Does ADHD cause younger children not to learn as fast?

[Nevergiveup12]

My 4 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with ADHD and starting medication soon. She is in her second year of Pre-K but she still can not identify her alphabet or write her name/spell her name.i was wondering if any other parents have experienced this and what can I do to help?

[Onthemove1971]

Sorry she is struggling. Have you considered an assessment to see if she has any learning issues? If so please write a letter and submit it to the Special Education department. You said starting medication, would this help with focus or impulsivity? Many children need help with both.

Good luck!

[wonders2]

Yes! My son was the same when he was in preschool. Your daughter will need a tutor to help her. You can help her too but your daughter will learn differently and the traditional way you will try to teach her will work a bit but not by much. They need a tutor that specializes in adhd and dyslexia. My son couldn’t write his first name correctly till the end of kindergarten. He struggled with the alphabet. It’s better to not show them the whole alphabet chart because they suffer from attention deficit so the alphabet chart will overwhelm them. Try one letter at a time like a flash card with the upper and lower case letter and then a picture of something that starts with that letter. She will need A LOT of repetition to learn the alphabet. The sooner you get a tutor for your daughter the better she will be and not fall behind as much. Reading will be challenging too so a tutor will be necessary. Pride reading program is what I have been using for my son it’s not cheap but it works and it’s saving my sons education and building his confidence.

[Elijah1]

Agree with the others. An assessment to determine if learning challenges, in addition to ADHD, are present is indicated. You might consider waiting to do any assessment until the ADHD is better controlled so the results will be a more accurate reflection of her abilities.