Links and strategies for teachers dealing with ADD AD/HD and sensory kids.

I have a meeting approaching with my iBoy's Principal.
At the meeting I al planning on giving him 2 documents.
One with a list of suggested consequences for my active quirky boy. This includes things like physical activities (burpees, sprints, planks) weeding, helping out in the canteen, running errands around the school, reflective writing. It is clear to me that his teacher struggles with thinking of disciplinary methods so I hope having a list will help. I would love more suggestions of consequences suited to active children.

The second document with a list of strategies and online resources for her to use. These I have no idea about.
Any organisations I can link her up to? Documents that would help?

I've got some. Will find and post.

Rick Jarman is my daughter's paed. He is a bit of an 'expert' on these things...

Classroom Strategies
- for Students with Attention Difficulties

Reworded from Strategies by Dr. Rick Jarman (Royal Children's Hospital, Melb) by Judie Gade


Sit at front of class preferably with a good role model. Keep away from noisier students.

Have the student be the child you use for errands. This enables them to be constructive, give confidence and move about & burn off energy!

Make sure you have eye contact & their attention before an instruction is given. Have them repeat it back. Write instructions down as well. Do not rely on the child's memory.

Pair up student with a buddy that they can check with in regards to directions & for clarification. This fosters peer relationship building as well as taking some of the onus off the teacher.

Keep instruction s short & to the point.

Allow student extra time with assignments and exams (15 minutes per hour is permissible). Place in a quiet area free of distractions during exams.

If child is having difficulty with homework, reduce the amount. Also if homework is broken down into 15 minute sessions with a 5 minute break, this can help to stay on task.

If there is a fan in the room, place near student as this creates white noise and helps to filter out distracting noises. Ceiling fans during winter can have the blades switched so the fan does not blow on work.

"Don't sweat the small stuff". If you can, let something minor slide, let it. Try to reduce negative responses to student where possible. Only punish major disruptions, that is disruptions that you have handled correctly.

Always apologise to the child if you incorrectly blame him/her for something. This helps with their perception of right and wrong as well. Often this perception is lacking.

If a child lashes out, find out the CAUSE before assigning blame. Often they are being relentlessly bullied by other children and 'go off' when they can take it no more. Sometimes they have misread a situation and need to have it clarified; in this situation you can use it as a learning experience but let it be known that next time there will be consequences that you BOTH agree to.

NEVER presume a child has done something wrong when you can find no-one else to blame just because they are more likely to have done it.

Utilise simple aids such as ear plugs, a desk that a student can stand up at (great for fidgeters), a stress ball for fidgeting with (or something else that makes no noise & cannot be smashed!)

Try to stick to a good routine. Write daily on the blackboard/whiteboard.

Try to give as much one on one attention as is possible. Enlist classmates to help. Ask for parent volunteers (preferably not the parent of the child) to assist with target children.

Praise, praise, praise! This does not need to be verbal. A quiet touch, a wink, nod and smile is sometimes all that is needed without disrupting class. Talk to the parents to keep a score card with points that can be "cashed in" at home.

Reward whole class for the target child's positive behaviour. "I am really pleased with the class's work this morning…… especially you Jason!"

Find what the child is good at, or passionate about, & give activities that can incorporate this.

Provide extra time on the class computer.

Do not worry too much about the neatness of the work as long as it gets done.

Make sure that discipline is understood and clear. Start from scratch each week.

If you have any doubt about behaviour, do not punish it. Overused punishments become ineffective & damage self esteem if you are incorrect about your assumptions.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT DOWN OR BE NEGATIVE ABOUT A CHILD IN FRONT OF THE CLASS! Actually NEVER do this at all if you consider yourself a professional. If you do this then YOU are responsible for the child's ensuing action.

RETAIN A SENSE OF HUMOUR AT ALL TIMES!

30 Ideas for Teaching Children with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
By Leah Davies, M.Ed.
The following list may assist teachers who work with ADHD students. For an overview of this disorder see, "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children."

1. Understand the struggle a student with ADHD has and provide an ordered, safe, predictable classroom environment.

2. Establish a courteous, working relationship with the student’s parents. Learn about their child’s strengths, weaknesses, interests and achievements outside of school. Ask what teaching methods have been most effective with their child. Communicate often and send encouraging notes home.

3. Make time to speak to the student individually. Be respectful and express interest in his or her success in school by asking how he or she learns best.

4. Decide together on a sign or a code that you can use to remind the child to be on task. For example, make eye contact and touch your ear or pick up a particular object. Or, you could hold up one or two fingers.

5. Make classroom rules clear and concise. Discuss them orally and post them for easy reference. Explain the consequences for misbehavior in understandable terms and enforce them consistently. Avoid power struggles.

6. Use a point system, tokens, stars, or other methods to reinforce appropriate behaviors (see Rewards in the Classroom).

7. Notice and provide feedback on any improvement in the areas of behavior and academics (see Effective Praise). Avoid criticizing the child in front of others.

8. Give directions in simple, concrete terms. Simplify instructions, tasks and assignments. Have the child complete one step before introducing the second step.

9. Divide lessons into relatively short segments and use a variety of teaching aids such as films, tapes, computer programs and small group work to reinforce the child's learning.

10. Provide the ADHD student opportunities to display his or her skills, talents and/or leadership ability.

11. Prepare for transitions by providing a warning when a change is to occur. A musical clue may be helpful. Try playing classical music or a recording of nature sounds during work time.

12. Have all of the students stand and stretch, run in place, or do an exercise or movement activity when deemed necessary.

13. Color code paper for each subject. If available use off white, tan or light blue colored paper for written assignments.

14. Create schedules, outlines, lists, and/or a homework assignment book to help the student keep organized as well as to increase home/school communication. Tape a copy of the class schedule to the child's desk.

15. Modify required homework to accommodate students who are severely impacted with ADHD. Avoid busy, redundant assignment.

16. Direct young ADHD children to trace their handprints on the front and back of a folder to carry with them wherever they go. Have them place their hands on top of the traced ones to help them remember to keep their hands to themselves.

17. Pause before asking questions or ask the inattentive child a question to gain his or her focus. Use the student’s name or interests in neutral ways during discussions.

18. Walk around the room and pat the child gently on the shoulder or tap the place in the child’s book that is being read to help him or her stay on task.

19. Seat the ADHD child in close proximity to you and in the area that has the least amount of distractions and stimulation, i.e.doors, windows and active students. Or, sit the child by the pencil sharpener and let him or her get up and sharpen a pencil as often as needed.

20. Watch for signs of increasing stress in a hyperactive child. You may want to reduce the workload or provide an opportunity for the child to release some energy. For example, have the student deliver an “important letter” in a sealed envelope to another teacher or school secretary who understands the child’s need to move.

21. Provide opportunities for physical activity. Choose the hyperactive child to hand out papers or do other classroom jobs that can help release pent up energy and contribute to his or her feeling of self-worth.

22. Encourage the child to use self-monitoring techniques to help focus. For example, allow the him or her to rub velcro or another object attached to the underside of his desk or provide a soft ball for a student to squeeze. (Seek approval of any unusual technique from the principal and parent before use.)

23. Allow a student who seems to be sensitive to fluorescent light to wear a visor or baseball cap in class. Turn off the group of lights nearest the windows or dim the classroom lights.

24. Be flexible and allow a child with the ADHD disorder to stand up or squat in his chair if it helps the student complete assignments. Or, let him or her sit on the floor by you or on a large ball if that helps the child do the work. An air filled pillow or a quiet stationary exercise bike with a desk attached could also be used.

25. Furnish two desks facing each other or side-by-side for one ADHD student. The child can move freely back and forth or lounge between the desks as long as he or she stays on task and in the designated area.

26. Provide a cubicle or quiet area for the ADHD student to use when overwhelmed by classroom activity.

27. If necessary, furnish a specific area marked off by tape that is only his or her space that no one else can enter. In it the student can stand up, sit on the floor, or move around to complete assignments. However, the child must be quiet and remain in the area unless given permission to leave.

28. Encourage sensitivity as the child interacts with peers. If he or she lacks social awareness, it might be helpful to say something like, “Mary looked unhappy when you spoke to her. What is a kinder way to ask for something?” If the student interrupts peers often, remind the child to listen first before talking.

29. Have older students or volunteer parents serve as tutors for these students.

30. Establish a collaborative relationship with the special education teacher, school psychologist, school counselor, administrator and/or other specialist in the school to ascertain the best placement for the child with ADHD.

These seem to make so much sense. But some might seem too radical for many teachers. If they just want to 'manage' the child as opposed to 'engaging' the child then they are unlikely to go so far out of the norm.

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These seem to make so much sense. But some might seem too radical for many teachers. If they just want to 'manage' the child as opposed to 'engaging' the child then they are unlikely to go so far out of the norm.

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I totally agree Lenny. I'm a special ed teacher, so a lot of these things are commonplace in my classroom. I do find that many mainstream teachers that I've worked with much prefer to manage a student they have in their class as opposed to wanting to actually meet their needs appropriately. It's sad, but I also understand why this is often the case as I know they're very busy (not saying its an acceptable excuse, but I can see why they might focus their limited time on what is beneficial for the majority as opposed to the minority).

Lenny, it isn't radical. Most of that is what I do with all of my students, ADHD or not. A lot of it is to help focus, concentration and learning, and every child needs that. Thanks for the extra ideas, N2L, I can see myself using a few more of those now. (Maybe I just had an awesome teacher training provider... but this is how we were taught to teach.)

I would highly recommend the TES online. OK, so it's a UK publication and some of the political stuff isn't relevant (you may never have heard of Michael Gove and I apologise for raising your awareness now), but there are some excellent articles and resources on that site. Registration is free, as are all resources. Even if you decide to subscribe (I do), it is a very small cost - I subscribe to the paper, but you can get it all on-line for a lot less (pretty much most of it is free anyway). That helps with everything, not just ADHD.