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Teaching Students with ADHD

HelpingStudentswithAttentionDeficitDisorderSucceedatSchool

If youre a teacher, you know these kids: The one who stares out the window, substituting the arc of
a bird in ight for her math lesson. The one who wouldnt be able to keep his rear end in the chair if
you used Krazy Glue. The one who answers the question, Who can tell me what the 6th
Amendment guarantees? with Mrs. M, do you dye your hair?
Students who exhibit ADHDs hallmark symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity can
be frustrating. You know the brainpower is there, but they just cant seem to focus on the material
youre working hard to deliver. Plus, their behaviors take time away from instruction and disrupt the
whole class.
What you can do
1. Seat a child with ADHD away from windows and near your desk
2. Create a quiet area free of distractions for test-taking and study
3. Give instructions one at a time
4. Make sure the student has a system for writing assignments and important dates

5. Keep instructions simple and structured using charts and other visual aids
6. Allow for frequent breaks

Challenges of ADHD in the classroom

Think of what the school setting requires children to do: Sit still. Listen quietly. Pay attention. Follow
instructions. Concentrate. These are the very things kids with attention decit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD or ADD) have a hard time doingnot because they arent willing, but because their brains
wont let them. That doesnt make teaching them any easier, of course.
Challenges created by students with ADHD:
They demand attention by talking out of turn or moving around the room; they dont pull their
weight during group work and may even keep a group fromaccomplishing its task.
They have trouble following instructions, especially when theyre presented in a list, and with
operations that require ordered steps, such as long divisionor solving equations.
They often forget to write down homework assignments, do them, or bring completed
work to school.
They often lack ne motor control, which makes note-taking dicult and handwriting a
trial to read.
They usually have problems with long-term projects where there is no direct supervision.
Students with ADHD pay the price for their problems in low grades, scolding and punishment,
teasing from peers, and low self-esteem. Meanwhile, you, the teacher, wind up taking complaints
from parents who feel their kids are being cheated of your instruction and feeling guilty because
you cant reach the child with ADHD.

How teachers can help children with ADHD

So how do you teach a kid who wont settle down and listen? The answer: with a lot of patience,
creativity, and consistency. As a teacher, your role is to evaluate each childs individual needs and
strengths. Then you can develop strategies that will help students with ADHD focus, stay on task,
and learn to their full capabilities.
Successful programs for children with ADHD integrate the following three components:
1. Accommodations: what you can do to make learning easier for students with
ADHD.
2. Instruction: the methods you use in teaching.
3. Intervention: How you head o behaviors that disrupt concentration or distract other
students.

Your most eective tool, however, in helping a student with ADHD is a positive attitude. Make the
student your partner by saying, Lets gure out ways together to help you get your work done.
Assure the student that youll be looking for good behavior and quality work and when you see it,
reinforce it with immediate and sincere praise. Finally, look for ways to motivate a student with
ADHD by oering rewards on a point or token system.
Dealing with disruptive classroom behavior
To head o behavior that takes time from other students, work out a couple of warning signals with
the student who has ADHD. This can be a hand signal, an unobtrusive shoulder squeeze, or a
sticky note on the students desk. If you have to discuss the students behavior, do so in private.
And try to ignore mildly inappropriate behavior if its unintentional and isnt distracting other
students or disrupting the lesson.

Accommodating students with ADHD in the classroom

As a teacher, you can make changes in the classroom to help minimize the distractions and
disruptions of ADHD.
Seating
Seat the student with ADHD away from windows and the door, 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.
Information delivery
Give instructions one at a time and repeat as necessary. If possible, work on the most dicult
material early in the day.
Use visuals: charts, pictures, color coding. Create outlines for note-taking that organize the
information as you deliver it.
Student work
Create a quiet area free of distractions for test-taking and quiet study.
Reduce the number of timed tests. Test the student with ADHD in the way he or she does best,
such as orally or lling in blanks; give frequent short quizzes rather than long tests.
Let the student do as much work as possible on computer. Show him or her 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. Create
worksheets and tests with fewer items
Accept late work and give partial credit for partial work.
Organization
Have the student keep a master binder with a separate section for each subject, and make sure
everything that goes into the notebook is put in the correct section. Color-code materials for each
subject.
Provide a three-pocket notebook insert for homework assignments, completed homework, and
mail to parents (permission slips, PTA yers).
Make sure the student has a system for writing down assignments and important dates and
uses it. Allow time for the student to organize materials and assignments for home. Post steps for
getting ready to go home.

Teaching techniques for students with ADHD

Teaching techniques that help students with ADHD focus and maintain their concentration on your
lesson and their work can be benecial to the entire class.
Starting a lesson
Signal the start of a lesson with an aural cue, such as an egg timer, a cowbell or a horn. (You can
use subsequent cues to show much time remains in a lesson.)
Establish eye contact with any student who has ADHD and list the activities of the lesson on the
board.
In opening the lesson, tell students what theyre going to learn and what your expectations are.
Tell students exactly what materials theyll need.
Conducting the lesson
Keep instructions simple and structured. Use props, charts, and other visual aids.
Vary the pace and include dierent kinds of activities. Many students with ADHD do well with
competitive games or other activities that are rapid and intense.
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 students desk, to remind the student to stay on task.
Allow a student with ADHD frequent breaks and let him or her squeeze a rubber ball or tap
something that doesnt make noise as a physical outlet. Try not to ask a student with ADHD
perform a task or answer a question publicly that might be too dicult.

Ending the lesson

Summarize key points. If you give an assignment, have three dierent students repeat it, then
have the class say it in unison, and put it on the board.
Be specic about what to take home.

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Related HelpGuide articles

ADHD and School: (/articles/add-adhd/attention-decit-disorder-adhd-and-school.htm)
Helping Children with ADHD Succeed at School
ADHD or ADD in Children: (/articles/add-adhd/attention-decit-disorder-adhd-in-children.htm)
Signs and Symptoms of Attention Decit Disorder in Kids
ADHD Parenting Tips: (/articles/add-adhd/attention-decit-disorder-adhd-parenting-tips.htm)
Helping Children and Teens with Attention Decit Disorder

Resources and references

Teaching students with ADHD
Motivating the Child with Attention Decit Disorder (http://www.ldonline.org/article/19975) Clear
and concise information about how ADHD symptoms interfere with classroom expectations and
how to realistically motivate your child with ADHD. (LD Online)

Teaching Students with Attention-Decit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource Guide for Teachers

(http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/adhd/) This multi-page Canadian site goes well beyond
questions of teaching strategies, covering every aspect of ADHD that can aect the classroom.
(British Columbia Ministry of Education)
Teaching Children with ADHD (http://teachadhd.com/) In-depth guide to teaching children with
ADHD. Includes articles on lesson planning, instructional techniques, behavioral strategies, and
communication with parents. (Teach ADHD)
Teaching Children with Attention Decit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and
Practices (https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/adhd/adhd-teaching_pg3.html) Guide for
teachers dealing with ADHD in school, full of tips for the classroom and innovative teaching
strategies. (U.S. Department of Education)
Suggested Classroom Interventions for Children with ADD and Learning Disabilities
(http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/learning_disabilities/teacher/) Practical suggestions for
teaching children with ADHD that can be used in the regular classroom as well as the special
education classroom. (Child Development Institute)
Special education services for children with ADHD
Attention Decit/Hyperactivity Disorder (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/adhd/)(PDF)
Brieng paper for parents and teachers. Section III addresses school issues and special education
for students with ADHD. (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
Step-by-Step Guide for Securing ADHD Accommodations at School
(http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/711.html) Eight steps for meeting your child's
educational needs with ADHD accommodations at school. (ADDitude)
Contents of the IEP (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/iepcontents/) Guide to the
Individualized Education Program (IEP), a document developed by the child's parents and school
sta that addresses the special educational services that the child will receive. (Center for Parent
Information and Resources)

What other readers are saying

VeryusefultomeasaparentofachildwithADHDandasateacher.~NorthDakota
Ifoundthisarticlesuperhelpfulformydaughter.Weendeduphomeschoolinglastyearandaretryingto
getbackintoschoolagainthisyear.~Ecuador

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