What teachers can do to help children with ADHD?

How do you teach a kid who won't settle down and listen? The answer: with a lot of patience,
creativity, and consistency. As a teacher, your role is to evaluate each child's individual needs
and strengths. Then you can develop strategies that will help students with ADHD focus, stay
on task, and learn to their full capabilities. Successful programs for children with ADHD
integrate the following three components such as accommodation, instruction, and
intervention.

1 ADHD Student Accommodations (what you can do to make learning easier for students
with ADHD)

Make adjustments in the classroom. In order to keep students with ADHD from distracting
and disrupting the class, you can change the layout of your classroom and make adjustments
for your students with ADHD.

Seating

- Students with ADHD should be positioned away from windows and doors
- Seat the student right in front of your desk unless it would distract them
- Seat them in rows as students with ADHD tend to work better this way compared to
around tables or facing one another
- Ensure a distraction free and quiet area where they can take tests and study quietly

2 Instructions for Students with ADHD (the methods you use in teaching)

Delivery of Information – ADHD Students Learn Differently

- Give instructions one at a time. If possible, repeat.

- Work on the most difficult task early in the day
- Use visual aids such as charts, pictures, and color coding
- Create outlines to make note-taking easy for them. Organize as you teach

Student work

- Create worksheets and tests with fewer items. Frequent short quizzes are better than
long tests.
- Test students with ADHD focusing on their strengths, such as orally or filling in
blanks
- Divide long term projects into segments, and set a deadline for completion

Organization
 - Let the student maintain a master binder with each subject color coded separately
- Ensure that they have a system for writing down assignments and important dates
- Give time for students to organize their materials and assignments at home
- Vary your pace depending on the kinds of activities. Students with ADHD are known
for excelling in competitive games or in rapid and intense activities
- Devise an unobtrusive set of cues for reminding the student with ADHD to remain
focused on the task. It could be a touch on the shoulder or placing a sticky note on
their desk

3 ADHD Intervention (How you head off behaviors that disrupt concentration or distract
other students)

Prevent disruptive behavior.

- Allow students with ADHD to have frequent breaks and let them squeeze a rubber
ball or something that will not disturb the class as physical outlet.

Deal with disruptive behavior

- Devise some kind of warning signals for students with ADHD. It could range from
hand signals, shoulder squeeze, or a sticky note on the student’s desk.
- If you need to discuss their behavior, talk to them in private.
- Ignore inappropriate behavior if it is not disrupting the lesson.
- 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.