Classroom Management Suggestions
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Children learn best when their education is a
cooperative effort between home and school.
Because children with learning disabilities and/or ADD encounter so much
frustration from year to year, there often arises a great deal of
disillusionment and dissatisfaction in the minds of parents and teachers with
the way their child is being managed.
Beware of the trap to blame one another and recognize that even though
there are ineffective methods practiced by both, for the most part, both are
sincere, empathetic, concerned and dedicated to helping the child experience
success.
It is important to understand that ADD children
react to their environment in their own way, involuntarily, and their condition
is treatable but not curable.
In any case, observation and clear communication about the child’s
adjustments in home and school are very helpful to monitor treatment and
progress.
Teachers can be important partners in identifying ADD
children and in carrying out proper treatment.
They are in a position to report how he is attending to and finishing
tasks, how he exercises self-control, follows directions and how he feels about
himself in a classroom setting. The opinions of parents, teachers, and children
about the continuing efficacy of the medication are valuable to the physician.
Medication may or may not be needed. It usually is needed however. Some ADD children can benefit from
medication but all ADD children frequently experience academic
difficulties. Although some may or may
not need help with academic skills, they more frequently need help with study
habits, homework and organization of their writing. Sometimes medication is not enough. It may improve their attention span, overall organization
and help the child be more available to instruction but medication does not remedy
a specific learning problem or an emotional or conduct disorder that may or may
not exist. Most children with ADD can be
taught effectively in a regular classroom.
Often they will require some supplemental or remedial help, but they can
remain in most regular school programs.
If the problem with attention is recognized early and treated thoroughly
medically, behaviorally and educationally achievement problems can usually be
held to a minimum.
The following are some GENERAL GUIDELINES that can
help regular classroom teachers bring out the best in children if ADD.
1. ADD students should have preferential
seating in close proximity to the teacher but away from pencil sharpeners,
hallway noise, and other distractions.
Use proximity control and a private understanding with the student, that
you will help him know when he is becoming impulsive or his behavior is getting
out of control. Confidential signals
such as gently placing a hand on his shoulder, tapping on the desk, a flicker
of light, or softly speaking the child’s name can be effective techniques.
2. Children with ADD should
not be humiliated in the classroom.
It is inappropriate to intentionally call on them while their attention
is drifting or to be too critical of them in front of their peers. Such humiliation is one of the major causes
of secondary anxiety and deterioration of self-esteem. It is of paramount importance to nurture a
positive self-esteem.
3. It is also important that
school personnel preserve the confidentiality of the child who is taking
the medication. In particular, the
teacher should never comment to a child in front of peers that “your behavior
is terrible today – did you forget to take your pill?”
4. Every effort must be made to
discover ways children with ADD can appear successful to themselves and
to their classmates. Helping him
recognize his accomplishments will increase his feelings of self-worth.
5. When there is a choice, selecting
a teacher for a child with ADD can be most important. Ideally the teacher should understand or be
willing to understand the complexities of the attention deficit in a child, be
tolerant of individual differences, patient and not overly accusatory or moralistic. It should then be understood that with even
the best available teacher, the challenge and progress would be variable.
6. Traditionally, a highly
structured classroom has been considered better than an open classroom for
children with ADD. These children thrive
best on predictability and routine, and their most disorganized behavior is
likely to occur during free time.
However, many open classrooms offer a great deal of structure and
predictability and classroom routine should not be so
rigid and predictable as to stifle their inventiveness or creative
expressions. Finding a sympathetic
teacher who is consistent in methods, in feedback, and in daily routines is
much more important than the type of classroom.
7. The teacher may need to divide
the workload into small units. Children
with ADD are easily overwhelmed and are prone to give up or rush through
the work with careless errors. Because
of attention factors and inefficient writing, be aware of the need to provide
re-explanation, self-check devices and short work segments, which can be
successfully completed. This should
increase a sense of accomplishment and decrease the feeling of being
overwhelmed.
8. Alternate tasks (i.e. difficult, easy,
difficult, easy, etc.) to increase the probability that he will preserve until
finished. Use verbal and physical
prompts to keep the student on task (i.e., “keep up the good work”, hand him a
pencil, open the book, do the first problem with him, etc.). Reinforce effort rather than commenting on
the quality or accuracy of the work (i.e., “good trying,” “nice
getting started,” “you are almost finished”). Reinforce other
students nearby who are complying with the work rather than catching the ADD
student not complying and commenting on it.
9. Decrease confusion and distractions by managing
the home/school environment. Keep a predictable routine, frequent
feedback, and a nurturing accepting atmosphere. Structuring the
environment should include a regular place to put items when he enters or
leaves the house or school. Keep school tools in one place but accessible as
needed. Help him see how the structure decreases confusion and assists task
completion.
10. The use of a study carrel to
decrease distractions and focus attention on the task at hand can be
helpful if it is not used as a punitive measure but instead as a
helpful technique to increase a sense of accomplishment. The carrel can be
called “his office.” Permit the student, as a privilege, to isolate himself in
another part of the room or school to complete a specific assignment or a test.
11. Make use of challenges such
as the “timer” to do flash cards and segmented work units. Set new time limits
as you measure his accomplishments. Realize, too, that there are times it may
be better to “go slow”. Help the student learn the times to “go slow” or “speed
up”.
12. A high consistency in
scheduling can help provide organization. Children with attention deficits
generally do not adapt well to major or sudden shifts in program content or
routine.
13. Provide an opportunity to express
motor restlessness.
·
Confinement for extended periods is felt as pressure by the ADD student
·
Allow the child to work standing or moving at times, the use of a
marker, the use of a small table that a student can move may help.
·
Adequate physical education that allows for gross body movements can be
worthwhile
·
It can be helpful to give “special assignments” or “prearranged
errands”, such as water plants, clean chalkboard, pass out papers, etc.
·
Let the child use his increased activity in acceptable ways.
14. Cue the
child to distinguish features of each stimulus in reading, math, spelling by:
underlining, color coding,
highlighting, or oral rehearsal.
15. Be prepared to accept the absent
mindedness of most ADD children. Often these children do not process
multiple requests quickly or accurately. Therefore, it helps if teachers
first make sure they have the child’s attention before making a request. Most
importantly, allow the student to have at his work area only that which he can
manage. Too many papers, pencils, etc., are distracting and can’t be managed
comfortably. If the teacher must repeat an instruction, she should speak
clearly and avoid an escalating tone or irritation when reminders are repeated.
16. A common characteristic of
many ADD children is their difficulty in waiting their turn. Because of
the child’s impulsiveness, fear of forgetting and being forgotten he will speak
and go out of turn. Give him a turn. Some interruptions may be allowed but
after having permitted some infraction of good manners, and provided warnings
and cues which help him realize when he did interrupt, he should be disciplined
by excluding him from the scene.
17. Children with attention
deficits are likely to be inconsistent in effort, grades, and test
performance. Their impulsiveness and lack of self-monitoring, their inattention
to detail, and their fluctuations in retrieval memory can all combine to yield
unpredictable performance. There should be an emphasis on monitoring and
proofreading to detect one’s own errors. Allow the use of markers,
dictionaries, guide sheets, and calculators. Demonstrate an attitude that
careless errors or mistakes can be tolerated as long as there is documentation
that every effort was made to locate and correct them. Allow the student to use
colored pencils or strikeover to indicate effort to proofread and correct his
work. Adjustments in how a grade is earned or the teacher choosing the “best”
performance to grade can also be helpful.
18. Be the child’s advocate.
Discourage outside value judgments and any reputation of his being a “problem
child.” Try to keep a sense of humor and comradeship about the many challenges
he presents. You can make a difference in how this student perceives himself and
others’ and that will make a big difference in how he performs.
Taken from material written
by M.A.Cardwell, M.D., and F.A.A.P. of
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Russell Barkley, PhD
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Director: Audrey Flores
(559) 447-1279