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Working With Students Who Have ADHD:

Students with ADHD are a challenge for both parents and teachers. Directions are repeated over and over, simple tasks are complicated and drawn-out and emotions often run high. Here are some key modifications that teachers can use in the classroom.

Classroom Modifications:

1. Seat the student near the teacher
2. Allow the student to stand at his/her desk
3. Reduce unnecessary noise, clutter and and movement in the classroom
4. Purposefully teach organization

Modifications to the classroom structure or layout can help minimize distractions to the student. While this is not a perfect fix or a solution to the difficulties that a student with ADHD faces on a regular basis, they can help some. It is important for teachers to realize that the reason distractions are so unsettling to a child with ADHD, is because the child attends to everything at once, making it difficult to attend to any one thing exclusively. The result is that the child cannot tune out distractions and focus on school work the way other students can.

Instructional Modifications:

1. Keep your voice low
2. Repeat directions
3. Have the student repeat directions back
4. Use a timer to provide structure to an activity
5. Teach lessons using visual, audio and hands-on learning methods

When modifying instruction, teaches need to focus on ensuring that students hear and comprehend certain aspects of the lesson, such as directions or key facts. Repeating the information, having the student repeat things, extra structure and teaching to every learning style will help but not guarantee that the child will effectively learn the lesson. It is doubly important for parents to be on board and helping out at home so that the students receive extra instruction through the homework each day.

Routine Modifications for the School Day:

1. Provide Extra Structure
2. Stick to a routine
3. Expect the student to learn and obey, but do not get angry when you have to repeat yourself
4. Provide warnings before transitions: “in 5 minutes we will be doing this”
5. Make an effort to praise the child frequently
6. Set up a behavior plan for the student

A routine provides fewer distractions for a student who suffers from ADHD. The changes in the schedule or even between activities can be enough of a distraction to make it difficult for the child to focus on the next activity. Frequent praise and redirection can help and a behavior plan may be helpful as well in focusing the child on each activity.

Assignment Modifications:

1. Shorten assignments
2. Break assignments into smaller pieces

Students who struggle with ADHD will often have difficulties completing a task. This is because something distracts them, whether and external stimuli like the student at the next desk tapping a pencil, or internal stimuli like wondering what will be served for lunch. Providing opportunities for students to complete short steps of an assignment before getting directions for the next step may help keep the student on task. Teachers can also assign a buddy student who can help remind the child with ADHD of the directions, answer questions and prompt back to task.

Additional Programs/Information on ADHD

1. Utilize the Total Focus Program
2. Read the book: All About Attention Deficit Disorder
3. Understand this information on ADHD Stimulants.

Books I recommend: