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Teaching the ADHD Child: Conducting Lessons
In order to conduct the most productive lessons when teaching the
ADHD child, effective teachers periodically question children’s
understanding of the material, probe for correct answers before
calling on other students, and identify which students need
additional assistance. In teaching the ADHD child, teachers
should keep in mind that transitions from one lesson or class to
another are particularly difficult for students with ADHD. When
they are prepared for transitions, these children are more
likely to respond and to stay on task.
This guide on teaching the ADHD
child, provided by the U.S. Department of Education, provides an
overall
educational strategy for successful instruction,
academic instruction tips on
introducing lessons,
conducting
lessons, providing individualized
instructional practices for math and
language
arts,
organizational and study skills,
effective
behavioral techniques and techniques designed to
encourage
positive behavior, along with
classroom accommodation tips. To order a hard copy of
this ADD teaching report, e-mail edpubs@inet.ed.gov or call
(877) 433-7827.
Teachers can help prepare the ADHD child
to achieve by applying the principles of effective teaching when
they introduce, conduct, and conclude each lesson during the
school day. The following set of strategies to assist in
conducting effective lessons when teaching the ADHD child:
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Be predictable: Structure
and consistency are very important when teaching the ADHD
child. Many do not deal well with change. Minimal rules and
minimal choices are best when teaching the ADHD child. They
need to understand clearly what is expected of them, as well
as the consequences for not adhering to expectations.
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Support the student’s
education participation in the classroom. Provide the ADHD
child with private, discreet cues to stay on task and
advance warning that they will be called upon shortly. Avoid
bringing attention to differences between the ADHD child and
their classmates. At all times, avoid the use of sarcasm and
criticism when teaching the ADHD child.
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Use audiovisual
materials: Use a variety of audiovisual materials to present
academic lessons. For example, use an overhead projector to
demonstrate how to solve an addition problem requiring
regrouping. The students can work on the problem at their
desks while you manipulate counters on the projector screen.
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Check student
performance: Question individual students to assess their
mastery of the lesson. For example, you can ask students to
demonstrate how they arrived at the answer to a problem, or
you can ask individual students to state, in their own
words, how the main character felt at the end of the story.
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Ask probing questions:
Probe for the correct answer after allowing the ADHD child
sufficient time to work out the answer to a question. Count
at least 15 seconds before giving the answer or calling on
another student. Ask followup questions that give children
an opportunity to demonstrate what they know.
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Perform ongoing student
evaluation: Identify students who need additional
assistance. Watch for signs of lack of comprehension, such
as daydreaming or visual or verbal indications of
frustration. Provide these children with extra explanations,
or ask another student to serve as a peer tutor for the
lesson.
-
Help students correct
their own mistakes: Describe how students can identify and
correct their own mistakes. For example, remind students
that they should check their calculations in math problems
and reiterate how they can check their calculations; remind
students of particularly difficult spelling rules and how
students can watch out for easy-to-make errors.
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Help students focus: When
teaching, remind the ADHD child to keep working and to focus
on the assigned task. For example, you can provide follow-up
directions or assign learning partners. These practices can
be directed at individual children or at the entire class.
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Follow-up directions:
Effective teachers of children with ADHD also guide them
with follow-up directions:
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Oral directions: After
giving directions to the class as a whole, provide
additional oral directions for a child with ADHD. For
example, ask the child if he or she understood the
directions and repeat the directions together.
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Written directions: When
teaching the ADHD child, provide follow-up directions in
writing. For example, write the page number for an
assignment on the chalkboard and remind the child to look at
the chalkboard if he or she forgets the assignment.
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Lower noise level:
Monitor the noise level in the classroom, and provide
corrective feedback, as needed when teaching the ADHD child.
If the noise level exceeds the level appropriate for the
type of lesson, remind all students—or individual
students—about the behavioral rules stated at the beginning
of the lesson.
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Divide work into smaller
units: Break down assignments into smaller, less complex
tasks. For example, allow students to complete five math
problems before presenting them with the remaining five
problems.
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Highlight key points:
Highlight key words in the instructions on worksheets to
help the ADHD child focus on the directions. Prepare the
worksheet before the lesson begins, or underline key words
as you and the child read the directions together. When
reading, show children how to identify and highlight a key
sentence, or have them write it on a separate piece of
paper, before asking for a summary of the entire book. In
math, show children how to underline the important facts and
operations; in “Mary has two apples, and John has three,”
underline “two,” “and,” and “three.”
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Eliminate or reduce
frequency of timed tests. Tests that are timed may not allow
the ADHD child to demonstrate what they truly know due to
their potential preoccupation with elapsed time. Allow the
ADHD child more time to complete quizzes and tests in order
to eliminate “test anxiety,” and provide them with other
opportunities, methods, or test formats to demonstrate their
knowledge.
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Use cooperative
learning strategies when teaching the ADHD child: Have
students work together in small groups to maximize their own
and each other’s learning. Use strategies such as
Think-Pair-Share where teachers ask students to think about
a topic, pair with a partner to discuss it, and share ideas
with the group.
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Use assistive technology:
All students, and those with ADHD in particular, can benefit
from the use of technology (such as computers and projector
screens), which makes instruction more visual and allows
students to participate actively.
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