Increase Academic Success for Children With ADHD Using Sticky Notes and Highlighters

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1 20 W AYS T O... Robin H. Lock, Dept. Editor Increase Academic Success for Children With ADHD Using Sticky Notes and Highlighters MELISSA A. STORMONT Keywords: curriculum modifications; elementary age; ADHD; instruction accommodations; academic supports; interventions Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) represent about 3% to 5% of the school-age population and are most often educated in the general education classroom (Stormont, 2007; Zentall, 2006). Unfortunately, general educators may not be prepared to provide supports for children with ADHD or other types of diverse learning needs (McKinley, 2003; Raymond, 2004; Stormont, 2007; Zentall & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995). ADHD Characteristics Children with ADHD have many unique characteristics that interfere with their learning and task completion (Barkley, 1998; Zentall, 2006). The largest group of children with ADHD has attention problems, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Zentall, 2006). Their characteristics consist of the following (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Barkley, 1998; Raymond, 2004; Zentall, 2006): 2008 Hammill Institute on Disabilities / INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC VOL. 43, NO. 5, MAY 2008 (PP ) 305

2 Selective attention problems problems paying attention to the most important and relevant cues to successfully begin and participate in teacher- or student-led activities. Sustained attention problems problems sustaining interest in one activity long enough to acquire the main ideas of lessons or to complete the requirements of tasks. Impulsivity problems working on a task or activity and ignoring competing activities or desires to do something else. Also involves problems screening thoughts or actions before acting on them (e.g., blurting out answers). High levels of verbal and motor activity needing to talk and move more than same-aged peers. In this article, sticky notes, or adhesive-backed paper like Post-Its, and highlighters are used as support materials because they are present in most educational settings, inexpensive, easy to use, and portable so children can be taught to use similar strategies at home. The 20 strategies presented here were extrapolated from the literature on supports for students with learning problems and students with ADHD (Barkley, 1998; Bos & Vaughn, 2006; Fulk & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995; Lerner, Lowenthal, & Lerner, 1995; Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2004; McKinley, 2003; Meese, 2001; Mercer & Mercer, 2005; Stormont, 2007; Stormont-Spurgin, 1997; Zentall, 1993, 2005, 2006; Zentall, Harper, & Stormont-Spurgin, 1993; Zentall & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995). Selective Attention Problems 1. Teach children to use sticky notes and highlighters to follow along with teacher-led instruction or with independent work. Children can also use a sticky note to mark where they stop within an assignment when they take a break. 2. For attention to independent seatwork, have students highlight what to attend to first (e.g., on a sticky note, write a 1st (first) next to the priority assignment), 2nd (second), and 3rd (third). Students can also use different colors of highlighters to highlight what to attend to first (e.g., yellow) and second (e.g., pink) within assignments. When students take a break from an assignment, they can use a sticky note to mark where they stopped. 3. When practicing spelling words, have students cover spelling words with a sticky note, write the word next to the note, then compare their spelling with the correct spelling (Pratt-Struthers, Struthers, & Williams, 1983). Students or teachers can then highlight the misspelled letters, and the student can repeat the process. 4. For math fact sheets with mixed operations, have students to go through the worksheet and highlight operation signs. Different operation signs could also be highlighted in different colors (e.g., + =yellow). 5. Use sticky notes and highlighters to provide prompts if error analysis reveals a predictable pattern of errors in student work, such as forgetting to complete one step or difficulty with one type of problem. For example, place a sticky note on the worksheet with a prompt that says, Don t forget to. 6. Use sticky notes to help students practice executing specific steps or processes. If students have a hard time remembering how to complete one type of problem (e.g., dividing fractions, steps in long division), then they can put a permanent model of a completed problem on a sticky note, with teacher or peer assistance, so they can refer back to this when completing their work. Sustained Attention Problems 7. Have students create an order for their completion of tasks on a sticky note on their desks. As they complete one task, they could highlight it on their list. 8. Keep students on track. Students can use sticky notes at their desks to remind them what they need to do during a specific time period (e.g., hour, morning, 306 INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

3 afternoon). Then as they complete tasks, they can remove the sticky note. 9. Determine how long specific tasks will take for both in-school and home-task completion, and have students place completion-time sticky notes on their assignments to help them manage their time during class and when they are at home. Children may incorrectly estimate the amount of time certain tasks will take and need direct assistance in time estimation and homework planning. 10. Ask children to place sticky notes in their home folders or planners with reminders of what to take home and what to bring back to school the next day. Take-home and bring-to-school sticky notes could be different colors. 11. Suggest that students place sticky notes at the beginning and end of a reading assignment so they can see how much they have read and how much longer they have to go. 12. Use sticky notes to have students summarize and interact with reading materials. Many strategies for determining main ideas, supporting details, or determining setting elements can include sticky notes. For example, students can identify story elements on their sticky notes and then place them on a story web. Students can also use sticky notes to create sequence charts, which highlight the order of specific events. 13. Prompt students to ask questions or make comments on sticky notes when reading expository text. Then, after they read the selection, students can transfer their thoughts from their notes to a written summary on paper. Impulsivity 14. Create a list of projects students can work on when they are stuck or have completed a task in class. Teachers can place the list on a sticky note, and students can then highlight their choice. For example, Steps When I m Stuck could include (a) work on journal, (b) practice spelling words, or (c) ask a peer who is preapproved by the teacher for assistance with task. 15. Encourage students to stay on task. To support children who are impulsive, Zentall (2006) presented strategies that have been modified here to include sticky notes. The parking lot strategy involves a visual of a parking lot in the classroom setting. When children say something that is not appropriate for the current activity (e.g., Grandma s coming this weekend ), then teachers can tell children that they are going to put that on a sticky note and put it in the parking lot to discuss later. Teachers can allocate a time later in the day to discuss the sticky notes in the parking lot. 16. Help children monitor their behavior. Teachers can give children a certain number of sticky notes for an hour, morning, or day, and each time students talk out of turn or provide off-topic comments, they have to give the teacher a note (Zentall, 2006). High Levels of Verbal and Motor Activity 17. Allow children to use highlighters to follow along as other children read. Teachers would need to make copies of materials so children with activity needs could engage in this motor response while listening. 18. Have children come up with thoughts and questions during teacher- and student-led activities. Children should write or draw these questions on sticky notes and then have time at the end of class to discuss their questions and comments with teachers or peers. 19. Teach children appropriate ways to engage in specific activities that would allow for their activity needs to be met in the classroom. These reminders can be placed on sticky notes on their desks. For example, children can have options on their note that include moving to another desk, going to a standing desk, or asking to take a bathroom break. 20. Have a certain number of free movement passes for children to use when they need to move around more than just within the classroom. These could be on sticky notes and could have pictures representing appropriate behavior when they need to move. For example, a child may have three activity break passes for the morning, which may include passes to get a drink, visit the counselor, or take the lunch count to the office. They need to make sure the teacher sees them if they leave the classroom and then place the sticky notes back on the teachers desk when they return. Teachers should be creative in coming up with appropriate and nondisruptive tasks for children during these breaks, including getting materials for VOL. 43, NO. 5, MAY

4 the teacher, making copies for the teacher, or going to walk the school dog with the counselor. Then teachers can collaborate with other professionals in the building to support children s activity breaks. Summary Teachers need to be prepared to provide instructional supports for students with ADHD and students with other diverse learning needs. It does not have to be a costly or time-consuming process. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melissa A. Stormont, PhD, is an associate professor of special education at the University of Missouri Columbia. Her current interests include young children who are at risk for failure in school and implementing supports for children in school settings. Address: Melissa A. Stormont, Department of Special Education, University of Missouri Columbia, 311N Townsend, Columbia, MO 65211; stormontm@missouri.edu REFERENCES American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author. Barkley, R. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford. Bos, C. S., & Vaughn, S. (2006). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (6th ed). Boston: Pearson. Fulk, B. M., & Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1995). Fourteen spelling strategies for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 11, Lerner, J. W., Lowenthal, B., & Lerner, S. R. (1995). Attention deficit disorders: Assessment and teaching. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Core Publishing. Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2004). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction (2nd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall. McKinley, L. A. (2003). Educational accommodations adopted by general and special education teachers for students with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri Columbia. Meese, R. (2001). Teaching learners with mild disabilities (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Mercer, C. D., & Mercer, A. R. (2005). Teaching students with learning problems (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Pratt-Struthers, J., Struthers, T. B., & Williams, R. L. (1983). The effects of the add-a-word program on spelling accuracy during creative writing. Education & Treatment of Children, 6, Raymond, E. B. (2004). Learners with mild disabilities: A characteristics approach. Boston: Pearson. Stormont, M. (2007). Fostering resilience in young children vulnerable for failure: Strategies for grades K 3. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Education/Prentice Hall. Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1997). I lost my homework: Strategies for improving organization in students with ADHD. Intervention in School and Clinic, 32, Zentall, S. S. (1993). Research on the educational implications of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Exceptional Children, 60(2), Zentall, S. S. (2005). Theory-and evidence-based strategies for children with attention problems. Psychology in the Schools, 42, Zentall, S. S. (2006). ADHD and education: Foundations, characteristics, methods, and collaboration. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/ Prentice Hall. Zentall, S. S., Harper, G. W., & Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1993). Children with hyperactivity and their organizational abilities. The Journal of Educational Research, 87(2), Zentall, S. S., & Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1995). Educator preferences of accommodations for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Teacher Education and Special Education, 18(2), INTERVENTION IN SCHOOL AND CLINIC

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