Strategies in fostering a better learning environment for kids with ADHD
10th October 2017
A better way to understand ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is to understand what it isn’t. It isn’t the result of bad parenting or your child being lethargic or disobedient. It, actually, is a biological condition that makes it hard for many children to sit still and concentrate. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and/or learning disabilities can be a challenge for any classroom environment and the teacher.
Challenges of a child with ADHD
Children
with ADHD may be:
- Inattentive, but not hyperactive or impulsive
- Hyperactive and impulsive, but able to pay attention
- Inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive (the most common form of ADHD
Common challenges created by students with ADHD:
- They demand for attention by talking out of turn or moving around the room
- They have trouble following instructions
- They often forget to write down homework assignments, do them, or bring completed work to school
- They often lack fine motor control
- They usually have problems with long distance projects where there is no direct supervision
Children,
having only the ‘inattentive’ symptoms of ADHD, are often overlooked, since
they’re not troublesome. On the other hand, the symptoms of inattention have its
share of consequences too. So, what strategies should teachers follow to
maintain the classroom environment as well as aid in the learning process of
children with ADHD?
Students
with ADHD face the consequences for their problems in low grades; they get scolded
and punished, teasing from peers, and a lower self-esteem. In the meantime, the
teacher faces a tough time as he/she keeps getting complaints from parents, who
feel that their wards are not being taken care of or taught properly. The
teacher starts feeling guilty because he/she is unable to connect with the
child with ADHD. So here’s what they can consider doing. Apart from getting a Pre Primary Teacher Training or Teacher Training Program in India, a
teacher should also get trained in Special
Needs Courses for Teachers to master the skills required to handle children
with various forms of ADHD.
Strategies that teachers may
follow:
Some
children face difficulty in staying still with whatever task they are given at
hand. Some possible ideas to try out in this situation include the following:
- Provide as much positive attention and recognition as possible
- Clarify the social rules and external demands of the classroom
- Establish a cue between teacher and child
- Spend personal discussion times with these children emphasizing the similarities between the teacher and child
- Get in a habit of pausing 10 to 16 seconds before answering
- Probe irrelevant responses for possible connections to the question
- Have children repeat questions before answering
- Using a well known story, have the class orally recite it as a chain story
- When introducing a new topic in any academic area, have the children generate questions about it before providing them with much information
- Distinguish between reality and fantasy by telling stories with a mix of fact and fiction and asking the children to critique them
- Keep assignments short
Following
these strategies may aid in fostering a better learning environment for kids
with ADHD and to focus and maintain their concentration on the lessons and
their work that can be beneficial to the entire class.
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