ADHD+instruction

Differentiated Instrudtion for ADHD by: Kerri Wendling

ADHD.pptx What is ADHD? ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to Bluma Linter and Varda Mann-Feder, in their article about dealing with students with ADHD, "ADHD is a complex neurobiological disorder or inefficiency in the area of the brain which controls impulse, aids in screening sensory input, and focuses attention." ADHD is usually an inherited disorder, and boys are more likely to inherit ADHD than girls. ADHD is becoming more and more prevalent in people today. According to the American Medical Association, "between three to five percent of the population has a diagnosable attention disorder."

Characteristics of Students with ADHD ADHD is not an emotional disorder, but many of the children who have ADHD show emotional, behavioral, and social problems. Children who have ADHD tend to be very talkative, impulsive, hyperactive, they have sustained attention problems, and have selective attention problems. One of the main characteristics is the lack of focus. Students tend to talk to their neighbor quite often because they just get distracted, or they might shout something out in class because the thought of going to visit their aunt after school popped into their head, and they felt the need to share it. Students might not only say random comments during class but may also jump out of their chair when doing so or make some kind of movement because they are so impulsive. Students are able to pay attention to a lesson, but only for a short amount of time, especially if the lesson is not very interactive or interesting. Fortunately for teachers students with ADHD are very capable of learning, but different teaching strategies have to be used within the classroom to help the ADHD student stay on task and get the most out of his educational experience.  What Should Teachers Do?- Differentiated Instruction Talking with the parents of the ADHD student as often as possible is one thing that teachers can do to help provide a successful learning experience for the student with ADHD. Any parent loves to hear the good things that her child is doing in school. It is important to tell the parents of the progress the ADHD child is making, but it is also good to inform the parents of the bad things that happened in class that day so the teacher and parents can work together to come up with a solution to that problem. Teachers and parents need to be on the same page when dealing with a child with ADHD. All children need consistency in their lives but it is particularly vital that the student with ADHD has consistency between his home instructions and his schooling instructions. Parents and teachers need to work together in order to reinforce what the other is doing so that the child will have clarity in how he should be behaving.

Another important thing for the teacher to realize is that they are not going to know everything about every child who has ADHD. The teacher needs to be able to learn from her past experiences and through trial and error. Every student is different, and every student with ADHD is different from other students with ADHD. Not every tactic the teacher uses is going to work for her student with ADHD. The teacher should try different approaches and observe which ones work best for the student and which ones are not as successful, and then change her approach in order to accommodate her student.

Step by step instruction is crucial! ADHD students need to be given very specific and simplistic instructions. These students can do the same tasks as other students but a little more instruction may be needed in order to do so. Jennifer Capps is a first grade teacher at Hunter Street Elementary School; she knows exactly what is meant by step by step instruction now. Jennifer said that she gave the directions, "use marker to write your spelling words." She then said, "well, one of my kids used a black permanent marker that he snagged from my table. And...he wrote them on the carpet under his desk!" Her student did what he was asked, but obviously that was not what the teacher expected from him. Detail plays a huge role in giving instruction, especially with young students who have ADHD. Providing specific simple instructions also provide the ADHD student with short term goals that he is going to be able to meet.

A few other strategies that teachers can use are having the students repeat instructions in their own words. This is a good strategy for all students, but especially ADHD students, because it requires the student to re-focus and it ensures that the instructions are clear. The teacher should also try to move around the room when giving instruction. This provides the student with ADHD a visual to watch and it also allows the teacher to be able to keep an eye on students while they are working. If the child with ADHD starts to gaze around the room instead of doing his work the teacher can simply tap his desk and bring him back into focus without disrupting the rest of the class. Seating is also a factor for a classroom with an ADHD student. Since students with ADHD have trouble sitting still the teacher should arrange the seats so that the ADHD student is able to move around in his chair when needed, but is not a distraction to the rest of the class. A seat at the end of the row would be a good place, because the ADHD student will be less distracting there. The ADHD student should be placed towards the front of the classroom though because of the problems with focus. If the student is closer to the front the contact between the teacher and the student can be more easily kept.

Special hand signals are helpful. A teacher can create special hand signals for the ADHD student so the teacher knows when the student needs to be refocused. For instance, the student could put his hands on his head when he misses a part of the instruction. When his hands are on his head the teacher knows that she needs to go back over the past information because the student with ADHD missed it. This also gives the student with ADHD a chance to move and do something with his hands in a productive way.

Melissa A Stormont came up with a few very simple tactics to help students with ADHS by using highlighters and sticky notes. A few of her ideas were highlighting math facts, listing tasks to complete on sticky notes, highlighting while listening, movement breaks on sticky notes, writing questions on sticky notes, and the parking lot strategy. When highlighting the math facts the student can use different color highlighters to highlight the different problems, like subtraction, or addition. This allows the student to focus on the problems in a way that is not too overwhelming. When the student lists tasks to complete on sticky notes this helps the student with organization and when the task is complete that sticky note can be removed and once again a goal is reached successfully. If the student highlights what is being read by another student or the teacher it is a hands on task that helps the student follow along and stay focused. The teacher can write down different tasks like going to the bathroom or running something to the office on sticky notes on her desk. When the student feels like he needs a movement break he can simply take one of the sticky notes and do the task written on it. The teacher will know where the student is, he will be doing something productive, and he will also be getting that necessary break to move around. During the lesson the student can write questions on sticky notes, so the lesson can continue to move on, but also the student will eventually have his question answered. The parking lot strategy is very creative. The strategy helps with the random outbursts that can occur during the lesson. If the student feels the need to share something that does not pertain to the lesson he is able to write it on the sticky note and put it in the parking lot for later, so when it is appropriate the student can share those comments.

ADHD students need time to let loose! Recess is usually taken away from students when they do something wrong or if they do not finish their work, but this should not happen. All students, especially those with ADHD need this time to get out some of their energy. They will be able to perform better in the class room if these breaks are allowed. Rubber balls can also be given to ADHD students to squeeze during the lesson time. This will provide the student with a way to channel some of the impulsivity that he must deal with. Classroom jobs are another great way to keep the student with ADHD out of trouble. During the down time between activities or lessons the child could easily get distracted and usually end up doing something he is not supposed to. If the student has a classroom job like paper passer, pencil sharpener, or board eraser the student is able to do something productive and helpful with his spare time.

Rewards are a great thing. Children with ADHD are constantly told "no," or "stop doing that." Instead of giving endless punishments rewards should be giving for the things that the student does well. Teachers need to create a positive perspective of school not a negative one, and the student needs to be positively motivated to do his best. When the teacher has an encouraging attitude the student is able to complete a task and know that they are very capable of succeeding. It is crucial to help the student develop a sense of self so they are able to continue their education in the future even when it is difficult. A teacher should figure out the student's strengths and use these to involve the student with projects that he is able to lead like maintaining a garden. Also ADHD students should be involved with extracurricular activities because these can help improve their self esteem and help them figure out their different strengths. The student may struggle academically but could excel in sports. This new found ability will let the student know that they are not stupid and incapable of doing things other students do; it gives them confidence that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.

Lastly the teacher should speak one-on-one with the ADHD student to let them know what is socially acceptable. ADHD students tend to have trouble making and keeping friends because they could do random or impulsive things that could make other children around them act differently towards the ADHD student. But if the ADHD student knows what is socially expected he can try to control some of his behaviors that appear odd to the other students. The teacher should also speak to the rest of the class so they do not exclude the student with ADHD. If the class understands what is going on they will be able to accept the student for who he is and there will be much less social problems for the student.

In conclusion, students with ADHD are very capable of learning, there are just a few things that a teacher can do in order to create an ideal learning environment for the student with ADHD and the rest of the class. How the student is treated in his first years of school will affect him for the rest of his schooling career. If the teacher uses differentiated instruction the ADHD student will be very successful in that teacher's class, and hopefully in his educational experiences to come.

 Five Questions

1. These are all characteristics of children with ADHD except... a) they tend to have off topic outbursts during class b) they are very talkative c) they are not able to learn certain concepts d) they have trouble paying attention for long periods of time 2. True or false, the parents of the child with ADHD do not play an important role in the child's instruction? a) true b) false 3. What can a teacher do in order to help with the student's impulsive behavior? a) give the student a rubber ball to squeeze b) give the student sticky notes to write down random thoughts c) talk with the student one-on-one so they know what behavior is acceptable d) all of the above 4. True or false, recess should be taken away from an ADHD student if he misbehaves? a) true b) false 5. A teacher should do all of the following while teaching a lesson to an ADHD child except... a) Continually tell them "no" when they are fidgiting in their seat b) give clear and simple instruction c) set up special hand signals to keep the child on task d) allow the student to highlight the text when another student is reading

 References

Hudson, Hannah Trierweiler. “Learning From ADHD.” //Instructor.// 119.3 (2009): 27-31. //Academic Search Complete.// 4 March 2010.

Stormont, Melissa A. “Increase Academic Success for Children With ADHD Using Sticky Notes and Highlighters.” //Intervention in School & Clinic//. 43.5 (2008): 305-308. //Academic Search Complete.// 18 March 2010.

Schottelkorb, April A. and C. Dee. “ADHD Symptom Reduction in Elementary Students: A Single- Case Effectiveness Design.” //Professional School Counseling.// 13.1 (2009): //Academic Search Complete.// 4 March 2010.

Litner, Bluma, and Varda Mann-Feder. “Fostering Resilience in Youth with ADHD.” //Relational Child and Youth Care Practice.// 22.3 (2009): //Academic Search Complete.// 4 March 2010.

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