ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Shawn Baker & Sarah Yocum Professor Schilling EDUC 352
Table of Contents I. Statistics of ADHD II. Symptoms of ADHD III. Accommodations for ADHD IV. Teaching Techniques for ADHD V. Teacher s Attitude VI. Review Questions
Statistics on ADHD from Dr. Russell Barkley A classroom with 30 students will have between 1 and 3 children with ADHD. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD 3 times more often than girls. Emotional development in children with ADHD is 30% slower than in their non-add peers. One fourth of children with ADHD have serious learning disabilities such as: oral expression, listening skills, reading comprehension and/or math.
Darch and Kame enui s Instructional Classroom Management Drugs are not always the solution for all students with ADD. Research suggests that medication helps about 70% of children with ADD become more focused and less active during classroom instruction.
Common Classroom Expectations Sit still. Listen quietly. Pay attention. Follow instructions. Concentrate.
Unfortunately
These are the very things that students with ADHD have trouble completing. Instead they are more likely to
Struggle in these three particular areas: 1. Attention span 2. Impulse control 3. Hyperactivity
Attention Span Pays little attention to details; makes careless mistakes Has short attention span Does not listen when spoken to directly Does not follow instructions; fails to finish tasks Has difficulty organizing tasks Avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort Loses things Is easily distracted Is forgetful in daily activities
Impulse Control Blurts out answers before questions are completed Has difficulty awaiting turn Often interrupts or intrudes on others
Hyperactivity Fidgets; squirms in seat Leaves seat in classroom when remaining seated is expected Often runs about or climbs excessively at inappropriate times Has difficulty playing quietly Talks excessively
Great. Now what?
Classroom Accommodations: Seating Seat the student with ADHD away from windows and away from the door. Put the student with ADHD right in front of your desk unless that would be a distraction for the student. Seats in rows, with focus on the teacher, usually work better than having students seated around tables or facing one another in other arrangements.
Classroom Accommodations: Seating Cont. Surround students with ADHD with good role models. Encourage peer tutoring and cooperative/collaborative learning.
Classroom Accommodations: Information Delivery Give instructions one at a time and repeat as necessary. If possible, work on the most difficult material early in the day. Use visuals: charts, pictures, color coding Create outlines for note-taking that organize the information as you deliver it.
Classroom Accommodations: Student Work Create a quiet area free of distractions for test-taking and quiet study. Create worksheets and tests with fewer items; give frequent short quizzes rather than long tests. Reduce the number of timed tests. Test the student with ADHD in the way he or she does best, such as orally or filling in blanks.
Classroom Accommodation: Student Work Cont. Show the student how to use a pointer or bookmark to track written words on a page. Divide long-term projects into segments and assign a completion goal for each segment. Let the student do as much work as possible on computer. Accept late work and give partial credit for partial work.
Classroom Accommodations: Organization Have the student keep a master notebook, a three-ring binder, and make sure everything is put on the rings in the correct section. Provide a folder for homework assignments, completed homework, and notes to parents (permission slips, PTA flyers). Color-code materials for each subject.
Classroom Accommodations: Organization Cont. Allow time for student to organize materials and assignments for home. Post steps for getting ready to go home. Make sure the student with ADHD has a system for writing down assignments and important dates and uses it.
Teaching techniques for student with ADHD: Starting a lesson Signal the start of a lesson with an aural cue (egg timer, cowbell, horn). List the activities of the lesson on the board. Tell students what they are going to learn and what your expectations are. Tell students exactly what materials they will need. Establish eye contact with any student who has ADHD.
Teaching Techniques: During the lesson Keep instructions simple and structured. Vary the pace and include different kinds of activities (rapid and intense occasionally). Use props, charts, and other visual aids. Have an unobtrusive cue set up with the student who has ADHD, such as a touch on the shoulder or placing a sticky note on the student s desk.
Teaching Techniques: During the lesson Cont. Let the student with ADHD squeeze a Koosh ball or tap something that does not make noise as a physical outlet. Try not to ask a student with ADHD to perform a task or to answer a question publicly that might be too difficult.
Teaching Techniques: Ending the lesson Summarize key points. If you give an assignment, have three different students repeat it, then have the class say it in unison, and put it on the board. Be specific about what to take home.
Teacher s Attitude Be positive Be enthusiastic Be encouraging Be open to new ideas Have a sense of humor
Review Questions 1. List the three problematic areas for students of ADHD. Attention Span Impulse Control Hyperactivity
2. Give us an example of what the teacher can do to the seating arrangement for a student with ADHD. Slides 11 & 12
3. Evaluate the accommodations for organization. Are there any that are unachievable expectations or tasks? If so, why? Slides 16 & 17
4. What would you use as your signal for starting a lesson for your students with ADHD? Slide 18
5. Is the idea of giving a student with ADHD a Koosh ball or something to tap quietly during the lesson a good idea or a bad idea. Why? Slide 20
Conclusion Each of you tell us what your slip of paper says, and give us a modification that you think would help your student with ADHD. Fidgeters Blurter Talker Standers Walker Daydreamers
References Bailey, E., (2007, September). ADD/ADHD Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/1443/13716/addadhd-statistics/ Darch, Craig B and Edward J. Kame'enui. (2004). Instructional classroom management:a Proactive approach to behavior management. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Jaffe-Gill, E., Dumke, L., Segal,R., Benedictis, T., Smith,M., and Segal, J. (n.d.). ADD/ADHD in the Classroom. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_teaching_strategies.htm#authors
References Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD/ADD (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www.childrensdisabilities.info/adhd/teaching-adhd.html Teaching Students with Disabilities (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www.adapts.gatech.edu/faculty_guide/teach.htm Teaching Tips for Those Working with ADHD Kids (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://user.cybrzn.com/kenyonck/add/teaching_tips.html