Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Classroom And Environmental Accommodations For ADHD

By Ryan McDonald


Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects about three to five percent of the population. With its rampant nature, almost every teacher is likely to encounter it at one point in life. This calls for tactics on classroom and environmental accommodations for ADHD. This will help you deal with instances of disruptive behaviors like leaving the seat, calling out and interrupting activities.

In class, such students should be allocated seats as close as possible to the teacher. As much as possible, keep them away from windows and doors because these environments are disruptive. The teacher should have uninterrupted access to such a student, which calls for more spaces between seats. Make adjustments and provisions like foot rests, seat cushions and avail resistant bands, among other interventions that will help the student to focus.

Expect tests and assignments along the education path that are mandatory for all students. With restrictions on how much assistance you can provide, you should break down or simplify sentences as well as make the questions fewer for them. Be ready to extend time to enable such a student to complete the test. Further provide a quiet environment for the exam.

ADHD students will be disadvantaged if education and examination rules are too strict. They need a lot of assistance in the learning process. For instance, paying attention to neatness during examination will lead to total failure. Other than focus on the answer, attention should be on effort and attempt at working out the question. Do not be mad when the paper is turned in late or partially complete. Such students have a short concentration span and thus are unable to handle long assignments.

The classroom environment is crucial in determining how well a student grasps the content. Though the instructions are written on scripts, they should be read out loud. The use of pictures and images makes instructions easier to understand. It helps if a buddy of the student can take the notes on his behalf. Constantly check on the student to ensure that he or she understood the lesson. Simplify and clarify the instructions if your student is struggling.

The behaviors of these students will be out of ordinary. To accommodate their shortcomings, you should reward them using a behavior plan. Do not shout at the student. Rather, use a one-on-one approach to deal with behavioral challenges. Monitor whether your student is experiencing frustrations and ignore some acts as long as they are not disruptive.

Tests are likely to disadvantage an ADHD student. Make provisions for extended time to accommodate distractions. The assignments or tests should be spaced so that the student does not feel overwhelmed. Allow verbatim scripting alongside assistive devices like voice to text software, spellcheckers, reference charts and calculators, among others.

ADHD has no treatment. All interventions are meant to make management of such people easier and thus make them more productive. Available interventions include medication, training, education and psychotherapy. The symptoms and behavior vary from one person to the other and thus each should receive individualized attention.




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