Teaching the ADHD Child-page2




MODIFICATIONS

1. Many ADHD students have visual perceptual developmental delay and physiologically are not able to write fast, copy quickly, or write all symbols correctly.  If the student is a slow writer and copying is difficult, provide notes and math problems.
2. Assignments should be within the ADHD student's capacity so he/she can experience the satisfaction of accomplishment.  Modification of assignments should reflect the student's learning needs.  As the student's proficiencey increases, assignments can gradually be extended.
3. Help the student divide a project or report into manageable parts.  Discuss the steps needed to complete each part as well as the importance of time management.  For large projects have several deadlines so the student can hand in smaller pars of the project as they are completed.  When possible, show the student an example of a finished project or report so he/she can visualize how it should look completed.
4. Help the student organize his school supplies.
  • notebooks can be color coded to text book covers
  • one binder for all subjects or one for morning classes and one for afternoon classes can simplify organizing task.  Pocket dividers for each class, as well as pencil case in each binder are necessary.
  • check notebooks once a week to help student maintain organization
  • tell student when to clean out unnecessary papers
5. Modification of oral presentations can affect student learning and performance.
  • give a visual presentation in conjunction with an oral presentation
  • give student an outline or completion worksheet to complete during an oral presentation
  • if student is not able to take down a full set of notes during an oral presentation, give him/her a complete set at the end of the lesson
6. Modifying assignments often can enable an ADHD student to achieve skill mastery.
  • adjust time requirements on tests and written work to meet the needs of the student
  • focus on student's strongest sensory input.  Consider your teaching goals when deciding the learning method to be used.  For example, some ADHD students perform better when doing an oral report rather than a written one, in addition, some students may have more success when making a project rather than doing any kind of report.
  • consider student's communication strengths and weaknesses when determining suitable testing methods.  Testing results should reflect the student's knowledge of information and skills taught rather than be a reflection of his/her disability.  Be prepared with alternate methods of testing, e.g. oral, rather than written, untimed, read test to poor reader.


PERSONAL ENCOURAGEMENT

1. Maximize opportunities for the ADHD student to feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment; then give positive feedback.
  • hand drawn smiles, stickers, stars
  • written note
  • positive, verbal reinforcement
  • touch or pat arm, shoulder, head
2. Expect the student to be responsible.
  • create situations for the student to be responsible e.g. give the student a job to do in the classroom
  • even when the student is not completely responsible respond in a supportive, encouraging way to reinforce effort and satisfaction in success
3. ADHD children are concrete thinkers and have difficulty understanding the relationship between cause and affect, this plus their impulsitiviy contributes to their apparent lack of concern for the consequences of negative behavior.
  • never embarrass or belittle a child for his/her negative behavior, negative reinforcement doesn't work and can undermine the student's willingness to try to achieve appropriate behavior.  Negative behavior often masks the ADHD student's fear of failure and low self-esteem
  • refocus student toward positive behavior and activity
  • always expect the student to comply with your requests and to follow directions
  • utilize a system of logical, natural, consequences and positive reinforcement rather than a system of punishment
4. When displaying students' work in the classroom, include the work of the ADHD student.
5. Capitalize on the student's strengths; maximize strengths to compensate for weaknesses.
  • encourage the student to share a special interest or talent or to work with another student on a project or class presentation
  • a special interest or talent can be used as a reward for a job well done
6. Whenever possible, assign choice classroom jobs to the ADHD student to reinforce appropriate behavior and confer higher social status on the student.
7. Maintain an ongoing system of communication with parents to report difficulties as well as positive behavior and improvement.  To facilitate the student's adjustment to school, implement, when possible, the same discipline and reward system as is used at home.  Probably the parents have already determined what management techniques are the most successful with their child.



SOCIAL SKILLS

1. Do not label the ADHD student's behavior in a condemnatory way.  If necessary, discuss privately the student's frustrating or angry behavior with an individual classmate.
2. Provide a neutral time-out area for the student to go to calm down and regain control.
3. Use these steps to respond to misbehavior in a positive way:
  • ignore
  • if negative behavior continues, interrupt the imappropriate behavior
  • restate the rule for appropriate behavior
  • if negative behavior continues, use time-out
4. Resolve conflicts in a supportive, instructional way.  Teach the ADHD student the steps for problem solving and resolving conflicts.
5. Help the student discriminate between unacceptable and acceptable behavior.
6. Teach all students to confront each other in a contructive way to reach settlement rather than to prolong the conflict.
7. Encourage classmates to include the ADHD student in activities.
8. When forming project groups, put the ADHD student with the most popular children as popularity tends to "rub off".
9. The following tactics are appropriate to intervene early in a sequence of difficult behavior:    Problem Solving Skills
  • teach the student to stop, look and listen.  define the problem, suggest possible solutions, and implement and evaluate the chosen solution
  • teach thinking and talking skills to incorporate into problem solving and build self esteem
   Acceptance and Redirection of Feeling
  • encourage the student to express feelings in words
  • suggest acceptable outlets of feelings
  • help the student to see the relationship between negative, upset feelings and inappropriate behavior
   Guidence
  • give the student a boost or suggestion when he/she is stuck so he/she can resolve his/her own problem
   Signals
  • nonverbal signs determined by the teacher and the student can be used to cue the student that his/her behavior is becoming inappropriate
   Regrouping
  • when the student becomes too frustrated to cope with a task, transfer him/her to a less difficult activity where he/she can experience some success before going back to the original taskl




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