How to Help Students with ADHD
Seat them to minimize distractions., Plan ahead and organize., Keep your advice positive, not negative., Use recognition to encourage good behavior., Take misbehavior seriously., Make fidget toys available., Have ADHD students sit in a comfortable...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Seat them to minimize distractions.
Students with ADHD should ideally be seated away from the windows and doors to help them remain attentive in class.
These students are best placed in the front row, where they can get the maximum attention from teachers., Draft a schedule or a worksheet and divide the activities so that the child knows how much is done, and what is left.
This will assist the child in becoming more organized in the classroom. , Using negative remarks to comment on a student's inability to understand and complete a task can be very demotivating.
It is vital that you explain the mistakes to them in a constructive way and let them redo the assignment. , Recognition is the key.
This will help them gain a lot of self confidence and self-esteem.
Rewards and compliments are two simple ways to go about this. , An ADHD student's misbehavior must not go unchecked.
If the child misbehaves, steals someone's pencil, etc. you should not just let it slide lightly.
Talk to the child immediately and make them understand why their behavior was unacceptable.
This will help them learn and give them reasons to avoid it in the future. , This may not be a requirement for every ADHD student, but using items such as stress balls, rubber bands, clips, pennies or even simple items to for them to fidget with is likely to help ADHD students concentrate, remain calm and help them with hyperactivity.
Keep in mind that children who have ADHD tend to fidget a lot, due to lack of impulse control. , Students with ADHD find regular classroom chairs boring, uncomfortable and hard to sit in for a long time.
Have ADHD students sit on something such as a large exercise ball, a chair with thick and soft cushion, a comfortable rolling chair or special chairs that move and are comfortable that are school approved.
It is likely that these comfortable things to sit on will help ADHD students focus, concentrate, remain calm and help them with hyperactivity, Students with ADHD may have trouble sitting still.
As teachers, you can make a timetable of physical activities to help them cope better.
For instance, you could allow them to take quick stretch breaks or go for a 2-minute walk out in the open to get some fresh air. , It must be understood that education does not stop at school.
Keeping in touch with parents of ADHD children will help you enhance the overall learning process and make amends wherever necessary. , Ask questions after giving students sufficient time to work out the answer to a question.
Count to at least 15 seconds before calling on another student for the answer.
Keep in mind though that you should try not to ask deliberately difficult questions in front of the entire class.
Not being able to answer correctly might result in embarrassment and frustration for ADHD students. , Facilitate the learning process by describing how students can correct their own mistakes.
For instance, remind them to recheck their calculations in math problems or go through their English essays again to make sure there are no common spelling errors. , Divide students into small groups and then assign tasks.
Use methods such as Think-Pair-Share, where students are asked to think of a topic, pair up with a fellow student and discuss it. , All students, particularly those with ADHD, can benefit from the use of assistive technology in the classroom.
Computers, projectors and screens make the learning process more interactive and easier to follow.
Let them also work with computers because most ADHD students find it more fun to work on assignments or homework on computers and will most likely help them focus and improve their learning.
ADHD students tend to think regular work on paper/worksheets is boring. , This is extremely important when dealing with students with ADHD.
They will test your patience by asking you to repeat instructions over and over again.
Understand that they are forgetful, and expect you to forgive them for disrupting the classroom decorum at times, etc.
Do not overlook their behavior entirely but deal with them patiently. , Using charts, diagrams and color coded text would be more helpful and make learning easier and more fun for them.
ADHD students find plain text in black and white boring and monotonous.
People with ADHD do best with visual and kinesthetic learning but find auditory learning hard and boring. , Having them use a tracker when they read will help them follow along when they read.
They will get lost without a tracker., People with ADHD tend to be forgetful and having them write things down they need to do will help them remember so they can check it., Having them keep their assignments and papers in an accordion file folder with pockets will help them stay organized and will help them keep track of their assignments.
They get messy and disorganized if they use a regular binder or folder and they end up losing things -
Step 2: Plan ahead and organize.
-
Step 3: Keep your advice positive
-
Step 4: not negative.
-
Step 5: Use recognition to encourage good behavior.
-
Step 6: Take misbehavior seriously.
-
Step 7: Make fidget toys available.
-
Step 8: Have ADHD students sit in a comfortable seat.
-
Step 9: Get time for physical movement.
-
Step 10: Coordinate with parents.
-
Step 11: Ask probing questions
-
Step 12: and let students think.
-
Step 13: Help students correct their own mistakes.
-
Step 14: Use cooperative learning strategies.
-
Step 15: Use assistive technology.
-
Step 16: Be patient.
-
Step 17: Use visual methods.
-
Step 18: Have them use a Tracker when they Read.
-
Step 19: Have them write things down.
-
Step 20: Have them use an Accordion Folder.
Detailed Guide
Students with ADHD should ideally be seated away from the windows and doors to help them remain attentive in class.
These students are best placed in the front row, where they can get the maximum attention from teachers., Draft a schedule or a worksheet and divide the activities so that the child knows how much is done, and what is left.
This will assist the child in becoming more organized in the classroom. , Using negative remarks to comment on a student's inability to understand and complete a task can be very demotivating.
It is vital that you explain the mistakes to them in a constructive way and let them redo the assignment. , Recognition is the key.
This will help them gain a lot of self confidence and self-esteem.
Rewards and compliments are two simple ways to go about this. , An ADHD student's misbehavior must not go unchecked.
If the child misbehaves, steals someone's pencil, etc. you should not just let it slide lightly.
Talk to the child immediately and make them understand why their behavior was unacceptable.
This will help them learn and give them reasons to avoid it in the future. , This may not be a requirement for every ADHD student, but using items such as stress balls, rubber bands, clips, pennies or even simple items to for them to fidget with is likely to help ADHD students concentrate, remain calm and help them with hyperactivity.
Keep in mind that children who have ADHD tend to fidget a lot, due to lack of impulse control. , Students with ADHD find regular classroom chairs boring, uncomfortable and hard to sit in for a long time.
Have ADHD students sit on something such as a large exercise ball, a chair with thick and soft cushion, a comfortable rolling chair or special chairs that move and are comfortable that are school approved.
It is likely that these comfortable things to sit on will help ADHD students focus, concentrate, remain calm and help them with hyperactivity, Students with ADHD may have trouble sitting still.
As teachers, you can make a timetable of physical activities to help them cope better.
For instance, you could allow them to take quick stretch breaks or go for a 2-minute walk out in the open to get some fresh air. , It must be understood that education does not stop at school.
Keeping in touch with parents of ADHD children will help you enhance the overall learning process and make amends wherever necessary. , Ask questions after giving students sufficient time to work out the answer to a question.
Count to at least 15 seconds before calling on another student for the answer.
Keep in mind though that you should try not to ask deliberately difficult questions in front of the entire class.
Not being able to answer correctly might result in embarrassment and frustration for ADHD students. , Facilitate the learning process by describing how students can correct their own mistakes.
For instance, remind them to recheck their calculations in math problems or go through their English essays again to make sure there are no common spelling errors. , Divide students into small groups and then assign tasks.
Use methods such as Think-Pair-Share, where students are asked to think of a topic, pair up with a fellow student and discuss it. , All students, particularly those with ADHD, can benefit from the use of assistive technology in the classroom.
Computers, projectors and screens make the learning process more interactive and easier to follow.
Let them also work with computers because most ADHD students find it more fun to work on assignments or homework on computers and will most likely help them focus and improve their learning.
ADHD students tend to think regular work on paper/worksheets is boring. , This is extremely important when dealing with students with ADHD.
They will test your patience by asking you to repeat instructions over and over again.
Understand that they are forgetful, and expect you to forgive them for disrupting the classroom decorum at times, etc.
Do not overlook their behavior entirely but deal with them patiently. , Using charts, diagrams and color coded text would be more helpful and make learning easier and more fun for them.
ADHD students find plain text in black and white boring and monotonous.
People with ADHD do best with visual and kinesthetic learning but find auditory learning hard and boring. , Having them use a tracker when they read will help them follow along when they read.
They will get lost without a tracker., People with ADHD tend to be forgetful and having them write things down they need to do will help them remember so they can check it., Having them keep their assignments and papers in an accordion file folder with pockets will help them stay organized and will help them keep track of their assignments.
They get messy and disorganized if they use a regular binder or folder and they end up losing things
About the Author
Michael Foster
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in hobbies and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: