General education adaptations of the different learning needs

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

1. Establishing effective seating arrangements - seating learners with ADHD in a low-

distraction work area in the classroom.
Examples:
 Seat learners with ADHD away from doors and windows.
 Put learners with ADHD near the teacher’s desk unless it would distract them.
 Arrange seats in rows.
2. Posting classroom rules for students with or without ADHD - - establish short and simple
classroom rules that are easy to understand. Frame all rules positively – tell students what
you want them to do, rather than what you don’t want.
3. Staying in a seat for any length of time can also be difficult for these children. Consider
allowing children to stand for periods, as long as they are not too disruptive to others.
4. Give appropriate supervision to ADHD learners

TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

1. Clear and concise instructions will enhance their ability to comply.

2. Ask questions to actively engage students.
3. Establishing class routines - a daily routine that outlines timing and stretch breaks will
assist with staying on task.
4. Break tasks down into small manageable pieces to be submitted at regular intervals. Give
feedback at all intervals. Break Things Up. Divide lessons and large projects up into
smaller chunks and vary both your content and materials. For example, use workbooks,
games, and electronic devices (if you have access to these). This is more likely to keep a
child focused and decrease some traits of inattentiveness.
5. Using a computer helps to maintain interest and attention for longer and adds motivation.
6. Homework - good planning and communication with parents will help
Teaching techniques for students with ADHD

Teaching techniques that help students with ADHD focus and maintain their
concentration on your lesson and their work can be beneficial to the entire class.

Starting a lesson

 Signal the start of a lesson with an aural cue, such as an egg timer, a
cowbell, or a horn. (You can use subsequent cues to show how much
time remains in a lesson.)

 Establish eye contact with any student who has ADHD.

 List the activities of the lesson on the board.

 In opening the lesson, tell students what they’re going to learn and what
your expectations are. Tell students exactly what materials they’ll need.

Conducting the lesson

 Keep instructions simple and structured. Use props, charts, and other
visual aids.

 Vary the pace and include different kinds of activities. Many students
with ADHD do well with competitive games or other activities that are
rapid and intense.

 Have an unobtrusive cue set up with the student who has ADHD, such
as a touch on the shoulder or placing a sticky note on the student’s
desk, to remind the student to stay on task.

 Allow a student with ADHD frequent breaks and let him or her squeeze a
rubber ball or tap something that doesn’t make noise as a physical
outlet.

 Try not to ask a student with ADHD perform a task or answer a question
publicly that might be too difficult.

Ending the lesson

 Summarize key points.

 If you give an assignment, have three different students repeat it, then
have the class say it in unison, and put it on the board.
  Be specific about what to take home.

Classroom accommodations for students with ADHD

As a teacher, you can make changes in the classroom to help minimize the
distractions and disruptions of ADHD.

Seating

 Seat the student with ADHD away from windows and away from the
door.

 Put the student with ADHD right in front of your desk unless that would
be a distraction for the student.

 Seats in rows, with focus on the teacher, usually work better than having
students seated around tables or facing one another in other
arrangements.

 Create a quiet area free of distractions for test-taking and quiet study.

Information delivery

 Give instructions one at a time and repeat as necessary.

 If possible, work on the most difficult material early in the day.

 Use visuals: charts, pictures, color coding.

 Create outlines for note-taking that organize the information as you

deliver it.

Student work

 Create worksheets and tests with fewer items, give frequent short
quizzes rather than long tests, and reduce the number of timed tests.

 Test students with ADHD in the way they do best, such as orally or filling
in blanks.

 Divide long-term projects into segments and assign a completion goal

for each segment.

 Accept late work and give partial credit for partial work.
Organization

 Have the student keep a master binder with a separate section for each
subject, and make sure everything that goes into the notebook is put in
the correct section. Color-code materials for each subject.

 Provide a three-pocket notebook insert for homework assignments,

completed homework, and “mail” to parents (permission slips, PTA
flyers).

 Make sure the student has a system for writing down assignments and
important dates and uses it.

 Allow time for the student to organize materials and assignments for
home. Post steps for getting ready to go home.

Strategies for Students with ADHD

 Assign work that suits the student’s skill level. Students with ADHD will
avoid classwork that is too difficult or too long.

 Offer choices. Children with ADHD who are given choices for completing an
activity produce more work, are more compliant, and act less negative.
Establish, for instance, a list of 15 activity choices for practicing spelling
words like writing words on flash cards, using them in a sentence, or air-
writing words.

 Provide visual reminders. Students with ADHD respond well to visual cues

and examples. For instance, demonstrate a skill like essay writing on an
overhead projector or on the board. When children get to their
independent work, leave key points about a topic visible on the board. Post
important concepts the children will use again and again on brightly
colored poster board around the room.

 Increase active class participation. Group strategies include asking

students to write their answers on dry-erase white boards and showing
them to the teacher, asking students to answer questions in unison (choral
response), having students give a thumbs up or down if the answer to the
question is yes or no — a level palm, if they don’t know the answer. Paired
 learning is also effective. Have students work through a problem in a group
and discuss for maximized understanding.

 Encourage hands-on learning. Create learning opportunities where

children experience things first-hand. Have students write and act out a
play, record an assignment on videotape or take apart and put together a
model of a miniature eyeball when studying the human body.
Establish Rules & Routines for ADHD Students
 Post classroom rules for student with and without ADHD. With input from
students, establish short, simple classroom rules. State them in positive
terms that convey what you want students to do.
o For example, instead of saying: “No loud talking when you come into
class,” say, “When you come into class, check the assignment on the
board and start working quietly.” Or, “Sit down first and then you
may talk quietly with your neighbor until I start teaching.”
 Establish classroom routines. This will help students with ADHD stay on
task. Routines for all students can include: homework always being written
on the board, “row captains” checking to see that assignments are written
and that completed work is picked up, etc. Students with ADHD can check
in with the classroom aide at the end of the day to make sure they understand
the homework assignment and what’s required of them.
 Give appropriate supervision to ADHD students. Children
with ADHD require more supervision than their peers because of their
delayed maturity, forgetfulness, distractibility, and disorganization. Help
these students by pairing them with classmates who can remind them of
homework and classwork, using student partners to team up on a project,
and involving classroom aides as much as you can during and after class.
Offer Accommodations for ADHD in the Classroom

Some students with ADHD may need school accommodations to address academic challenges.

Make sure they get them. Some accommodations can be as easy as
monitoring the student’s work and developing a plan to help him not fall
behind and even accepting the occasional late assignment — this can
give the student confidence and get her back on track.
Other common ADHD accommodations include:
 Extended time on tests
 Shortened assignments
 Instruction in note-taking or designating a class notetaker
 Segmented assignments for long-term projects (with separate due dates
and grades).

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) makes the

following recommendations for accommodations:
 Reduce potential distractions. Always seat students who have problems
with focus near the source of instruction and/or stand near student when
giving instructions to help the student by reducing barriers and distractions
between him and the lesson. Always seat this student in a low-distraction
work area in the classroom.

 Use positive peer models. Encourage the student to sit near positive role
models to ease the distractions from other students with challenging or
diverting behaviors.

 Prepare for transitions. Remind the student about what is coming next

(next class, recess, time for a different book, etc.). For special events like
field trips or other activities, be sure to give plenty of advance notice and
reminders. Help the student in preparing for the end of the day and going
home, supervise the student’s book bag for necessary items needed for
homework.

 Allow for movement. Allow the student to move around or fidget,

preferably by creating reasons for the movement. Provide opportunities for
physical action — do an errand, wash the blackboard, get a drink of water,
go to the bathroom, etc. If this is not practical, then permit the student to
play with small objects kept in their desks that can be manipulated quietly,
such as a soft squeeze ball, if it isn’t too distracting.
  Let the children play. Recess can actually promote focus in children with
ADHD so don’t use it as a time to make-up missed schoolwork or as
punishment as you might for other students.
Focus on the Positive
 Establish a positive relationship with students who have ADHD. Greet
them by name as they enter the classroom or when calling on them in class.
Create a class bulletin board for posting students’ academic and
extracurricular interests, photographs, artwork, and/or accomplishments.

 Provide frequent, positive feedback. Students with ADHD respond best to

feedback that is immediate. Use positive praise, such as “You’re doing a
great job” or “Now you’ve got it.” If a student’s answer is incorrect, say,
“Let’s talk this through” or “Does that sound right to you?”

 Ask questions rather than reprimand. If the student misbehaves, in class,

ask, “Is that a good choice or a bad choice?” The student will get the
message that his behavior is inappropriate.
Partner with Parents

For best results, teachers must partner with the parents to ensure that
their child is ready to learn in the classroom. Here are some guidelines to
share with the parents of your students with ADHD:
 Communicate regularly with the teacher about problems.
 See that your child’s ADHD medication is working effectively at school and
during homework sessions.
 Help your child organize papers for evening homework and prepare for the
next school day.
 Watch your child put completed homework in the proper folder.
 Monitor completion of work in the classes that he is in danger of failing.
 Save all completed homework until the semester is over.
 Talk with the teacher about using a daily or weekly report, if needed.
8 Simple School Strategies for Students With ADHD
Strategies in the Classroom
Kids and teens with ADHD have unique needs in the classroom. Here are some strategies that
parents and teachers of students with ADHD can use to help them succeed at school.

Keep Expectations Consistent

Classroom rules should be clear and concise.2 Rules and expectations for the class should be
regularly reviewed and updated when necessary. Rules should be posted in the classroom where
they can be easily read.

It's often useful to have a child repeat back rules, expectations, or other instructions to ensure that
they understood. Teachers should keep in mind that a child may have heard the words that were
said but misunderstood the meaning.

A child with ADHD may find it helpful to have an index card with the rules taped to their desk for quick
reference.

For kids who struggle with time management and "shifting gears" from one task or class to the
next, having a schedule handy and reviewing it often can make transitions go more smoothly.2
You can also use timers, taped time signals, or verbal cues to help a student see how much time
is left for an activity.
Limit Distractions
Students with ADHD are susceptible to distractions, so it can be beneficial to seat them away
from sources of classroom disruption such as doors, windows, cubby areas, and pencil
sharpeners. Try to limit other distractions in the room, like excessive noise or visual stimuli like
clutter, as much as possible.

If a child has an especially difficult time dealing with distractions, being seated near the front of
the class close to the teacher may be helpful.
Listening to “white noise” or soft background music can actually improve focus and
concentration for some kids with ADHD, though it can be a distraction for those children who
don't.3
Provide Frequent Feedback
Kids with and without ADHD benefit from frequent, immediate feedback about their behavior.2
When necessary, any consequences given for unwanted behaviors should also be swift.
Provide immediate praise for good behavior. If a negative behavior is minimal and not
disruptive, it's best to ignore it.
Reward Good Behavior
Rewards and incentives should always be used before punishment to motivate a student. To
prevent boredom, change up the rewards frequently. Do not use the loss of recess as a
consequence for negative behavior.
Kids with ADHD benefit from physical activity and may be able to focus better after being
outside or in gym class. Prioritizing rewards over punishment will help ensure that school
continues to feel like a positive place for kids with ADHD.

Give Them a Break

Kids with ADHD tend to struggle with sitting still for long periods of time, so giving them
frequent opportunities to get up and move around can be a big help.2

You can provide them with a physical break by having them hand out or collect papers or
classroom materials, run an errand to the office or another part of the building, or erase the
board. Even something as simple as letting them go get a drink of water at the water fountain can
provide a moment of activity.

Classroom accommodations for ADHD

Setting up the classroom environment
 Use flexible seating , like wiggle chairs, standing desks,
footrests, seat cushions, or resistance bands on chair legs.
 Increase the space between desks or worktables (if social
distancing guidelines aren’t already in place).
 Designate a quiet workspace in the classroom.
 Set up preferential seating close to the teacher and/or away from
high-traffic areas.
 Post a written schedule for daily routines and rules. When
possible, let the student know ahead of time about schedule
changes. 
Building organization skills
 Use an assignment notebook or an electronic calendar.
 Provide an extra set of books to keep at home.
 Provide folders and baskets of supplies to keep desk organized.
 Color-code materials for each subject.
 Provide typed notes or an outline of the lesson to help with
taking notes.
 Teach note-taking strategies , like using graphic organizers
and mind-mapping software.
 Have a buddy take notes for the student.
Giving instructions
 Give directions out loud and in writing, and have the student
repeat them.
 Provide a lesson outline that details instructions and
assignments.
 Keep instructions simple, clear, and concrete.
 Use pictures and graphs to help create visual interest.
 Provide a rubric that describes the elements of a successfully
completed assignment.
 Help the student break long assignments into smaller
chunks .
Completing tests and assignments
 Allow understanding to be demonstrated in different ways, like
oral reports, posters, and video presentations.
 Provide different ways to respond to test questions, like saying
the answers or circling them.
 Minimize the number of questions and problems per worksheet.
 Schedule frequent short quizzes, rather than one long test at the
end of each unit.
 Give credit for work done instead of taking away points for late or
partial assignments (with a plan for moving toward completing
assignments).
 Grade for content, not for neatness.
 Give extra time and quieter space for work and tests.
Managing behavior
 Use a behavior plan with a reward system.
 Use a nonverbal signal (like a sticky note on the desk or a hand
on a shoulder) to get the student’s attention and indicate the
need for things like taking a  brain break .
 Talk through behavior problems one-on-one.
 Check in frequently to monitor the student’s “emotional
temperature” or frustration level.