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Tips for the Teacher
Problem:
Most ADHD children have difficult attention span in the classroom and it
becomes almost impossible for the child to comprehend information productively
without additional tools for the child to follow in the classroom. Solution:
It can be very helpful to teach students to follow the F.L.O.W.S. method.
F. is for following the teacher’s eyes, L is for listening for important/test
items, O is for outlining important/test items, W is for writing
at a minimal and using symbols instead, and S is for sitting near the teacher.
This information may seem a bit adolescent for middle or high school students
yet it works for teachers in staff meetings. Problem:
How an ADHD child receives information can be the difference between night
and day. Most ADHD children are kinesthetic learners which means they literally
require "hands on " learning in order to comprehend the instructions. Solution:
When teaching an ADHD child, try to use as many of the 5 senses
as possible. I’ll demonstrate with an example of teaching Johnny how to make his
bed. "Johnny, watch mommy as I bunch up the blankets on your bed and drop
them on the floor. Johnny, smell how clean and fresh they smell since mommy washed
them. Now, listen for the thud as the blankets hit the floor. Hear the thud, Johnny.
Now I’m going to take my hand and smooth out the wrinkles on the bed. Feel how
smooth the sheets are and see the wrinkles disappear. Smooooth and see them disappear.
Next, let’s take a blanket, shake it in the air, and let it land on the bed. Hear
the noise the blanket makes in the air and see it land on the bed. Shake and land,
Johnny. Shake and land. Now, Johnny, would you like to try it next? This
gives the ADHD child the opportunity of feeling successful while learning
through the four senses of hear, smell, touch, and sight. This may seem like information
only for the small fry but wouldn’t we, as teachers, love to receive instructions
with so much enthusiasm!! Problem:
ADHD children not only have difficulty comprehending information but they
have difficulty calling it to the attention of the teacher. Contributing factors
can be a lack of self-esteem on the student’s part or an interpretation by the
teacher that the students is interrupting. Solution:
ADHD children can be given a card that is red on one side
and yellow on the other side. When the child does not understand what the teacher
has just said, the child turns the card over on his desk from the yellow side
to the red side signifying to the teacher that he did not understand the material
and that the material needs to be repeated. This gives the ADHD
child the job of listening. Problem:
School assignments for an ADHD child can be a unpleasant
experience because of all the hours needed in preparation time before the report
is due. Too many times and ADHD child feels failure in school
when it comes to these enormous tasks. Solution:
ADHD children need to begin a book report six weeks prior to the due date
rather than the normal four. Teach parents how to assist their children in doing
a book report. 1st the parent and child go to the library for research information.
2nd the child reads out loud a page from the research information and writes a
sentence to represent what was read. 3rd the parent does the same but the child
writes a sentence to represent the information he heard. By the time they are
done reading their research information, the book report has been created and
then the child can rewrite the sentences into paragraphs. This gives the ADHD
child the job of being successful. Problem:
When it comes to test time, many ADHD children have difficulty determining
what information is important and what information is not, thus, it becomes more
confusing for him and shows up in low test grades. Solution:
Most ADHD children learn to pay attention using simple forms as
learning tools such as the BROIL method. B represents "if it
is on the Board it is important", R represents "if it
is Repeated it is important, O represents "if the teacher says
it is On the test it is important, I represents "if the teachers
say It is Important, it is important, and L represents any
List the teacher mentions is important. This gives the ADHD child
the opportunity of feeling successful. Problem:
Keeping an ADHD student on task, where he understands the
concept of working within his space and not his neighbor’s space, can often be
exasperating for a teacher. Solution:
Teaching an ADHD child to stay focused on their work on their desk can
become a rather difficult task. ADHD students have a tendency to stay within
guided work areas by using 2 inch colored tape to square off the work area on
the student’s desk or work table, thus, providing a personal work space while
teaching boundaries. | 
1998
- 2004
