Learning Objectives. Feel free to be You... ADHD is Real! Class Rules. Manage ADHD and Boost Executing Function in the Mainstream Classroom

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1 Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ACAC Manage ADHD Boost Executing Function in the Mainstream Classroom Presented By: Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ACAC ADHD/Executive Function Coach Educator Ed.M. from Columbia University, Teachers College Certified ADHD Coach Certified Think:Kids Mentor Creator of Calm Connected: Parenting Children with ADHD Parent Training Workshop Series Author, 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD Speaker, Writer, Advocate Avid Learner I thank each of your for being here today. Copyright 2015 Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ACAC, PTS Coaching, LCC. 1 2 Learning Objectives Updated information about ADHD Executive Function Strategies for engaging maintaining student s attention active participation Subtle changes in structure environment to improve time management, organizational skills, study skills behavior that can benefit ALL children Feel free to be You... Trouble sitting still? Need to move your seat? Want to take a quick break? Need to ask a question? Whatever helps you pay attention learn... Go for it! 3 4 Class Rules TRANSITION TIME Start or Stop ADHD is Real! Imaging studies of people with ADHD have shown a consistent pattern of below-normal activity in the neurotransmission of the chemicals Dopamine Norepinephrine in the brain s prefrontal cortex. There also appears to be an under-stimulation in the REWARD MOTIVATION centers in the brain. 5 VERY IMPORTANT Write this down! When children with ADHD are faced with tasks that they consider boring, repetitive, uninteresting, they find it difficult to pay attention- Especially without intrinsic reward or motivation! 6

2 Is it Attention Deficit? No - It s a Deficit in Attention Regulation It is not laziness or willful disrespect- It is an inability to regulate the activation of the brain People can pay attention, but not always at the right time for enough time on the right task It s not Unfocused... it s Multi-focused They may also have trouble shifting attention from one task to another... Transitions are often difficult! 7 Impaired sense of time... Performance of children with ADHD in accurately estimating different time intervals was weaker than children without ADHD did not improve when they were tested on medication.* Dr. Russell Barkley, July 1997, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ( ) It s not so much the inattention to the moment, it s the inattention to the future - the time horizon is skewed It s inattention to time! In the world of ADD, there are only two times: there is now there is not now. Ned Hallowell, Author, Driven to Distraction 8 ADHD: An Executive Function Disorder The Executive Functions are a set neurologically-based skills that have to do with managing oneself one's resources in order to achieve a goal. How efficiently you do what you decide to do. Located primarily in the Prefrontal Cortex of the brainthe last part to develop Often referred to as the CEO of the brain, coordinating managing many cognitive functions Typically fully developed by years of age People with ADHD may be as much as 30% delayed in their Executive Functioning Skills This can make learning performing more difficult frustrating Initiation/ Activation Executive Function: The Center for Mental Control Self-Regulation 2. Focus (sustaining shifting) 3. Planning Organizing 4. Effort (regulating alertness, sustaining effort processing speed) 10 Processing Speed The speed of completing a task (responding, reflecting, reacting) with reasonable accuracy. Visual Processing How quickly our eyes perceive information relay it to the brain Verbal Processing How quickly we hear a stimulus react to it Motor Speed Effective processing speed requires: Motivation Regulation of emotion Motor coordination (when a task has a motor component) Processing speed is sensitive to anxiety, stress pressure Processing Speed is often weaker in individuals with ADHD Initiation/ Activation Executive Function: The Center for Mental Control Self-Regulation 2. Focus (sustaining shifting) 3. Planning Organizing 4. Effort (regulating alertness, sustaining effort processing speed) Memory (utilizing Working Memory accessing recall)

3 Working Memory The mental workspace where we store, retain manipulate information (thoughts, facts, ideas) Effective working memory requires the ability to: The brain s Search Engine Requires one to hold thoughts in mind (attention/ concentration) Manipulate thoughts (cognitive flexibility /sequencing) Needed to plan carry out thoughts, actions behaviors Working memory is sensitive to anxiety, stress pressure Working Memory is often weaker in individuals with ADHD 13 Executive Function: The Board of Directors that helps you Do what you Decide to Do Initiation/ Activation (To begin a task or activity) Focus (sustaining shifting) Planning Organizing (Creating prioritizing order structure) Effort (regulating alertness, sustaining effort processing speed) 14 Memory (utilizing Working Memory accessing recall) Self - Monitoring Emotional Regulation (managing frustration modulating emotions) Deficits in Emotional Self-Regulation People with ADHD can be Emotionally Impulsive may have a hard time: Inhibiting their reaction or response Modulating monitoring their level of anger expression of raw emotion Being patient Tolerating frustration Being Flexible/Adaptable Regulating their attention Refocusing away from event or toward an event that might encourage a more positive, acceptable mood Self - soothing or calming Utilizing self-talk as a form of self-guidance As a result they may appear highly sensitive over-reactive 15 Executive Function: A closer look Research found that 25% of the explanation for performance on all kinds of measures, including IQ tests, is predicted not by how much you know but by how you demonstrate what you know, that is the strategies you use to take the test or do the assignment. Sam Goldstein What is the implication for kids with ADHD/ Executive Function Deficits? 16 The Impact of Executive Functions on Learning Emotion: Managing frustration modulating emotions Action: Monitoring self-regulation Effort: Regulating alertness, sustaining effort, processing speed Time Limits Focus: Focusing, sustaining focus, shifting focus between tasks activities Sarah has be at school by 8:30. It takes her 5 minutes to brush her teeth, 10 minutes to shower, 10 minutes to eat breakfast 25 minutes to walk to school. What time will she need to get up? 17 Initiation/Activation: The ability to begin a task or activity Planning Organizing: Creating prioritizing order structure Memory: Utilizing working memory to recall, review, manipulate stored information to complete a task Performance Expectations What else can be part of ADHD? Cognitive hyperactivity Sensitivity to environment Difficulty learning from past experiences Difficulty with transitioning from one thought or activity to another Difficulty taking other s perspective Often sloppy hwriting Difficulty with the writing process Tendency toward addictions Difficulty delaying gratification Difficulty tolerating boredom Beware of the quiet child... you don t have to be hyperactive to have ADHD impairments 18

4 Performance Inconsistency If he did it one time why can t he always do it? Assumption: Lazy, Unmotivated It s not a problem of knowing what to do, But doing what they know. The when where, not just the what the how! If you ve met one person... Just as a cold has different symptoms that show up impact people differently, so too with ADHD Executive Function deficits ADHD is disorder of Performance-not necessarily just Skill Think in terms of a different traits, or characteristics Often there is a discrepancy between IQ performance Kids with ADHD are often very bright, Yet chronic underachievers Nudge a Neighbor What messages does the world give them?? School Friends Lazy Controlling Not Motivated Too much trouble Annoying Greatest impact of ADHD? Family Outside Activities * refer to 12 Things Kids Neurodiversity: It s all in how you Frame it Hyperactive Tenacious / Persistent Day Dreamer Creative / Imaginative Dare Devil Risk Taker / Adventurous Aggressive Assertive Question Authority Lazy Argumentative Manipulative Bossy Distractible 23 Full of Energy Strong Willed Independent Thinker Laid Back Persuasive Delegates Well Signs of Leadership Curious 24

5 Simon Says Don t be afraid to give a break Breaks Boost Learning Neurotransmitters needed for memory construction attention are depleted after as little as ten minutes of doing the same activity. Brain-breaks let the brain chemicals replenish. Breaks can be stretching, singing, jumping, or just changing the learning activity. After just a few minutes, their refreshed brains will be ready for new memory storage. Learning Energizers can be part of the lesson 25 What is a teacher to do when suspecting ADHD or Executive Function deficit? Do: Gather some specific examples that reflect your concern Seek possible observations from other teachers (music, art, gym...) Speak to parents in terms of observations concerns regarding PRESENT performance Don t: Assume it s just immaturity, gender, motivation, character deficit, or BAD parenting Ignore the voice in your gut Use words or terms that imply you are diagnosing Discuss medication Dismiss parental concerns or observations Simon Says Act out vocabulary words H Presses Stretching Wall Pushups Whip Around 26 About the parents... It s often more complex that it appears... Is it their first child? Is the other child exceptional - on one end or the other... What may be going at home - with siblings, parents, economic concerns, health concerns? ADHD is highly heritable. And many adults are still undiagnosed. Parents may disagree with one another about how to parent their child Welcome to Holl Experience of the Parent Denial Anger Blame Shame Guilt Unwanted input from friends relatives Result Confusion Embarrassment Isolation Helicopter Parents Enabling vs. Supporting??? 29 30

6 What goes on at home? What goes on at home? Imagine their day... They may have forgotten materials It often takes children with ADHD much more effort to achieve what they do than their peers. Their efforts to regulate their emotions utilize their Executive Functions can really... Deplete their ability to hle frustration, expectations, experiences Out of Gas Emotional Fuel Tank Their meds may have worn off They may need Extended time to compete homework They may need a Body Double to stay on task Parents may not know the best most appropriate ways to support Out of Gas Emotional Fuel Tank How can you help? Recognize that the parents DO need more of your time. Help parents with systems structure Recommend resources Parent Training, S.E.P.T.A., Websites, Books 33 A Student s response to challenge arises from his or her beliefs about their intelligence. Based on the work of Carol Dweck Puzzle Task Praised for Intelligence You must be smart at this. Result: Kids focused on looking smart As puzzles got more difficult, they showed lower levels of confidence, motivation performance. They were more likely to lie about how they did. They became more risk averse 34 Praised for Effort You must have worked really hard. Result: Kids focused on learning the task. Their level of confidence, motivation performance increased. They were more willing to try new, more difficult tasks The Importance of Mindset How to you Impact Mindset? Fixed Mindset Intelligence Expertise are based on fixed, unchangeable traits /or abilities: some people are smart, some are not Effort is fruitless or worse, either you get it or you don t Avoids challenge Feedback/criticism the success of others are viewed as judgment are threatening Value of an activity is dependent on the outcome Growth Mindset Intelligence Expertise can be developed through Effort Instruction Desire to learn Brain talent are just the starting points. Effort is path to mastery. Embraces challenge Feedback/criticism the success of others are useful ways to learn Value of an activity is not dependent on the outcome Carol Dweck s research on 7th grade students clearly showed that those who explicitly learned study skills had training in a Growth Mindset the Brain showed significantly greater improvement academically when compare to those students who just learned study skills

7 Explicitly Teach about the Brain Prefrontal Cortex: The thinking brain - process reflect on information Limbic System Hippocampus: Links new sensory input to form, store process memory Amygdala: involved with the experiencing of emotions 37 Neuroplasticity Our brains change physically when learning new things having experiences. Every time you learn something new, your brain forms new connections The more you PRACTICE REVIEW, the stronger your neuron connections become. Neurons that FIRE together WIRE together Weaker connections are PRUNED away as we do with plants trees So use it or lose it... Dendrites bring information to the cell body. Axons take information away from the cell body. Information from one neuron flows to another across a synapse (space) via chemicals called neurotransmitters. 38 ADHD is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. Help Kids become the Best CEO s of their Brains! They must train their Executives: Mr. Initiation/Activation, Ms. Focus, Mr. Planning/ Organizing, Ms. Effort, Mr. Memory, Ms. Action, Mr. Emotional Regulation The skills their Executives need to learn master: What Tools Strategies do they need to have or develop for Success How to Oversee Manage their Resources (themselves, their environment, their materials) 39 Many of the student s reported using the image of their neurons making new connections to motivate themselves in school, saying that they pictured their neurons forming new connections when they paid attention in class that when tempted to not study, they rejected that idea on the grounds that new connections would not be formed. Mind-Sets Equitable Education by Carol Dweck YOUR BRAIN: IT S YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MUSCLE! THE MORE YOU USE IT, THE STRONGER IT BECOMES! 40 About those Grades Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control. They come to see themselves as in control of their success. Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child s control, it provides no good recipe for responding to a failure. Carol Dweck Be creative about what how you grade: Effort to organize /or plan Number of different solutions or attempts Following the plan Allow for alternate ways to show mastery of material (oral, pictorial, role play the concepts/functions, etc.) KWL Charts Demonstrate how the information applies to real life 41 A + D There are LOTS of ways to be smart! Howard Gardner s theory of Multiple Intelligences proposes that students possess different kinds of minds therefore learn, remember, perform, underst in different ways. Linguistic intelligence ("word smart") Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart") Spatial intelligence ("picture smart") Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart") Musical intelligence ("music smart") Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart") Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart") Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart") 42

8 What s your Mindset? Resist the temptation to put students in categories expect them to stay there. In response to 7th graders who did poorly on first Math quiz of the year: Fixed Mindset: Comfort the student say, Don t worry, not everyone can be good at math. Growth Mindset: Tell the student, I know that you can do better, encourage the student to try again give the student specific suggestions for study learning strategies. 43 Quick Review Seven Functions 5 of the greatest impacts of having ADHD/EF For kids with ADHD, time is now It s not Attention Deficit, it s a Deficit in ADHD is not a problem of knowing what to do, rather of Two types of Mindsets 44 Behavior or Academics? Children must behave properly before academic learning is possible. FALSE Research shows that when academic tutoring is provided, student's behavior grades improved. Why? Kids often act out to avoid challenging academic tasks - so supplying direct support will help both issues - behavior academics. You see the Behavior - NOT the Story 45 Where does Attention fit in? Researchers found that children with attention problems showed slower growth in learning new material in reading math than others, even those with aggressive behavior. Addressing attention problems in early childhood will help many children make academic gains throughout their school careers. 46 STRESS: THE GATE KEEPER TO LEARNING What happens when the Brain is in Survival Mode? Negative emotions (stress, pressure, anxiety, etc.) increases hormone cortisol which dulls cognition. PreFrontal Cortex turns off the reflexive, rapid, responses of the Amygdala turn on. The brain goes into Survival Mode. 47 STRESS Stressed Brain Victoria Tennant Consulting! Fight Flight Freeze No learning can take place No problems can be solved Empathy for others becomes difficult 48 48

9 Strategies for Slower Processors Attention requires Motivation the desire to be present in the moment Without undo Stress, Pressure, or unreasonable Expectation Be Aware These kids don t get the same down time to replenish or enjoy Have a 5 second lag time to allow them to start Provide a set of class notes to allow them to focus more fully on your lesson in the moment Discretely arrange to call on them in advance 49 Teach tools to Reduce the Stress Notice your body - your breathing, your posture, do some progressive relaxation techniques Notice the words you are telling yourself. Are they absolutes judgmental like must, fail, bad Rate the difficulty of doing the task from 1 to 10. If the task feels like a 10, can you chunk the challenge into smaller steps? Find a step to start with that is a lower value on the scale? Acknowledge your feelings. Try to name the emotion give it relative weight. Use an Emotion Thermometer 51 Impact of Praise Children under age 7 take praise at face value, after that they become as suspicious of it as adults By age 12, children believe that praise from a teacher is not a sign that they did well, rather that they lack ability the teacher thinks they need extra encouragement Once teens, they believe it is teacher s criticism, not praise, that conveys a positive believe in a student s aptitude. I think you are really trying, but I think maybe the strategies you are using or the strategies I am teaching aren t working for you. Impact of test scores??? Warning: Use of Rewards When are Rewards useful? When the work or performance is within the person s expertise control Not excessive stress or pressure When are Rewards detrimental? When the task involves Executive Function Skills that may be weak for the task Rewards or threats of Punishment may actually shut down performance by adding Stress Anxiety 52 Drive by Daniel Pink Praise with Impact Notice your student doing /or feeling something positive Name what you have noticed the Value in what you see. Nourish your student with warmth - appreciate them in the moment Jarod, I see you are really working at that math problem. I notice you have tried a few times without quitting. That shows me you don t give up easily - good for you! Sara, I think you are really trying, but I think maybe the strategies you are using or the strategies I am teaching aren t working for you. 54

10 Teachers other Professionals can often get Kids Talking where Parents cannot! What every Student should know Engage students in a conversation about their involvement in their education: Talk to them about their Mindset for learning! What do they see as their strengths? What makes learning hard? How can we make it easier? What is good enough or the next step FOR THEM in their growth? Teach students about the Power of their Brain their Power to Build its Strength Teach students about having a Growth Mindset Teach students what Executive Functions are that they need to be an effective CEO of their Brain Teach students to be aware of different Learning Styles to embrace their best style when possible Teach about the Impact of Stress Methods to Calm Top Interventions for working with children who have ADHD? Great Books Knowledge of the true impact of the factors that impact learning performing Mindset by Carol Dweck Point of performance interventions Lost at School by Ross Greene The Motivation Breakthrough by Rick Lavoie The Self Esteem Teacher by Robert Brooks Marva Collins Way by Marva Collins Powerful, immediate, engaging feedback Multimodal presentations multimode options for performing producing work Strategic teaching principles including: previewing, setting explicit goals, partnering, efforts to enhance metacognition Thank you for your attention! Please be in touch if I can support you through discussion, collaboration, or resources. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter Cindy Goldrich, Ed. M., ACAC Cindy@PTScoaching.com