October is Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Month

Recently, a friend of mine apologized for not paying attention to me while I was having an in-depth conversation with her, or so I thought. She followed it up with, “Sorry, my ADHD must be kicking in.” At first, I was quite offended but looking deeper into her explanation made me think… What is ADHD?  The fact of the matter is, many people do have Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD. It is estimated that over 5 million people are currently diagnosed with ADHD and the number continues to grow. October is National ADHD Awareness Month. Often represented by an orange ribbon, ADHD Awareness Month exists to help correct many of the misunderstandings of one of the most common disabilities in our country. It is also to raise awareness of the many techniques and strategies designed to help children with ADHD achieve to their fullest potential.

Two common misunderstandings that I’ve heard many times as a special education teacher are that ADHD isn’t a real disorder and that ADHD is just an excuse for misbehavior. These statements couldn’t be further from the truth. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can impact many areas of a person’s life including social, emotional, academic, and even employment. In fact, brain scans show differences in the development of the brains of individuals with ADHD (Matthews 2013). While many individuals do struggle with the effects of ADHD, there is a lot of information, training, and interventions, that can help Individuals with ADHD lead a very happy and successful life.

I first heard of ADHD back in the 80’s. I recall one of my closest friends was struggling with behavior, both in and out of school. To me, he was funny, energetic, smart, and witty. However, others described him with other terms like DEFIANT! LAZY! RUDE! Fortunately for him, he had a persistent support team that was determined to find out why he was struggling the way he was. After an intense screening process and months of anticipation, the results were in… ADHD! It was at that moment, I realized I wanted to become a special education teacher.

What are some common symptoms of ADHD?

ADHD symptoms affect each person differently and to varying degrees. Specialists say that a person must exhibit at least five of these symptoms below to be diagnosed with ADHD. 

•  Difficulty sustaining attention

•  Does not appear to listen

•  Struggles to follow through with instructions

•  Difficulty with organization

•  Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained attention

•  Loses things

•  Easily distracted

•  Forgetful in daily activities

•  Runs about or climbs excessively in children, extreme restlessness in adults

•  Difficulty engaging in activities quietly

•  Acts as if driven by a motor; adults will often feel inside as if they are driven by a motor

• Talks excessively

•  Blurts out answers before questions have been completed

•  Difficulty waiting or taking turns

•  Interrupts or intrudes upon others

What are some ways to support students with ADHD?

There are many teaching techniques and strategies designed specifically for students with ADHD. Students no longer have to be segregated from their typical peers, nor should they suffer consequences for behaviors they cannot control. ADHD is not a choice, not misbehavior and not due to a lack of motivation. 

Below are classroom strategies I have found to be successful in supporting students with ADHD: 

• Establish Consistent Rules and Routines: Set up clear rules of behavioral expectations and review them as often as necessary. Establish routines so the student knows what to expect. This may include setting up a daily agenda or checklist that can be posted visibly in the classroom or on a student’s personal device, such as a Chromebook, iPad or phone.

• Limit Distractions: Arrange seating so that the student is away from extraneous noises (doors, windows,). Seat the student near a good role model or near the teacher and away from other visual distractions as well.

• Provide Specific and Frequent Feedback: Use very specific, positive phrases like, “great job getting started on your work” or “you’re doing a wonderful job staying focused” when providing feedback. This can help a student recognize when they are engaging in the desired behaviors and successfully meeting expectations. 

• Implement Breaks as Needed: Students may need breaks that serve different purposes such as brain breaks, movement breaks and sensory breaks. It is important to keep in mind that ADHD is not about motivation. While we are sometimes inclined to ask students to “earn breaks”, for students with ADHD, having to earn a break is like asking a student to “earn” being able to wear their glasses to see. However, you can strike a balance between some breaks that are given as part of their day and some additional breaks which can be earned as a “reward:”

• Don't Overload Them: You may need to adjust work expectations and length of assignments, as needed, for a student with ADHD. Understand that it can be very overwhelming for a student with ADHD to attempt a math sheet with 25 problems written on the page. In fact, they may not even attempt it at all. If that’s the case, you can reduce the workload by asking them to complete the odd or even problems. Remember, it is more important that they grasp the concept by answering 10 problems correctly than it is to have a whole page of incorrect responses or no responses at all.

• Establish a Nonverbal Cue to Get the Student’s Attention: Often students with ADHD feel embarrassed being called out in front of their peers for being off task or inattentive. A mutually agreed upon non-verbal signal between a student’s teachers can help quite a bit. Sometimes just a simple wink of an eye can be used to remind a student that he is off task and that you need him to refocus. Simply standing near him may also serve as a non-verbal cue. Enrolling the student in brainstorming their ideas about non-verbal cues, rather than imposing your ideas on them, is very important. 

• Encourage Support: Set up times to check in with the student and the student’s parents or guardians. Sometimes students with ADHD are reluctant to ask for help or may not recognize when they need help. Involving the student’s family can also increase the consistent use of interventions and strategies between home and school. This collaboration can lead to greater success!

References

Matthews, Marguerite et al. (2013). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 16:235–266.