ADD learning support in Bermuda

What is ADD?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) involves persistent attention and focus challenges, sometimes with impulsivity but lacking the hyperactivity component present in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADD struggle to maintain concentration and organise tasks, leading to difficulties in various aspects of life such as academics, work, and social interactions. These children may often daydream, have difficulty following instructions, and appear forgetful or disorganised. While the term ADD is now rarely used, it historically described a subtype of ADHD primarily characterised by inattentiveness without hyperactivity.

Support for children with ADD in Bermuda

Unfortunately, children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in Bermuda have limited access to specialised support. Currently, only one school, the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, caters specifically to children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). However, this school has a limited capacity and only enrols students between 6 and 14 years of age. This leaves a significant gap for children with SEN during the crucial 14-16 and Sixth Form years, as there are no dedicated provisions for them on the island.

Educational options for those with ADD in Bermuda

There are two main schooling options for those with ADD in Bermuda.

Traditional schooling

The first option is to send your child to a traditional school in Bermuda such as Warwick Academy or Saltus. The advantages to this approach are largely social, with your child able to make friends within the context of daily school life. However, there are risks to this approach. Whilst some teachers are excellent practitioners who pride themselves on adaptive teaching to ensure that all learners in the classroom are able to access learning material, this is hard to do at class-level and some teachers may fall short of providing scaffolding for each student in their classroom. For ADD this may manifest as a lack of consistency in the use of visual aids, and tasks that are not adequately broken down into manageable steps.

Homeschooling

The pedagogy and practice of homeschooling has evolved to such an extent that it is now often seen as the better schooling option by stakeholders, especially with regard to Special Educational Needs (SEN). One-to-one tuition ensures that any misconceptions are tackled at source, which is often hard to accomplish in a classroom setting. The tutor can also make use of pedagogical techniques such as ‘chunking’ and ‘dual-coding’, both specifically designed to tackle cognitive issues arising from ADD and ADHD, as well as personalised instruction and examples to ensure student understanding.

Our approach

At Chapkin Edwards, we combine world-class tutors with a truly bespoke approach for each student that captures the essence of their unique learning style. Our tutors are well versed in techniques such as chunking and dual coding that enable students with ADD to encode new knowledge as part of a schema, all the while allowing the tutor to identify when your child might need the learning breaks and pastoral support that are hard to come by in a traditional school setting.

Tutoring for students with ADD at Chapkin Edwards

If you are interested in arranging personalised tuition catering to the specific demands of learning with ADD, please get in contact here.