Teaching tips for ADHDers

[misty]

Charlie Girl............Thread Started on Dec 15, 2006, 2:12pm »


the links were no longer valid so I removed them.

[misty]

I got this in a newsletter. I thought it was interesting & worth saving here:

Identifying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Classroom: Eight Questions Teachers
Should Ask Themselves

You see the kids in your classroom. There are two,
maybe three of them.

She sits in the back. She's you might call a "space
cadet,"
paying attention to someone or something else when
she should be paying attention to you.

There?s another one. He is always out of his seat,
sharpening his pencil or wanting a drink. He cannot
sit still for very long, and he is disturbing
others.

Are these kids ADHD? Or are they just undisciplined?

Here are some questions to ask yourself, and a bit
of background information for you to consider.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is
the phrase that is used to describe children who
have significant problems with high levels of
distractibility or inattention, impulsiveness, and
often with excessive motor activity levels.

There may be deficits in attention and impulse
control without hyperactivity being present. In
fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of
the ADHD kids are not hyperactive.

Research shows that there are several things
happening in the brain of the ADHD child. The main
problem is that parts of the Central Nervous System
are under-stimulated, while others may be
over-stimulated.

In some hyperactive kids there is also an uneven
flow of blood in the brain, with some parts of the
brain getting too much blood flow, and other centers
not getting enough. Certain medications, or other
forms of treatment can be used to address these
problems.

[mumoftwo]

“Help me to focus”
“Please teach me through my sense of “touch”.
I need “hands on” and “body movement”.
“I need to know what comes next”
Please give me a structured environment where there is a dependable routine.
Give me an advanced warning if there will be changes.
“Wait for me, I’m still thinking”
Please allow me to go at my own pace.
If I rush, I get confused and upset.
“I’m stuck ! I cant do it !”
Please offer me options for problem-solving.
I need to know the detours when the road is blocked.
“Is it right? I need to know NOW!”
Please give me rich and immediate feedback on how I’m doing.
“I didn’t forget, I didn’t ‘hear’ it in the first place!”
Please give me directions one step at a time and ask me to
say back what I think you said.
“I didn’t know I Wasn’t in my seat!”
“Please remind me to STOP, THINK and ACT.”
Am I almost done now?
Please give me short work periods with short-term goals.
“What?”
Please don’t say “I’ve already told you that”.
Tell me again in different words.
Give me a signal. Draw me a symbol.
“I know, it’s ALL wrong, isn’t it?”
Please give me praise for partial success.
Reward me for self-improvement, not just for perfection.
“But why do I always get yelled at?”
Please catch me doing something right and praise me for my specific positive behaviour.
Remind me (and yourself) about my good points, when I’m having a bad day.
“I may be hard to live with, and have ADHD, but I still have
feelings and would have never chosen to behave like I do
sometimes”.