Special Education

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Teaching Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Planning for Success at School

Addressing Diverse Needs in the Classroom

Establishing a classroom environment that is friendly to students with AD/HD as well as other diverse needs requires careful planning. Students with AD/HD may appear to be willfully avoiding work when they lack the skills needed to begin the assignment. Working with these students can be frustrating at times. Teachers are encouraged to keep a disability perspective: AD/HD is a disorder that affects students' abilities to begin and follow through on tasks. These students are not "out to get" the teacher, although it may feel that way to the teacher during a stressful day at school. Teachers need to be responsive to the educational strengths and needs of individual students to ensure that appropriate expectations are established. The strategies presented in this section may assist teachers to minimize their frustration and maximize the students' ability to learn. Such strategies may be needed to support students with AD/HD throughout the school years. These strategies can also be helpful to other students in the class.

Many students with AD/HD can benefit from classroom based adaptations and support throughout their school years. Teachers may wish to use a planning tool to record the support provided. The AD/HD Accommodation Plan, used in each of the following case studies, is an example of a planning tool teachers find helpful.

Students with AD/HD who are receiving special education services may require an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The AD/HD Accommodation/Support Plan could be used as part of the IEP planning process.

For more information on developing IEPs see Individual Education Planning: A Resource for Teachers, (Ministry of Education, Skills and Training, 1995).

Classroom Based Strategies

Structure classroom activities that require active learning and a high response rate from students.

When an instructional style that enables students to actively participate in learning is used, students are more likely to remain on task during instruction. On the other hand, when students are required to sit and listen for long periods of time, students with AD/HD may display more inattentive and/or disruptive behaviour. The following strategies can be used to maximize student involvement in learning:

• provide students with an outline or skeleton of information that will be presented in lecture style and ask them to fill it in as the class proceeds,
• provide students with individual white boards, chalk boards, or response cards so that when the teacher is working with a large group, each student can be expected to respond,
• structure partner activities so that students can read orally, question each other, confirm understanding, or assist each other to remain on task, and
• encourage students to demonstrate understanding of learning outcomes in a variety of ways including oral presentations, audio or video taped projects such as radio plays or news reports,dramatizations of factual information.

Teach students organization skills that will help them to complete assignments.

Teachers confronted with students who can not seem to keep track of belongings and assignments may wish to try the following organizational system. While elements of this system could be used with individual students who require support, it is more likely to be successful if the whole class uses it regularly. In some cases, whole schools have decided to use some of these strategies to provide consistency for students across subjects and grades.

• Establish the use of one large binder for all subjects with pocket dividers for each subject and hole punched pencil case for writing tools. A smaller binder with two pocket dividers could be used for primary students.
• Ensure that each student also has an agenda inside the binder. At the end of each class or day, post homework and tests and ask students to record required homework in their agendas. A buddy system to check the completion of each agenda and the inclusion in backpacks of materials required to complete homework can help to ensure students take home what they need.
• Assignments posted on flip chart paper or in an assignment binder at the back of the classroom can become a permanent record which students can consult when they have missed classes or are having trouble understanding or remembering what to do. An agenda of daily activities posted on the board can be an added visual organizer.
• Encourage students to use a backpack to carry the binder. Ask them to take the backpack from school to home and back again everyday so that it becomes a daily routine. If no assigned work is to be completed, the homework could be to organize the binder and backpack. Secondary students who are required to move from class to class may opt to keep all materials in a large pack, rather than in a locker, to reduce the possibility of losing necessary materials.
• Provide students with a "day at a glance" that can be used as a checklist on their desk as assignments are completed.
• Post a list of required materials on the inside of student lockers to encourage them to maintain a supply of materials needed.

Use strategies to maximize positive interaction with students and minimize opportunities for disruptive behaviour.

• Move around the classroom.
• Look around the classroom. Provide immediate, specific feedback on learning and behavioural progress whenever possible.
• Establish eye contact with most students prior to giving instructions to the class.
• Talk to individuals and groups of students to build rapport and to establish and expand understanding of the learning outcomes.
• Comment on positive, rather than negative behaviour, whenever possible. Make comments specific to expected behaviours (e.g. I see that your outline is almost compete - good work!).
• When verbal reprimands are necessary, move comfortably close to the student and use a soft, firm voice to specifically describe the behaviour that is required. Avoid publicly criticizing students.

Clearly communicate rules and behavioural expectations and establish classroom routines.

"I didn't know we were supposed to do that!" is a common cry heard by teachers everywhere. While it may seem that students are being purposely noncompliant, many students, especially those with AD/HD, have difficulty with short term memory which can affect their ability to carry out verbally presented directions. Students with AD/HD can be taught to monitor their own behaviour. The challenge for a teacher is to provide structure while helping to develop in the child a sense of control in life. The following strategies can provide external structures for students who have difficulty internally regulating their behaviour:

• Involve students in establishing three to five basic classroom rules, state them positively and post them in the room. Provide opportunities for students to role play positive and negative examples of these rules on a regular basis to ensure that rules are reviewed often and all students understand the expectations.
• Provide positive reinforcement for following classroom rules. In addition to ensuring that appropriate behaviour is sociallyreinforced through positive comments and gestures, teachers may elect to use activity reinforcers (e.g. choice of activity to reinforce a predetermined number of positive behaviours) or tangible reinforcers (e.g. stickers). Reinforcers should be changed regularly to maintain effectiveness.
• Establish a hierarchy of consequences to be used when classroom rules are repeatedly broken. Ensure that students are aware of these consequences and make every effort to use them consistently and in a timely manner. Positive reinforcers should always outnumber consequences by at least a two to one ratio.
• Pair students with a buddy with whom to consult when the teacher is busy with other students. Supply students with a list of alternative activities to do while they wait for the teacher's attention if their buddy cannot help them out.
• Develop a routine for transitions between activities and classes. The routine could include a forewarning (we will put away the math manipulatives in five minutes), an appropriate chant or song, and established steps to follow. For older students, recorded music could serve the function of the chant or song.
• Model organizational skills by designating places for students' belongings, classroom materials, incoming assignments, etc. in the classroom; use self-talk to model personal organizational strategies and teach students to use positive self talk to help them organize their tasks.

Provide Multi-Sensory Instruction

Using teaching strategies that combine more than one modality can enhance the student's ability to remember and understand information and directions. The following are examples of multi-sensory strategies:

• using songs or chants to teach math facts,
• presenting instructions orally and on an overhead projection,
• using webbing as a note-taking strategy to enhance understanding of concepts,
• using tactile/kinesthetic learning activities such as math manipulatives and computers, and
• providing opportunities for meaningful movement such as involving students in role plays, experiments and other "hands-on" activities.

Establish a physical plan that maximizes productivity.

The following strategies may help teachers to establish productive work spaces for all students:

• If using a seating plan, ask students for input (list 3-4 classmates you would like to sit beside; try to choose people you think enable you to do your best work); then try to establish the plan so that each student can sit beside one or two of the students they prefer.
• Establish quiet "office areas" away from others that students can elect to use if they require privacy or quiet to concentrate.
• Provide an additional desk or two in the room so that students have the option of moving from one desk to another for different activities or to avoid specific distractions.
• Try allowing students to use headphones to listen to taped material to reduce the distractions caused by other activities in the classroom.
• Monitor teacher movement and seat students who have difficulty paying attention so that their proximity to the teacher is maximized.
• Seat students who are having the most difficulty close to peers who will model positive behaviour and away from distracting stimuli such as windows, pencil sharpener or heating vents.
• Consider the impact of lighting, heat and other possible distracters for specific students and assist them to select productive locations.

Individualized Strategies

In some cases, students with AD/HD will require individualized support, in addition to some of the accommodations listed above, to achieve success in the classroom. Specialized personnel such as learning assistance teachers, resource teachers or behavioural consultants should be involved in program planning for these students. For some students this planning may include the development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Make an Accommodation Plan

1. Identify and carefully describe Target Behaviours
   Direct observation can serve as a key source of information about a student's behaviour and performance in a given setting. Observations are non judgmental descriptions of what a child actually does, as well as events that occur just prior to (i.e., antecedents) and just after (i.e., consequences) that behaviour.
   Clearly describe specific behaviours that must be increased or decreased in order for the student to achieve success. Priorize these behaviours and make a plan to address a manageable number of them.

2. Measure the frequency of target behaviours
   Classroom teachers will want to use efficient, time-saving data collection systems. The data collected should reflect what the child actually does, what is happening in the environment when the behaviour occurs, the consequences of the behaviour, as well as the frequency. Observe the student several times and in different situations and compare the behaviours you see in each situation before you draw any conclusions. This data can be used for planning interventions as well as for providing information to medical professionals that may lead to a diagnosis.

   To optimize the accuracy of your data collection, consider the following:

   • deciding on two or three behaviours to observe and document, based on your experience with the student and discussions with other school staff or parents;
   • using a simple system for recording each incident of target behaviour you wish to observe with simple uncomplicated observation codes;
   • focusing emphasis on factual information, avoiding opinion or reflection as much as possible;
   • establishing consistency in recording procedures, especially if more than one person is involved in recording observations
   • analyzing the function of the behaviour by noting the context just preceding and following the target behaviour.
   • Varying the environmental conditions such as where the students is sitting, beside whom the student is sitting, and in what type of activity the student is engaged can add further depth to the observational data.

   Specialist teachers, trained classroom assistants or volunteers could take more detailed observational data.

3. Involve the student in setting goals to reduce or increase the target behaviours and establishing a system to monitor and reinforce the behavioural change.

   A critical part of the plan should include teaching the student appropriate behaviours to replace those that are being reduced. Some inappropriate behaviours are well established and frequent practice and reinforcement of more productive responses may be necessary for positive change. These replacement behaviours must be relevant and effective for the student.

   A response cost system could be established in which points or tokens are awarded for meeting the goals of the behavioural plan and withdrawn when goals of the plan are not met. Points or tokens could then be used to "buy" privileges (e.g. computer time, preferred activities) or tangibles (e.g. sports cards, stickers, pencils). In some cases, parents and teachers may wish to collaborate to establish home rewards (e.g. family pizza night, choice of video rental, time to play video games) to reinforce points earned at school.

   Include some behaviours in which the student is certain to succeed when setting reinforcers so the student achieves a feeling of success.

Accommodating the student with AD/HD

In many cases, students with AD/HD will require adaptations to instructional strategies or assessment to ensure progress in school. Some students with AD/HD may require modifications to curricular outcomes in specific subject areas.

1. Adaptations

   A student who is provided with accommodations or supports in order to achieve the learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum is considered to be receiving adaptations. Students who receive adaptations in credit courses in the graduation years are eligible to receive a Dogwood Certificate upon completion of British Columbia Graduation requirements. Adaptations required by students with AD/HD could include, but are not limited to:

   1. Adaptations to Lesson Presentation
      • giving a structured overview before the lesson
      • using visual aids, demonstrations, simulations and manipulatives to ensure that students understand concepts presented
      • using an overhead projector and keeping each overhead for later review by the student
      • colour coding with chalk or pens to add emphasis
      • providing a copy of teacher or peer notes to allow student to focus on listening
      • providing "turn and talk" or activity breaks to assist the student's ability to focus on instruction
      • providing a written outline or frame for students to fill in
      • enabling the student to tape record material presented verbally
      • using computer assisted instruction
      • establishing routines that enable the student to check understanding with a peer
      • including a variety of activities for the student in each lesson
      • collaborative planning with the learning assistance teacher to pre-teach key vocabulary and concepts

   2. Adaptations to Assignments, Projects and Tests
      • giving instructions visually and verbally,
      • pairing students to check work
      • breaking large assignments into smaller parts and providing feedback and reinforcement as each part is completed,
      • providing additional time to complete assignments or tests,
      • encouraging the use of manipulatives to understand mathematical concepts,
      • providing checklists, outlines, advanced organizers, etc. to assist in assignment completion,
      • supplying reading materials at independent reading level,
      • requiring the completion of fewer examples in drill and practice activities while maintaining the conceptual difficulty of the assignment,
      • providing audio tape to assist students to focus on the material to be read and to maximize understanding.
      • using computer assisted drill and practice or simulation activities,
      • enabling students to demonstrate understanding using a variety of media including oral presentations, audio or video taped assignments, bulletin board displays, dramatizations, and demonstrations,
      • enabling students to word process, rather than write, assignments
      • giving frequent shorter quizzes rather than longer tests that require a great deal of memorization,
      • giving tests and exams orally or on audio tape,
      • enabling students to audio record test answers on tape,
      • using a calculator or tables of basic facts to enable students who have difficulty memorizing to work on higher level concepts in math and science

   3. Organizational Supports
      • assist the student to set short term goals and provide opportunities for self-evaluation of progress toward those goals
      • teach the student to use an agenda, checklists, advanced organizers and other structural supports to assist in self management
      • teach the student to keep track of materials by using strategies such as tying a pencil to the desk, attaching a pen to clothing with a key ring, etc.
      • establish specific places for all belongings and reinforce student for putting materials away properly
      • colour code binder dividers or duotangs to that they match the subject area texts or support materials; use the same color coding on the student's schedule
      • encourage the student to use a "Lazy Susan" inside the desk or locker to avoid things getting lost in the back
      • set up a regular communication system to provide structure and support that is consistent between parents and teachers.

   4. Compensatory Skills
      • teach the use of a word processing with spell checker
      • teach the use of a calculator
      • provide instruction and practice in using study skills and learning strategies
      • provide instruction and support in using self monitoring strategies
      • provide social skills instruction in and opportunities to role play and transfer appropriate social skills
      • teach the use of a timer to increase time on task and assignment completion
2. Modifications

   In most cases, the needs of students with AD/HD will be addressed by adapting instruction, strategies and/or assessment techniques. In a very few cases, students with AD/HD are unable to achieve the learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum, regardless of how much support is provided. These students require modifications to the learning outcomes to address their needs.

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