Students Who Have ADHD

Students withAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) offer significant and often perplexing challenges for many teachers. However, it is interesting to note that the IDEA's definition of students with disabilities does not include students with ADHD. For this reason, ADHD students are not eligible for services under IDEA unless they fall into other disability categories (hearing impairment, learning disability, etc.). However, they can receive services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

ADHD students comprise approximately 3 to 5 percent of the school-age population. This may be as many as 35 million children under the age of 18. Significantly more boys than girls are affected, although reasons for this difference are not yet clear. Students with ADHD generally have difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, impulse control, emotional stability, or a combination of those factors.

As you consider this list of signs of ADHD, know that several of these traits must be present in combination before a diagnosis of ADHD can be made. A student who has ADHD …

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law requiring that institutions not discriminate against people with disabilities in any way if they want to receive federal funds. It requires that a school create a special plan to accommodate students' learning needs. However, the law provides no funding to do so.

· Has difficulty following directions.

· Has difficulty playing quietly.

· Talks excessively.

· Fidgets or squirms when sitting.

· Blurts out things.

· Is easily distracted.

· Often engages in dangerous play without thinking about the consequences.

· Has difficulty awaiting turns.

· Interrupts or intrudes.

· Doesn't seem to listen.

· Has difficulty paying attention.

· Has difficulty remaining seated.

· Often shifts from one activity to another.

When working with ADHD students in your classroom, keep the following in mind:

· Make your instructions brief and clear, and teach one step at a time.

· Be sure to make behavioral expectations clear.

· Carefully monitor work, especially when students move from one activity to another.

· Make frequent eye contact. Interestingly, students in the second row are more focused then those in the first.

· Adjust work time so it matches attention spans. Provide frequent breaks as necessary.

· Provide a quiet work area where students can move for better concentration.

· Establish and use a secret signal to let students know when they are off task or misbehaving.

· Use physical contact (a hand on the shoulder) to focus attention.

· Combine both visual and auditory information when giving directions.

· Ease transitions by providing cues and warnings.

· Teach relaxation techniques for longer work periods or tests.

· Each day be sure students have one task they can complete successfully.

· Limit the amount of homework.

· Whenever possible, break an assignment into manageable segments.

You are not alone when you're working with special needs students. Often specialists, clinicians, and other experts are available in the school as part of an educational team. Included on the team may be special education teachers, diagnosticians, parents, social workers, representatives from community agencies, administrators, and other teachers. By working in concert and sharing ideas, you can provide a purposeful education plan for each special needs students

References

Christison, M. (1998). Applying multiple intelligences theory in preservice and inservice TEFL education programs. English Teaching Forum, 36 (2), 2-13.

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books.

Howatt, A. (1984). A history of English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pawley, A., & Syder, F. (1983). Two puzzles for linguistic theory: Native-like selection and native-like fluency. In J. Richards & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Language and communication. London: Longman.

Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (2001). Approaches and methods in language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Teacher © 2005 by Anthony D. Fredericks.

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