Special Education

Some students with FAS/E have serious problems maintaining the focus of their attention which makes it difficult for them to learn. The regular classroom can be overstimulating. This does not mean that the classroom should be barren and uninteresting, but it does mean that the teacher should try to keep visual and auditory distractions to a minimum.

To reduce visual distractions, materials not in use should be stored in boxes or cupboards, not on counter tops. Spinning mobiles hanging from the ceiling are not a good idea. The brightness of the lighting may need to be adjusted. For some students, even a pencil smudge on the paper can be a distraction when they are trying to complete a math problem. Distractibility increases with the difficulty of the task.

Students with problems of auditory selective attention must have as little competing noise as possible. To deal with the problem, the teacher’s voice should be at least 10 to 12 decibels louder than the background noise level. It also helps to seat the students near the source of the information. A hearing specialist may be able to give advice on the use of technologies to amplify the teacher's voice. Use nonverbal cues to reduce the amount of talking in the classroom.

Over time, the student should learn to recognize when there are too many distractions and go to a quieter working area. It should be clear, however, that this is not a punishment. The teacher needs to anticipate problems before problem behaviour escalates. One way to do this is to provide the student with a signal to be used to tell the teacher when time out is needed. Eventually the student may learn to self-regulate. Students who cannot cope in an open classroom often do well one-on-one.

For students who are hyperactive, the teacher must think of ways to allow some movement without disrupting other students. For some students, periods of physical activity followed by quiet activity help. For others, however, the physical activity only causes over-stimulation.

Students who are hyperactive are usually impulsive. They may say, “I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I couldn’t help myself.” They may strike out verbally or physically at the least provocation. At times they place themselves in danger: not looking before dashing into the street or leaping into the deep end of the pool. Part of the solution is to teach self-control through verbalization, but the greater part of the solution is close supervision. Hyperactivity often diminishes during adolescence, but the attentional difficulties remain.

Strategies for Classroom Teachers

• Teach the student to use “self-talk” to help stay focused (e.g., “The first thing I have to do is ...”) and to curb impulsive behaviour (e.g. “Stop and think”). Model this behaviour in order to encourage the student to do this.
• Teach the student to curb impulsive behaviour by knowing how to initiate action, when to initiate action, and how to inhibit behaviours until things are thought through.
• Use concrete reinforcements or reminders (e.g., the use of stop hand-signals) to help the student change problematic behaviour such as “calling out” in class.
• Consequences for inappropriate behaviour need to be immediate.
• A student who needs the stimulation of movement could do some activities, such as reading, in a rocking chair.
• Try meeting the need for physical stimulation by taping sandpaper to the underside of the desk or attaching a squeezing (and strength-increasing) ball to the desk.
• Some students are calmed by quiet background music.
• Arrange a quiet area to use when distractions are too great.
• Rhythmic activities such as choral reading, spelling and math chants are effective at holding attention.
• Establish a signal to indicate frustration.
• Teaching concepts through music can be effective.
• Make each activity brief.
• Ask the student for feedback about helpful learning behaviours and not-so-helpful learning behaviours. For example, “What can we do to make this work?” and “If this was not helpful, why not?”