Stratigies, tips, and tricks
Dr. Daniel G Amen says, "The teacher is a major determining factor on how well a child with ADHD will do in school". In his book, Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD, Amen discusses strategies for teachers to help students with ADHD become successful in the classroom. These simple tips are critical to school success.
The Teacher:
- Understand and research ADHD or at least be willing to learn about it
- Keep in regular contact with parents
- Keep clear and consistent rules so the student knows what to expect
- Motivate and encourage all students
- Be flexible and willing to make adaptations as necessary
The Learning Environment:
- Keep walls simple: Do not cover every wall with artwork, posters, and pictures. (Too much visually stimulating material may distract students with ADHD)
- Seat the child with ADHD up front, near the teacher, with his or her back to the rest of the students, awar from the door; this decreases distractions
- Reduce or minimize distractions (both audio and visual): Do not place an ADHD student near the air conditioner, heater, high traffic areas, or windows
- Make earphones available to allow children to decrease auditory distractions
- Allow for cooling off periods when the student (or teacher) becomes upset
- Use written, displayed rules in the classroom
- Surrond ADHD students with "good role models"
- Encourage cooperative and collaborative learning, and give non- ADHD students praise and reinforcment for helping out
- Help the ADHD student feel comfortable seeking help
- Provide a quiet place for lunch to decrease the number of lunch time related problems for children who act out during lunch time
- ADHD students can often come in from lunch or recess "wound up". Have the entire class walk around the room and stretch. This is a calming down exercise that will help start afternoon sessions off right
Presentation of Subject Matter:
- Emphasize the teaching approach according to learning style of student
- Increase student participation in lectures
- Make the material highly interactive, interesting, novel, and stimulating
- Foster individual or small group discussions
- Provide taped lecture for replay
- Use demonstrations to illustrate points
- Utilize hands on activities
- Emphasize critical information: teach "the big picture"
- Preview new concepts and vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson and highlight them again at the end of the lesson to reinforce learning
- Use advanced organizers
- Provide visual cues
- Maintain good eye contact
- Present more difficult lessons early in the day
- Make auxiliary materials/services available
Testing Adaptations:
- Give some tests orally
- Have someone read the test to the student if there are reading problems
- Reduce the reading level of the test if necessary
- Adjust the time for test completion
- Short-answer/multiple choice questions are best for many ADHD students
- Shorten the length of the test
- Test for knowledge, not attention span
Discipline:
- "Firm and kinds" are the words to remember
- When you say something, mean it; be willing to back it up, but in a kind, caring tone
- Be very careful not to discipline a child when his misbehavior is the result of confusion or misunderstanding instructions
- Show disapproval of the behavior, not the child
- Stay calm and unemotional
- Have well-thought-out consequences to certain behaviors ahead of time
- Focus 90% of your efforts with the child on noticing behavior you like, to set a positive tone
- Have frequent contact with the parents
The Teacher:
- Understand and research ADHD or at least be willing to learn about it
- Keep in regular contact with parents
- Keep clear and consistent rules so the student knows what to expect
- Motivate and encourage all students
- Be flexible and willing to make adaptations as necessary
The Learning Environment:
- Keep walls simple: Do not cover every wall with artwork, posters, and pictures. (Too much visually stimulating material may distract students with ADHD)
- Seat the child with ADHD up front, near the teacher, with his or her back to the rest of the students, awar from the door; this decreases distractions
- Reduce or minimize distractions (both audio and visual): Do not place an ADHD student near the air conditioner, heater, high traffic areas, or windows
- Make earphones available to allow children to decrease auditory distractions
- Allow for cooling off periods when the student (or teacher) becomes upset
- Use written, displayed rules in the classroom
- Surrond ADHD students with "good role models"
- Encourage cooperative and collaborative learning, and give non- ADHD students praise and reinforcment for helping out
- Help the ADHD student feel comfortable seeking help
- Provide a quiet place for lunch to decrease the number of lunch time related problems for children who act out during lunch time
- ADHD students can often come in from lunch or recess "wound up". Have the entire class walk around the room and stretch. This is a calming down exercise that will help start afternoon sessions off right
Presentation of Subject Matter:
- Emphasize the teaching approach according to learning style of student
- Increase student participation in lectures
- Make the material highly interactive, interesting, novel, and stimulating
- Foster individual or small group discussions
- Provide taped lecture for replay
- Use demonstrations to illustrate points
- Utilize hands on activities
- Emphasize critical information: teach "the big picture"
- Preview new concepts and vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson and highlight them again at the end of the lesson to reinforce learning
- Use advanced organizers
- Provide visual cues
- Maintain good eye contact
- Present more difficult lessons early in the day
- Make auxiliary materials/services available
Testing Adaptations:
- Give some tests orally
- Have someone read the test to the student if there are reading problems
- Reduce the reading level of the test if necessary
- Adjust the time for test completion
- Short-answer/multiple choice questions are best for many ADHD students
- Shorten the length of the test
- Test for knowledge, not attention span
Discipline:
- "Firm and kinds" are the words to remember
- When you say something, mean it; be willing to back it up, but in a kind, caring tone
- Be very careful not to discipline a child when his misbehavior is the result of confusion or misunderstanding instructions
- Show disapproval of the behavior, not the child
- Stay calm and unemotional
- Have well-thought-out consequences to certain behaviors ahead of time
- Focus 90% of your efforts with the child on noticing behavior you like, to set a positive tone
- Have frequent contact with the parents