adhd techniques
The classroom environment can be a very challenging place for a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents of students with ADHD need to advocate for their younger children to get the appropriate accommodations for their student. As a future educator, I am learning the importance of having a welcoming and open line of communication to the parents and guardians of students. If an issue was to arise, the teacher would want the parents or guardians to feel welcome with speaking openly so that both parties can work together to find a solution. If you can work with your student's teacher and support them, your student will have a very positive experience in the classroom. The information below covers communication, behavior plans, homework helping tips, and further articles for your enjoyment at the end.
Definition
The DSM-IV defines ADHD as having the following features: (Source in References Tab)
A. Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and is more severe than is typically observed in individuals at comparable level of development.
B. Some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms must have been present before seven years of age.
C. Some impairment from the symptoms must be present in at least two settings.
D. There must be clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic or occupational functioning.
E. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorders and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder.
Communicate with School and Teachers
Communication is one of the most important tools in creating a positive learning environment for your student. Parents of students with ADHD need to continually be in communication with their student's teacher to see if their remedies are proving successful, if the student is on task, if there are any issues with peers, etc. Positive and constructive methods of communication are essential in order to best help your child succeed in school. Below is a list of positive communication strategies to use with your student's teacher.
Develop and Implement a Behavior Plan
Homework Helping Tips
Below is a list of suggestions to make homework more fun for your student with ADHD! One positive way to keep a student's attention focused on learning is to make the process fun! For example, in accordance with literacy, it is helpful and fun for parents, guardians, and family members to read aloud to children. Hearing the sounds of the words and the fluency of reading in turn creates a heightened awareness of sounds and their meaning. Also, it can be helpful to act out part of a story that seems to be confusing to the student to help them to picture what is occurring in the more story in a more visual, effective way.
Organization
Organization is equally important when helping a student with ADHD. I have attempted implemented these personally with a family member and they have proven themselves useful! Specifically, helping the student to learn and make checklists is the first comprehensive goal towards self-monitoring success for a student with ADHD. Making this checklist into a routine for the student is very helpful and takes steps towards eliminating late or missing assignments, unpreparedness, and confusion. Additionally, choosing a specific location and time of day for homework to take place is extremely important! Again, making this into a regular routine for the student helps them to self-monitor and go straight to doing homework after school. Through experience with both of these ideas in conjunction, my family member was able to come home from school, go to the "homework station," take out his checklist, and begin his homework independently while self-monitoring progress. Below is a list of additional suggestions to help a student get a fresh start!
Definition
The DSM-IV defines ADHD as having the following features: (Source in References Tab)
A. Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and is more severe than is typically observed in individuals at comparable level of development.
B. Some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms must have been present before seven years of age.
C. Some impairment from the symptoms must be present in at least two settings.
D. There must be clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic or occupational functioning.
E. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorders and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder.
Communicate with School and Teachers
Communication is one of the most important tools in creating a positive learning environment for your student. Parents of students with ADHD need to continually be in communication with their student's teacher to see if their remedies are proving successful, if the student is on task, if there are any issues with peers, etc. Positive and constructive methods of communication are essential in order to best help your child succeed in school. Below is a list of positive communication strategies to use with your student's teacher.
- Plan ahead. Arrange to speak with school officials or teachers before the school year even begins. If the year has started, plan to speak with a teacher or counselor on at least a monthly basis. I have found that teacher schedules are quite busy, so planning a meeting in advance benefits both the schedules of parents and teachers. Also, it is helpful to give the teacher time to prepare for the meeting and have materials ready that might be necessary.
- Make meetings happen. Agree on a time that works for both you and your child’s teacher and stick to it. Avoid cancelling. If possible, meet in your child’s classroom so you can get a sense of your child’s physical learning environment to determine any potential issues you might be able to discuss with your student's teacher. In doing this, you can see where your student sits, what he could find distracting, how his or her desk is organized, etc.
- Create goals. Discuss your hopes for your child’s school success. Together, write down specific and realistic goals and talk about how they can be reached. For students with ADHD, these goals might be specific to behavior and academic areas where the student struggles in.
- Listen. Every teacher wants to see students succeed at school. During meetings, it is important to listen to what he or she has to say, even if it is sometimes hard to hear. It is essential to understand your student’s challenges in school and discuss any possible solutions that could work.
- Share information. By sharing parent information and observations with the data and observations of the teacher, it helps to lead to a more comprehensive overview of what the student may be struggling with. By sharing these observations in a positive environment, it further opens the lines of communication to create a positive relationship with the teacher to find solutions to help your student.
- Ask the hard questions and give a complete picture. Communication can only work effectively if it is honest. Be sure to list any medications your child takes and explain any other treatments. Share with your child’s teacher what tactics work well—and which don’t—for your child at home. Ask if your child is having any problems in school, including on the playground. Find out if your child can get any special services to help with learning.
Develop and Implement a Behavior Plan
- Distractibility. Help kids who distract easily involves physical placement, increased movement, and breaking long work into shorter chunks. If a student was incredibly distracting to both themselves and others, I would seat the student at the front of the room in hopes that having a limited view of the rest of the class would heighten their attention and focus.
- Interrupting. Reduce the interruptions of children with ADD/ADHD should be done carefully so that the child’s self-esteem is maintained, especially in front of others. I have noticed this more frequently than other issues throughout my field placements because students can become so excited and interrupt constantly to try and convey their thoughts or opinions. I would address this by asking the student to please keep his or her thoughts to themselves until the end of the exercise or activity. After, they can share their ideas at a more appropriate time and with an engaged audience.
- Impulsivity. Methods for managing impulsivity include behavior plans, immediate discipline for infractions, and ways to give children with ADD/ADHD a sense of control over their day. For example, in my field placement one student operates on a points system throughout the day. If the student is not behaving appropriately, he will lose a sticky note. If the student is behaving wonderfully, he will receive a sticker on his sheet along with notes from the teacher explaining what he did to exhibit remarkable behavior.
- Hyperactivity. Strategies for combating hyperactivity consist of creative ways to allow the child with ADD/ADHD to move in appropriate ways at appropriate times. One accommodation for hyperactivity might be to use exercise balls in the classroom for students to sit on and get the wiggles out during lessons.
- Following Directions. Helping children with ADD/ADHD follow directions means taking measures to break down and reinforce the steps involved in your instructions, and redirecting when necessary. One idea to address this issue would be to cut up worksheets into pieces and give students one piece at a time. This would lessen the stress on the student by not providing the entire worksheet at once and more quality work would come from the student in small dosages.
Homework Helping Tips
Below is a list of suggestions to make homework more fun for your student with ADHD! One positive way to keep a student's attention focused on learning is to make the process fun! For example, in accordance with literacy, it is helpful and fun for parents, guardians, and family members to read aloud to children. Hearing the sounds of the words and the fluency of reading in turn creates a heightened awareness of sounds and their meaning. Also, it can be helpful to act out part of a story that seems to be confusing to the student to help them to picture what is occurring in the more story in a more visual, effective way.
- Play games
- Draw pictures
- Invent silly acronyms
- Read to children
- Make predictions
- Act out the story
Organization
Organization is equally important when helping a student with ADHD. I have attempted implemented these personally with a family member and they have proven themselves useful! Specifically, helping the student to learn and make checklists is the first comprehensive goal towards self-monitoring success for a student with ADHD. Making this checklist into a routine for the student is very helpful and takes steps towards eliminating late or missing assignments, unpreparedness, and confusion. Additionally, choosing a specific location and time of day for homework to take place is extremely important! Again, making this into a regular routine for the student helps them to self-monitor and go straight to doing homework after school. Through experience with both of these ideas in conjunction, my family member was able to come home from school, go to the "homework station," take out his checklist, and begin his homework independently while self-monitoring progress. Below is a list of additional suggestions to help a student get a fresh start!
- Establish a homework folder
- Keep an extra set of textbooks at home
- Help the student learn to make and use checklists
- Help organize loose papers by color coding folders
- Pick a specific time and place for homework
- Allow the student to take breaks
| adhd_article.pdf |
| tips_for_dealing_with_difficult_parents.pdf |
| parent_teacher_relationships.pdf |
