Teaching
a Child with ADHD
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Teaching
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From the definition
of ADHD alone, it is enough to indicate that
teaching a child with ADHD can be very difficult.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is
a condition that is very common in children
all over the world. This condition is characterized
by a number of symptoms, namely hyperactivity,
impulsivity, and short attention span.
Research shows
that there is one child afflicted with ADHD
in every classroom. If you have not had the
chance to encounter such a child for your class
yet, as a teacher, do not worry. You will have
your chance soon, and this can indeed present
itself to be a bit of a challenge.
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This is why it would
be very helpful to familiarize yourself with the symptoms
of the condition, as well as the basic things that
you can do, as a teacher, to foster an environment
that is still conducive for learning.
What characterizes
hyperactivity? Wouldn't this be a bit hard to determine
or diagnose, since children do have the natural tendency
to be very active? Yes, it is true that arriving at
an accurate diagnosis for hyperactivity can be difficult
here. However, all you really have to look for is
excess hyperactivity. If you notice a particular child
who is excessively hyperactive, then chances are,
that child is afflicted with the condition. Hyperactivity
can be manifested through the child's inability to
sit or keep still at one place. The hyperactive child
is constantly on the go. You rarely see the hyperactive
child sitting still, for he or she will surely be
moving from one spot to another ever so often.
What about
impulsivity? This actually pertains to the quality
of being impulsive that the child ends up acting inappropriately
already. For instance, you ask a particular student
a question in class, and he has started sharing his
answer. The ADHD child would not find it inappropriate
at all to interrupt his classmate and share his own
answer. This is already inappropriate affect, so to
speak. The ADHD child is acting out the symptoms of
the condition already. Short attention span, on the
other hand, is just as what the symptom suggests.
The ADHD child would find it hard to complete one
particular task without jumping into another task.
Sometimes, these two tasks would not even be related
in any way! Another common manifestation of short
attention span here is how the child ends up forgetting
or losing his or her things. Losing a pencil is quite
common for a child, but if your child keeps losing
pencils and pens, then there just might be something
wrong there. Forgetting instructions is also a manifestation
of ADHD.
Imagine
having to deal with all of these symptoms altogether!
Should this happen, then you will certainly have your
hands full every single school day! In spite of the
situation being overwhelming, you should not feel
discouraged as an educator at all. Here are certain
things you can try to foster proper education.
1) Position
the ADHD child in a spot where there is the least
amount of distraction. Keep the child away from the
windows or the doors. The ideal spot here would be
somewhere near you, so that you can keep a close eye
on him or her.
2) Do
not reprimand the ADHD child in front of the other
students. ADHD children are often criticized by a
lot of people, and this might be damaging to their
self-esteem. The ADHD child just might even receive
a lot of teasing from his or her classmates and friends.
As a teacher, you should not give into your frustrations.
To avoid this, you can formulate some sort of signal
with the ADHD, to let him or her know that it is time
to get back to work, or that it is time to stop being
noisy or unruly.
3) Make
the ADHD child feel special. They are seldom chosen
for teams for the good ol' Dodge ball game. Since
they have so much energy, how about using that energy
in a productive way? For instance, you can assign
your ADHD student to sharpen pencils for you, or get
certain files for you. You do not just provide the
child a way to expel his or her abundance of energy,
you also let them feel important, that they were handpicked
to fulfill a very important task at hand.
Teaching
a child with ADHD is indeed difficult. However, these
tips can really help any teacher out. Just make sure
to hold on them and implement these tips appropriately.
Recommended
Resources |
All children
behave badly from time to time. But in children with
attention
disorders, uncontrollable anger, outbursts and
destructive behaviors can be ongoing and often severe
Find
out how to stop your child's defiant and out-of-control
behavior with a simple step-by-step guide from James
Lehman's Total Transformation Program, MSW,
Behavioral Therapist.
Behaviorally
troubled kids lack the skills to solve the problems
they encounter every day. The Total
Transformation Program teaches you how to give
your child more effective ways to solve his problems
than fighting, screaming, annoying and defiance.
Step-by-step
multi-media program that comes to you on DVD and CD
with an interactive workbook
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