Original article
Remote Learning During COVID-19: Examining School Practices, Service Continuation, and Difficulties for Adolescents With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

This study examined remote learning practices and difficulties during initial stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods

Participants were 238 adolescents (132 males; 118 with ADHD) aged 15.64–17.99 years and their parents. Adolescents and parents completed questionnaires in May/June 2020 when in-person schools were closed in the U.S.

Results

Twenty-two percent of families incurred financial costs to support remote learning, and only 59% of school-based services received before COVID-19 continued during COVID-19 remote learning. Adolescents with ADHD had fewer routines and more remote learning difficulties than adolescents without ADHD. Parents of adolescents with ADHD had less confidence in managing remote learning and more difficulties in supporting home learning and home–school communication. Thirty-one percent of parents of adolescents with ADHD with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or receiving academic accommodations (504 Plan) reported remote learning to be very challenging, compared with 18% of parents of adolescents with ADHD without an IEP/504 Plan, and only 4% of parents of adolescents with neither ADHD nor an IEP/504 Plan. Fewer adolescent routines, higher negative affect, and more difficulty concentrating because of COVID-19 were each associated with greater adolescent remote learning difficulties only in adolescents with ADHD.

Conclusions

This study provides initial findings of the nature and impact of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative for schools and communities to provide the necessary supports to adolescents, particularly those with mental health and/or learning difficulties, and to their parents.

Section snippets

Participants and procedures

Data for the present study were collected from May 16, 2020, to June 15, 2020, when in-person schools were closed and social distancing recommendations were in place in the U.S. Participants were 238 adolescents (132 males; aged 15.64–17.99 years) in 9th through 11th grades during the 2019–2020 academic year (only one participant was in ninth grade because grade retention) who were initially recruited in eighth grade from local schools across two sites in the Southeastern and Midwestern U.S.

Rates of remote learning practices, school response, and financial burden

The majority of adolescents reported engaging in class meetings online (59%) and watching recorded videos (53%). A significant minority reported having online office hours with teachers (41%) and individual online meetings with teachers (31%). Notably, 21% of adolescents reported receiving no remote/online learning instruction during stay-at-home orders. Adolescents from low-income families were significantly more likely than adolescents from high-income families to receive no remote/online

Discussion

This is the first study to document the rates of remote learning practices and school services during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed and to examine remote learning's impact on adolescents. This study also provides the first evidence that adolescents with ADHD and their parents have had more difficulties than adolescents without ADHD with remote learning during the pandemic.

The majority of adolescents reported having online class meetings and watching recorded videos during

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    Conflicts of interest: None of the authors has a conflict of interest to disclose.

    Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, or National Institute of Mental Health.

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