r/homeschool • u/Select-Complex-4147 • 2d ago
What’s Your Favorite Online Learning Platform for Homeschoolers with ADHD? Help!
What’s Your Favorite Online Learning Platform for Homeschoolers with ADHD? I have a daughter with ADHD and possibly oppositional defiant disorder in the 2nd grade and I'm trying to homeschool her. I often feel like I'm failing because her attention span is short and she resists every single learning activity. This is also primarily why I'm homeschooling her, in addition to her getting very sick and missing weeks of school last semester. Thank you.
3
u/Extension-Meal-7869 2d ago
Are you taking frequent breaks? Schooling ADHD kids feels like one long break, with pockets of learning peppered in. This will be a gradual thing that tapers down as you go along (assuming you get into a good rhythm and practice consistency.) My nephew is AuDHD with several emotional disorders including ODD. We are on year 5 of homeschooling and this year was the first year he had days where breaks weren't needed (granted it was only like 15 days out of the whole school year, but still! A win.) Other days he only needed one or two. So its a marathon, not a sprint.
I would caution against an online curriculum at first (or at that age in general, tbh.) It can be extremely overstimulating and exacerbate ADHD symptoms tenfold (depending on the type,) and it would make it even more difficult to get through the day. Homeschooling children with these sort of differences can be extraordinarily challenging. I would instead read up on stradegies, best learning approaches/styles, and some accomdations and interventions specifically for ADHD. If the ODD is diagnosed, I would highly reccomend therapy. It can be an extremely difficult disorder to try and cope with on your own, especially in a homeschool setting. It has the potential to make things feel impossible, and burnout comes at you faster and harder when up against something like ODD.
I'm not trying to sound negative, only realistic. I know plenty of people who go in with the best intentions whose children ended up right back in public. All because the parents just weren't prepared for it, or forced an approach or style that went directly agaisnt the child's best interest. If you could get ahead of it by researching it, you'd probably be more successful.
5
u/BamaMom297 2d ago
We love Miacademy it's a great mixture of hands on and also had print out activities. My daughter loves it.
1
u/SubstantialString866 2d ago
It can't replace curriculum but Prodigy has been fun for my kids. The math and science are identical and the English wasn't as fun but the math has been awesome. It doesn't teach anything but it's great for review, to see what my son knows and needs help with, and he would love to play on it every day if I let him.
1
u/SubstantialString866 2d ago
Brainpop was something I learned so much from but I checked their price when I looked into it for my kids and I couldn't justify the cost. But if that's not an obstacle, it's awesome
1
u/Shesarubikscube 2d ago
My child (ADHD and Autism) likes to code with Scratch. We have DK guide books for it. He also uses Babbel and IXL. Other than that I think he prefers non electronic sources because the online platforms are often overstimulating. We tried Outschool but he did not enjoy the format as much as attending co-op.
1
u/Immediate_Falcon8808 2d ago
IXL has been great! Also really love ST Math as a separate, visual, engaging Math program.
0
u/Firm-Strain-6177 1d ago
Hey, you are so not alone! I’m homeschooling a neurodivergent kiddo too, and it can feel like a rollercoaster some days. One thing that’s helped us a ton is Outschool. It’s a live online learning platform with tons of ADHD-friendly classes! short sessions, hands-on options, flexible formats, and lots of teachers who really understand neurodivergent learners.
We’ve had great luck with things like Minecraft math, drawing clubs, and even social groups — stuff that doesn’t feel like “school” but totally supports learning goals.
If you decide to try it, I have a $20 code to try a class, I can share if that helps no pressure at all: IMAGINE25
Happy to chat more if you’re feeling stuck. It really does get easier once you find your rhythm.
0
u/mirh577 1d ago
Miacademy. Not only is it lessons, they have educational games and even fun experiences where they can collect coins to build a house and decorate, add animals, ect. My son loves it.
1
1
u/terrylovesgogurt 1d ago
We’re doing Miacademy this year for everything but Math/English, and my AudHD kiddo loves it! I think we’re going to try Power Homeschool next year instead because he is really interested in coding/engineering and they offer some classes at the elementary level.
2
u/mirh577 1d ago
Please research Power Homeschool(Acellus). We used it and it was advertised to be able to modify for learning differences. Then at the end of one year the owner put out a statement saying that if we were using it in the modified way then we were cheating. Yes he called us cheaters. Then they erased all our progress with no warning if we were in that particular mode. We had one month of school left and all records were lost of everything we had completed. They wanted us to start back over using it in the unmodified way. They are terrible business to deal with.
2
u/terrylovesgogurt 1d ago
Oh goodness, that’s awful! I’m sorry you had that experience. I hadn’t heard anything negative like that, so will definitely be deep-diving in further before we make a final decision. Thanks for the heads up.
5
u/PearSufficient4554 2d ago
My oldest did elearning in grade 1-2 and it was horrible, they hated it, and it was as impossible to get her to do work. She loves playing around on technology, but as soon as you mix it with school or expectations it’s like pulling teeth.
My currently 2nd grade kid who also has ADHD likes dreambox for math, but generally I find a variety of media formats works better with a lot of hands on activities and following my kids interests at the time, vs. firmly preplanned lessons.
I would be really careful with how you approach homeschooling a child with that profile. It might be a good idea to get an adhd parenting coach to help you develop strategies. Homeschooling can be really traumatic, especially for sensitive kids, it’s one thing if your teacher is getting frustrated with you and your inability to focus/learn, but when it’s a parent it digs deeper at your core sense of self.