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Advice Sheet 2

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

What is AD/HD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a syndrome that interferes with an individuals ability to: o o Focus (inattention) Re ulate activity levels (hyperactivity) !nhibit behaviour (impulsivity)

"here are # subtypes: o o $redominantly inattentive $redominantly hyperactive and impulsive A combination of both subtypes

An early onset of severe% pervasive and chronic hyperactivity is thou ht to be enetic in ori in and affect aspects of brain function& !t is this roup of children who are most li'ely to respond to medical treatment which improves the self(control function of the brain& )nfortunately% there is no medical test that can reliably dia nose AD/HD& !nstead% professionals depend on the 'nowled e and e*perience of childhood problems% information provided by parents and teachers+ and careful observation of the child to ma'e a dia nosis,& -*act prevalence fi ures for AD/HD in the Republic of !reland are hard to ascertain at present as AD/HD falls under the broader D-. disability cate ory of -motional /ehaviour Disorders& What !e as teache"s t#$ica%%# sa# a&'(t $($i%s !ith AD/HD i) '(" c%ass"''*s 011&&li'e a whirlwind% always in trouble% 2ust wont wait% shouts out all the time% never settles down to wor'% never thin's about conse3uences% for ets the rule minutes after bein told% boo's are all over the place% always bein told on by the others% can be really lovin % playtime is a ni htmare% complete lac' of self(control&&&&&&&&&4 S'()d +a*i%ia" B(t !hat ca) !e d' t' he%$ 5hole(school tips -ven havin one child with AD/HD in a classroom can present a ma2or challen e for even the most e*perienced teachers& "he most effective way of supportin the child is to support the teacher&

Discuss the childs needs as a whole school issue (or a roup issue in lar e staffs where all personnel
in contact with the child are present)& Adopt a whole school approach to reinforcin a reed rules and providin positive encoura ement& "he class teacher should inform other staff if s/he is modifyin a particular behaviour& 6lass teacher should never feel isolated& 6ollea ues should be aware when support is needed durin school assemblies or at lar e school events& .omeone should be available to step in and help if bac'up is re3uired& All members of staff could try to catch the child bein 0 ood4 (i&e& ac'nowled e when the behaviour on the play round and/or corridor is appropriate)& Adopt a positive commitment to support the pupil with AD/HD

6lassroom(mana ement tips !t is very important to e*amine the physical environment carefully and remove and/or chan e anythin you thin' may impact ne atively on the childs behaviour and learnin & 6lear all clutter from around the child& 7ive the child a lar e bo* for all their belon in s if necessary& Have a separate set of pencils% rubber etc available for the pupil to avoid conflict in roup situations 8ar' a space with clear tape on the round around the childs des' and chair and e*plain to them that this is their wor'in area& )se coloured tape on the floor to indicate spaces+ and footsteps to show where wal'ways are& )se a red line on walls to indicate ."9$ and "H!:;& "his could be used at all the transition areas i&e& leavin and enterin the room& Avoid all distractin stimuli& "ry not to place the child near heaters% doors% windows or any other hi h traffic areas in the room (6harts with blue tac' on the bac' of them are reat distractions for pupils with AD/HD)& 6hildren with AD/HD do not handle chan e well so avoid chan es in physical location where possible&& .eat the pupil near to you but include as part of the re ular class& 8aintain pro*imity without bein intrusive& -nsure the pupil is in a row or a roup des' where s/he is loo'in directly at you without facin other pupils& "he child with ADHD needs 3uietness more than others to concentrate& .o if possible% have a des' or area desi nated as a 3uiet area where they and other children can o& /e careful not to use this particular area as a sanction& )se a visual cue to indicate that it is a 3uiet area& As' the child to desi n labels for the area& !t could be used to listen to music on headphones or when the pupil needs to rela*& -*periment listenin to different types of music& .urround the pupil with ood role models& .elect a peer buddy& $upils with ADHD wor' better in pairs than in roups as it puts less pressure on them socially&& )se small picture cards for wor' tas's on des's to act as reminders& )se <elcro on the des' for youn er pupils so you can or anise their wor' materials and visual cue cards easily& .can the covers of the class boo's and ma'e a visual cue chart where you stic' up the cover of the boo' that is re3uired for each tas' "his can also be used for puttin up the boo's needed for homewor'& "eachin tips Always be precise and clear when communicatin with the pupil 7ive the child somethin unobtrusive to fid et with durin listenin times (e& & a small piece of play(doh or a stress ball) 6hildren with ADHD often favour particular learnin styles& -stablish the childs learnin style and their stren ths& 8a'e sure tas's fit within the students learnin abilities& 8a'e tas's interestin to hold the pupils attention% <ary your delivery& 5here a child is faced with a lar e amount of wor' on a pa e (e& & 8aths) brea' the pa e into smaller units( this will ensure that there is an element of success& 6hec' that disor anisation isnt the reason for non(completion& 6hose rewards carefully Allow the pupil to present his/her wor' in various ways (i&e& computer% dictaphone mind maps% dia rams or pictorial format etc&) 8a'e full use of computers as they provide immediate feedbac'& As' the child to rehearse instructions or provide them with written or visual versions& )se coo'er timers /sand timers/cloc's so that the child does not for et the amount of time available for a tas' 6olour code the students boo's into different sub2ect areas and arran e for the student and a buddy to or anise their wor' space before leavin school each day& "each the child to ma'e chec'lists or schedules& "ry and follow a structured timetable and be close by to supervise the child at transitions from one settin to another (e& & oin to the hall at $times) "ry to minimise the amount of time the child is left waitin with nothin to do& -ncoura e the pupils to as' a =study buddy for help& 6onsider allowin the child out for a run or wal' durin the day with an adult supervisor& Anticipate and prepare for school trips& Always see' out e*tra supervision& /ehaviour(mana ement tips At all times% ma'e sure the child and class 'now that you li'e him/her even when the behaviour is not acceptable& Display% discuss and reinforce class rules& -ncoura e a problem solvin approach in which the child is encoura ed to enerate solutions into his/her own difficulties& "he child is more li'ely to respond to this constructivist approach than

punishin the crime& !n fact% punishment is actually more li'ely to lead to even more oppositional/ defiant behaviour& "a'e time to observe the childs behaviour durin whole class% roup lessons and on the play round& >oo' for support from the Resource "eacher to allow you observe the child and also ive the Resource "eacher opportunities to observe the childs behaviour while you teach also& !dentify the tri er for the behaviour you wish to chan e& Focus on modifyin one behaviour at a time& $rioritise the most disruptive behaviour& "ry a clear and consistent behaviourist approach with a definite tar et in mind (e& & ive the child five smiley stic'ers or stars at the be innin of each day& All s/he has to do to 'eep them is not to shout out when the teacher is tal'in & -ach failure merits the loss of one stic'er% but if three stic'ers are retained% the child ets a reward& 6ollaborate closely with the childs parents when usin any merit reward system as reinforcement at home can lead to more success& "ry to use merit certificates and praise as a reward& )se feedbac' and conse3uences as 3uic'ly as possible followin the tar et behaviour& Allow children with AD/HD preferential access to computers& !t is a fact that children with AD/HD are able to concentrate si nificantly lon er on computer based tas's than on pencil and paper tas's& "ime?out could be used& .ometimes pupils with AD/HD et to the sta e where% for their own safety and for the safety of others% we may have to ive them time ?out& "he most important feature in usin time out is that the school has a whole school policy on the use of it& @ou must consider who will supervise the pupil and where will they oA "he severity of the behaviour should determine where time out ta'es place &!n usin time out try to remember to B& ;eep calm ,& 7ive clear firm direction respectfully to the pupil& #& Avoid ivin class wor' or tas's durin time out& C& Avoid ar uments discussion or bar ainin & D& Redirect the class to their wor' calmly

Finally as teachers we 3uestion if it is fair on the other pupils when they see the pupil with AD/HD ettin so much attention and bein rewarded for the simple thin s that they do naturally every day& As teachers of pupils with AD/HD when faced with this dilemma we should always consider the followin statement and this could uide us in supportin all our pupils&

0Fairness isnt ivin everybody the same+ its ivin what everybody needs4
Re+e"e)ces American $sychiatric Association (BEFG) Dia nostic and .tatistical 8anual of 8ental Disorders& 5ashin ton D6: ).A #rd addition& 6ooper $% /ilton ;8 (,HH,)% Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder& Resource materials for teachers& A practical uide for teachers (,nd ed&) >ondon: David Fulton& /ar'ley& R&A& (BEEH) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: a handboo' for dia nosis and treatment& :ew @or': 7uilford $ress& HADD (,HHD)% ADHD and -ducation% A resource for teachers& HADD Family .upport 7roup% 6armichael House% :orth /runswic' .treet% Dublin G >yon I& (BEEE)& >ecture :otes for =Developmental Disorders% !$.( !nternational $sycholo y .ervices 9 Re an F& (,HH,)& How to teach and mana e children with ADHD& >DA : 6ambrid e

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