10/09/2020
Dear friends and supporters of the Stroud Foundation,
During the past seven months, The Stroud Foundation has had the opportunity to deeply consider our purpose and to think about how we can best serve our community during this highly unusual time in world history.
As Covid-19 reared it's head during the 2018-19 school year, the anecdotes about the impact of online learning were clear. As a therapist, mother, aunt and friend, I heard from teachers, parents, children and fellow psychologists about the difficulties that have arisen for all children deprived of the energy, and simultaneous structure, of the classroom, as well as, normal social interaction with their peers, and how Zoom vs in-person learning has required children to spend far too many hours staring at screens. But the community of children with learning differences which we serve has known even greater difficulties. I began to think about how to leverage the resources of the Stroud Foundation to help these children and their families.
By this past summer anecdotal evidence was mounting about the detrimental impact of online learning on kids with ADHD-- kids who had always struggled in a normal school setting but who were now becoming casualties of the new virtual classroom. Their problems were not being addressed and many parents have increasingly expressed concern that their ADHD children are suffering without the support system schools and counselors often provided for children. We believe it is important to address the situation before it spirals out of control, frustrating a population of children who find it next to impossible to learn solely from a screen and leaving many families without recourse. We want to learn what interventions can help kids with ADHD. We want to inform what doctors, school counselors and parents can do to help children with ADHD who are learning on line in the future. It is our mission and intention to find out.
During the past summer, I met with CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD), a national organization founded in 1987 that serves children and adults with learning differences. With the help of more than 5,000 members, 120 support groups and affiliates across the country, as well as more than 1,000 volunteers, CHADD reaches out to individuals affected by ADHD, providing support right in their own community. CHADD shares the Stroud Foundation’s mission to help children with ADHD and our determination to understand the impact of distance learning on cognitive and social development for children.
To that end, I am delighted to announce that the Stroud Foundation is currently designing requests for proposals for research into specific interventions to use for children with ADHD who are learning online. This is research that will provide the data needed to inform parents, teachers, school counselors and all who support online learners, not just during this unprecedented time, but going forward into a future that is sure to incorporate distance learning. CHADD has partnered with the Stroud Foundation in this process, providing access to their comprehensive network of college and university professors and department heads who will bid for the opportunity to conduct research funded by the Stroud Foundation. We are grateful for the partnership in this endeavor and we will keep our supporters apprised of the process as it unfolds.
Research is valuable to inform compassionate yet data-driven, evidence-based practice. To date, there are no studies in the US to support children with ADHD who are learning online. We are excited to fill this much needed gap. We hope you see the benefits too and will join us in this endeavor. Please consider your support and give to this important project at www.stroudfoundation.org/donate.
Thank you,
Dr. Brooke Stroud
