SWATCA 2025 - South Western Alberta Teachers' Convention

ADHD is not what you’ve been told: an inability to pay attention and sit still. The common misconception is if the student would only try harder, do the work, and focus like they do on video games, they could overcome their academic struggles. This only serves to reinforce the belief that ADHD is purposeful defiance, failure to comply with your requests, or meet basic standards. This causes the ADHD student to lose confidence in their own abilities, triggering a lifetime of underachievement and struggle. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for managing ADHD. Supporting ADHD students starts with understanding how the ADHD brain processes information (yes, they’re all unique) and helping them tap into their strengths. Parenting coach and teen advocate, Aly Pain, herself an ADHD adult and parent to an ADHD child, will talk about what it’s like to be able to excel at one thing and be utterly stumped by another, and how understanding her own brain has helped her unlock her own potential. Key Take-Aways: · What Having ADHD Feels Like in a School Environment – Aly shares how ADHD brains process information and how that leads to frustration in structured environments like school. · How to Help Your ADHD Students Succeed in a Neuro-Normal World – Aly talks about why the typical “try harder” advice isn’t helpful and actually does more harm than good. She shares how teachers can play a key role in their success in a neuro-normal world. · The Key to Creating Effective Adaptions that Work – Aly explains how to identify the unique ADHD characteristics and match them to effective adaptations.