A Discussion of
ADHD
The Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder / Movement (ADHD) is a chronic condition that
affects millions of children and sticks with them even in adulthood. Children
who have this disorder suffer from low self-assessment, problematic social
relationships and in low educational frameworks.
Although the
available treatment for this disorder is not able to bring about recovery, it
may contribute to addressing its symptoms. Treatment includes, usually, psychological
counseling or appropriate pharmaceutical drugs, or may be to combine both
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, n.d).
Diagnosis of
the disorder may raise feelings of fear, but fear may also constitute symptoms
that accompany the disorder which puts a challenge on parents and children. But
the treatment of this disorder may be a positive turning point and it could help
most of the children who suffer from it to become active, full of life and
successful.
Implications of
ADHD– especially for teaching and for the school
The three
characteristics of ADHD are hyperactivity which is constant movements of the
child, inattention which is difficulty in focusing and impulsiveness which is
tending to act without thinking. Some children have one only from these three
but many others have two at once and that is affecting their learning and
school relations. For example, they have some behavioral issues such as being aggressive
and disobedient which leads to some social problems. Also they might suffer
from emotional problems such as being depressed and scared for no reason.
Lastly which is the most important issue, is having learning difficulty such as
problem in focusing, calculating, reading or writing (What is ADHD?, 2009).
Current Suggestion
for regular teachers in the classroom
When the teacher will have a child with ADHD in
her classroom, she should consider her teaching and managing ways to help him
learn without feeling neglected or different because of his disorder. Also
support him a lot with school work, duties and relationships with classmates. For
instance, when making lesson plans, try to create activities that simulate his
learning and make the lesson fun by using physical motions, songs and games to
prevent him getting bored and uncontrollable. Moreover, try to differentiate
the activities and divide them into small tasks so he can handle them without
getting distracted.
When you teach
him, choose the heavy and difficult lesson for the morning periods because they
will be fresher and less tired. Also, during the activities use times or verbal
cues to inform them about how much time is left and that will teach them to
stay focus and respect the time. Also, Pair
him with a kind, mature classmate who doesn’t have ADHD to help him in
refocusing during the class when he gets off track. (Help for Students
With ADHD, 2012)
While teaching, give simple and direct
instructions verbally and visually. Also, make sure that the child processes
the goal of the activity before you move to another one. The teachers should
communicate with the parent of the child who has ADHD when there is any change
in the schedule so they can continue with him at home.
For managing the behavior, isolate him from the
class if he misbehaves and if he behaves well, reward and praise him
immediately without delaying it for tomorrow because tomorrow he is not in his
mind. In addition, you have to give him repeated and directed feedback about
his behavior, wether it is good or bad. If they behave well, give them
immediate praise and try to ignore the bad behaviors that are not distracting.
Try to teach him the good manners towards his
classmates such as waiting for his role in speech or in a queue to get something
and praise him when he does these things to encourage his self confidence (Evidenced-based
treatment for child ADHD, 2002).
When you talk to a child with ADHD, put your
hand on his shoulder to help him focus on what you are saying and make eye
contact with him when giving orders and reminders because he gets distracted
easily. The student with ADHD must feel the teacher’s attention with allocating
some time even a few minutes to talk to him and provide help on some problems.
Print out a card that contains the class
schedule and rules and stick it on their desks to review it many times during
the day.
Lastly, involve him in games that depend on
using the senses physically and mentally and train them on how to use it to
develop their attention. (Classroom Adaptations for ADHD Students, 2010)
Conclusion
In conclusion, a children with ADHD needs
attention from his community to understand their condition and improver on
handling them. They also need a positive community that possesses patience and
accepts to their problem and helps them to be creative, as there is a
significant link between ADHD and creativity. The theory is the long list of
famous innovators throughout history who have faced problems in school because
they suffered from this disorder such as: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Walt
Disney, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison and others.
References
NIMH · What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?. (n.d.). NIMH
· Home. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/what-is-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder.shtml
Drugs, t. w., & NEVER, I. W. (2009, June 2). What is ADHD?
(www.explania.com) - YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdc8_
Classroom Adaptations for ADHD Students
| Psych Central. (n.d.). Psych Central - Trusted mental health, depression,
bipolar, ADHD and psychology information. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2010/classroom-adaptations-for-adhd-students/
Fowler, M. (n.d.). What Can Teachers Do
To Help a Child with AD/HD? - TeacherVision.com. Teacher Lesson Plans,
Printables & Worksheets by Grade or Subject - TeacherVision.com.
Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/add-and-adhd/teaching-methods/57949.html
Low, K. (n.d.). Help for Students With
ADHD. ADD - ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention
Deficit Disorder Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Coping. Retrieved
January 9, 2013, from http://add.about.com/od/childrenandteens/a/adhd-classroom.htm
