On the 31st October all the children took part in activities to raise awareness of ADHD. We imagined what is was like to walk in someone else’s shoes and how empathy is extremely important. The day was full of learning about how ADHD represents itself in others and how it can be different for everyone. We spoke about the idea of a ‘speedy brain’ a simplified version of how the ADHD brain functions in its own neurodiverse way and how this is often shown through the individual being inattentive and hyperactive. We used the analogy of an iceberg to show that these may be the things on the surface that are most noticeable but there is a lot more underneath that people with ADHD struggle with.
As a school we looked at how we are inclusive and how we could help those who were feeling overstimulated and overwhelmed. In the afternoon all the children took part in sensory circuits looking at alerting, organising and calming our bodies ready to learn – we spoke about how this could be a strategy that they might want to use with peers to help them. The children took part beautifully and it was lovely to see what empathetic and kind children there are at Dudley House School.
