTEN | ADHD cases are genetic. Can you outgrow it? Unsurprisingly, participants in the 2024 stakeholder study mentioned earlier in this article, viewed the current scheduling as counterproductive, and 'expressed their support for the convenience of six-monthly scripts for obtaining treatment'. Stakeholders argued that overall adherence would improve by reducing administrative challenges such as the need to take time off work and arrange monthly doctors' visits. Moreover, research shows, people with ADHD who use their medication correctly, are also more likely to adhere to medication for other conditions, for instance diabetes or HIV infection, that they may have. Improving adherence to ADHD medication therefore does not only improve the quality of patients' lives, but also lessens the burden on our health system overall. The state is doing same thing for antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds ADHD medication is not the only psychiatric medicine that needs rescheduling. South Africa's current HIV plan for 2023–2028 recommends that certain antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are descheduled from schedule five drugs - which only doctors can prescribe - to schedule 4 drugs, so that specially trained nurses are able to prescribe them. Research has shown that there's a high chance for someone with HIV to develop depression or anxiety; these conditions are associated with people with HIV taking their medicine less regularly. But South Africa's government health system - which most HIV-positive people in the country use to get their treatment - doesn't have nearly enough doctors to staff clinics full-time. Instead, nurses run such clinics, with doctors only doing shifts once or twice a week. Getting nurses to diagnose mental health conditions and to prescribe treatment, will mean that patients won't have to return for doctors' appointments to get treated. Policy is never value neutral. It reflects what we, as a society, choose to prioritise. In the case of ADHD, we must choose inclusion over exclusion, access over fear, and healing over harm. Rescheduling methylphenidate is not about giving up control; it's about restoring agency to patients, families and clinicians alike. Sahpra response from CEO Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela: Sahpra is open to the rescheduling of scheduled substances. For this to happen, either the manufacturer of a medicine or anyone in the scientific community who has data for us to consider has to submit a request for rescheduling, along with the required scientific and clinical data. We'll have our names and scheduling committee, as well as our clinical committee, review the submissions. We would also consider additional data, outside of what would have been provided, and then make a decision. This process takes about 120 days. - Professor Renata Schoeman is a Cape Town-based psychiatrist and the co-author of South Africa's ADHD management guidelines and chairs the SA Society of Psychiatrists special interest group for ADHD. She serves on the ministerial advisory committee for mental health and heads up the healthcare leadership MBA specialisation stream at Stellenbosch University. - This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalis m. Sign up for the newsletter. Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store