The ADHD child’s school success is often dependent on his or her ability to attend to tasks and teacher and classroom expectations with minimal distraction. When a child exhibits behaviors associated with ADHD, consequences may include difficulties with school and with forming relationships with his or her peers if appropriate instructional methodologies and interventions are not implemented.
There are an estimated 1.46 to 2.46 million children with ADHD in the United States, constituting 3 to 5 percent of the school student population. It has been documented that approximately 25 to 30 percent of all children with ADHD also have learning disabilities. Likewise, children with ADHD have coexisting psychiatric disorders at a much higher rate.
When selecting and implementing successful school strategies and practices for the ADHD student, it is imperative to understand the characteristics of the child, including those pertaining to disabilities. This knowledge will be useful in the evaluation and implementation of successful practices, which are often the same practices that benefit students without ADHD.
Three Components of Successful Programs for Children with ADHD: The three main components of a successful ADHD school strategy are academic instruction, behavioral interventions, and classroom accommodations. This guide outlines a series of strategies proven successful in not only educating children with ADHD but all children. By incorporating techniques from these three areas into their everyday instructional and classroom management practices, teachers will improve the academic performance and the behavior of their students with ADHD.
Academic Instruction: The first major component of the most effective instruction for children with ADHD is effective school instruction. Teachers can help prepare their students with ADHD to achieve by applying the principles of effective teaching when they introduce, conduct, and conclude each lesson during the school day. The discussion and techniques that follow pertain to the instructional process in general (across subject areas); strategies for specific subject areas appear in the subsequent subsection “Individualizing Instructional Practices.”
Behavioral Interventions: The second major component of effective school instruction for children with ADHD involves the use of behavioral interventions. The purpose of behavioral interventions in the school setting is to assist ADHD students in displaying the behaviors that are most conducive to their own learning and that of classmates. Well-managed classrooms prevent many disciplinary problems and provide an environment that is most favorable for learning. When a teacher’s time must be spent interacting with students whose behaviors are not focused on the lesson being presented, less time is available for assisting other students. Behavioral interventions should be viewed as an opportunity for teaching in the most effective and efficient manner, rather than as an opportunity for punishment.
Classroom Accommodations: The third component of a strategy for effectively educating children with ADHD involves physical school classroom accommodations. Children with ADHD often have difficulty adjusting to the structured environment of a classroom, determining what is important, and focusing on their assigned work. They are easily distracted by other children or by nearby activities in the school classroom. As a result, many children with ADHD benefit from accommodations that reduce distractions in the classroom environment and help them to stay on task and learn. Certain accommodations within the physical and learning environments of the classroom can benefit children with ADHD. Source: U.S. Department of Education. To order a hard copy of this ADD teaching report, e-mail edpubs@inet.ed.gov or call (877) 433-7827.
