Back-to-School Anxiety: How to Support Kids with ADHD Through the Transition

Back-to-school season often brings a mix of excitement and nervousness. For kids and teens with ADHD, however, the transition can feel especially overwhelming. Shifting into a school routine, managing new academic expectations, and navigating social dynamics can heighten anxiety. The “what if…” questions—What if I can’t keep up? What if my teacher doesn’t understand me? What if I don’t fit in?—can feel relentless.

Parents feel this stress too. In fact, research shows that children with ADHD are 2–3 times more likely to experience anxiety disorders compared to their peers. That means the back-to-school transition isn’t just about new supplies and schedules—it’s about emotional preparation for your whole family.

The good news? With planning and support, kids with ADHD can enter this new school year with even greater confidence than they had leaving the last one. Here are five strategies to ease anxiety and help your child thrive.

1. Manage Your Own Concerns First

Children often tune in more to how parents feel than to what they say. If you’re visibly stressed, they’ll mirror it. The first step is to regulate your own emotions.

Take a moment to identify your top concerns—whether about academics, behavior, or logistics—and write them down. Then, create a brief “Action Plan” for each worry (e.g., schedule an IEP check-in meeting, confirm after-school transportation, or set up a homework station). Feeling proactive helps you project calm. When you model steadiness, your child learns by example how to manage stress.

2. Identify Their Worries

We can’t help children lower their anxiety until we know what’s fueling it. ADHD brains are prone to “catastrophic thinking”—one worry quickly spirals into many. In fact, a 2022 CDC survey found that 37% of children with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder.

Hold regular check-in conversations (weekly or twice a week) where your child can share their concerns. Write them down and choose one worry at a time to work on together. Narrowing the focus prevents overwhelm and creates a sense of progress. For example: if your child is nervous about making friends, brainstorm ways to initiate small conversations or practice introductions.

3. Consider Prior Successes

When kids are anxious, they experience amnesia about times in the past when they overcame obstacles. Talk about a situation or two from the previous school year when there was a challenge  they handled successfully. What happened? What internal resources did they rely on to do this? Did anyone assist them? Write down their responses: these are critical pieces of your youngster’s resilience toolkit that they need for bouncing back from anxiety. This is especially important for young adults who might be starting post-secondary studies or jobs! Link some of these tools to the worry that you both have agreed to work on. Cue them to use this tool and check in about how it’s going at your family check-ins. Brainstorm what you can do to assist them that works for both of you (especially for your ADHD tweens and teens).

4. Validate, Don’t Just Reassure

Anxiety loves reassurance. But while reassurance brings about short-term relief, it increases long-term anxiety because it doesn’t teach kids the skills they need to do this for themselves. Avoid saying things like, “Don’t worry, it’s all going to work out!” This doesn’t address your child’s specific worry, and they won’t just take your word for it that everything will turn out ok. Instead, validate their feelings by saying, “I hear that you’re worried about having more homework this year. That makes sense. Let’s think about what worked last year and how we can use those strategies again.”

Validation teaches kids that their concerns are real and manageable. It helps them feel understood, while also building problem-solving skills—critical for ADHD learners who may already struggle with self-regulation and self-advocacy.

5. Create Predictable Routines and Supports

Research shows that consistent routines significantly reduce stress in children with ADHD and improve executive functioning skills.  While it's  true that kids with ADHD thrive on structure, change can derail their sense of stability. Start practicing school-year routines in small ways before the first day: adjusting bedtimes, doing a “morning dry run,” or creating visual schedules. 

This is also the time to revisit IEP or 504 accommodations. Reach out early to teachers or school counselors to confirm supports are in place. Organize supplies together, designate a homework-friendly space, and build in downtime for play, exercise, and rest.

Encourage rituals that boost self-confidence, too—like affirmations (“I can handle new things”), reviewing strengths, or setting small weekly goals. These practices help kids feel grounded and capable in the face of change.

A Final Note for Parents

Back-to-school anxiety is real—for kids and adults alike. If your child has ADHD, it’s natural to feel some worry about what the year will bring. But by managing your own stress, listening with empathy, building on past successes, and creating reliable routines, you can help them step into the school year with steadiness and confidence.

With support, children and teens with ADHD don’t just survive transitions—they learn to grow from them. And each year, their confidence in navigating change grows stronger.

Warmly,

Dr. Sharon Saline