Adaptive Learning: Issue 11

King Edward VI School Southampton

Adaptive Learning

What Are Classrooms Like for Students with Learning Disabilities?

By: Kate Garnett

Classrooms can be perilous in a number of ways for students with learning disabilities. Here are some tips to remember when working with students with LD.

7 Things to Know About the 1 in 5 with Learning and Attention Issues

How do general education classroom environments respond to individual differences and needs? How readily do teachers alter their forms of classroom organization; how readily do they modify approaches?

Common classroom conditions can and do affect many students adversely-to some degree, at one time or another, in one way or other-but, some students are especiallyvulnerable to classrooms’ hazards (e.g., children of poverty, nonnative speakers, those with attention deficits). Students with learning disabilities are among the mostvulnerable-at chronic risk for “not learning” under the aforementioned conditions, for long-term academic and social problems, and for lifelong debilitating side-effects of their classroom experiences.

Classrooms can be perilous in a number of ways for students with learning disabilities. Remember:

Crowded

Classrooms are crowded environments, arranged to maximize general, not close, observation of students. Being a member of a crowd is hazardous to Keesha’s learning; she fades into the woodwork.

Busy

They are busy places, filled with rapid interactions. Rapid verbal exchanges leave Dan with a consistent residue of confusion and misunderstanding (and he equates asking questions with being stupid).

Time-driven

Mostly driven by clock time, they rarely operate in the flow of time. And yet, despite time pressure, much of students’ classroom career is spent either waiting or being interrupted. Transitions and interruptions batter Nicholas’ already fragile orientation in time and space. His frustration flares up when he loses his grip in time/space and, what’s more, he is convinced that you take pleasure in constantly not letting him finish what he’s doing.

Public arenas for students

For students, classrooms are public arenas. The public spotlight can, at any moment, bare this child’s failings (or that one’s worthiness), making clear the official pecking order. Jose experiences the spotlight of public attention as shame, even though you have no such intent. This perception determines his behavior during anything he senses is intended to “teach” him. Avoiding exposure is habitual now and has stunted his willingness to try.

Private for teachers

For teachers, classrooms are private domains, rarely encroached for any length of time or depth of observation by another adult. The privacy of a teacher’s domain confines what can be seen about what’s going on. More adults, seeing from more angles, might notice that Daniel has extraordinary powers of concentration, except during reading and spelling (when he has attention deficits and behavior problems).

Teachers talk

Teacher talk predominates in classrooms, especially during times of intentional teaching. Student talk is minimal, especially during times of intentional learning. In order to understand and remember content area information, both Dan and Jose need to talk a lot, formulating, rehearsing, and verbalizing the steps of study tasks. They need to talk just when their teacher believes that they should be quietly “working.” Further, they require coaching in how to do this.

Whole-group instruction

Overwhelmingly, classroom instruction relies on whole group instruction, accompanied by large amounts of loosely overseen seat work. Without frequent clarifying interchanges, Keesha and Nicholas are left in the dust of group-focused lessons and semi-supervised seatwork.

Activity-focused

The instructional focus is largely at the activity level, with teachers’ expressing satisfaction when “things are going well,” with students enjoying themselves. When the teacher’s focus is on the activity flow, it is not evident that Jose is mentally on the fringes, not learning much of anything. He is terrific at engaging in an aspect of an activity that doesn’t push his edges. Notably, Jose loves copying.

Progress is monitored

Checking in on students’ performance is frequent, but uneven; probing individual students’ understanding, providing instructive feedback or monitoring individual progress is rare. It is crucial to give Dan corrective feedback as he practices reading words and to keep weekly track of his word reading progress. Because advancement is slow and in smaller thancommon steps, both Dan and the teacher need to see the tangible traces of his learning in order to stay motivated.

These students’ particular needs get inadequate attention in most general education classrooms as currently constituted. Common, often central, characteristics of classrooms are at odds with the kinds of activities, interchanges, and consistency their learning requires. While it is possible to remold classrooms to respond more effectively to Dan, Jose, Nicholas and Keesha, there are a number of sizable barriers to such change. One has just been outlined: “not seeing” how particular classroom features are directly affecting what happens (and doesn’t happen) throughout the school day and, importantly, how changes in these features can alter classroom dynamics and learning.

Differentiation and the “fairness doctrine”

Another barrier is the common belief that “including” students with learning disabilities is fundamentally a matter of ensuring that the student “fits in.” By and large, teachers in general education classrooms aim for their students with learning disabilities to be well accepted, for them to feel comfortable and to “not stick out.” This translates into not wanting to treat them differently — a problematic predicament, to say the least! To even begin approaching these students’ learning needs requires treating them considerably differently. For example, it will be important to:

• Ensure that Keesha and Dan actively contribute and ask questions during discussions. This will require teaching them how to ask questions, as well aschanging their beliefs about the act of questioning in school (i.e., that it is mostly proof of their stupidity or a rude challenge to the teacher).

• Situate Nicholas in time with a personal timer and time chart, altering how you approach him. (Perhaps: “Nick, we have Art in 5 minutes, could you set yourtimer for blast off?”) Also, unlike others, he needs a buddy to navigate

the halls, as he gets lost easily. Further, his severe math difficulties require him to work at a foundation level, with materials and procedures not used by the other students.

• Handle Jose with extreme care to avoid his becoming wallpaper for the rest of his schooling. He may well need you to treat him very differently, making bargainsabout different assignments, using private hand signals to gain his assent before calling on him, arranging a period a day of unpressured work that he chooses,having a daily private conference with him.

• Work intensively with both Dan and Jose on reading skills that your other students acquired with ease three years ago, as well as on explicit strategies fortaperecording their essays and using taped books to keep up in social studies.

These are a diverse lot of instructional strategies for a mixed bag of difficulties, strategies tailored to particular youngsters and it is a partial listing, at that. If the goal is for these youngsters to “fit in,” such an array of adaptations and alterations is unnecessary. In fact, making these accommodations will expose Jose and company to increased public view, with attendant discomfort and embarrassment.

But, what if their learning requires these? Fitting in and learning may be at odds … not an easy situation. These students’ learning requirements seem to go well beyond what is possible for one teacher to run around and meet, given the other students and priorities in the general education class. So it is understandable that teachers do not add many such adaptations to their already full plates.

In fact, teachers in general education classrooms, even those viewed as “the cream,” make minimal accommodations for students with learning disabilities and tend to sustain only those they feel benefit their entire class (e.g., graphic organizers make a topic clearer for all, extra practice helps everyone). There is a prevailing belief that treating students differently is somehow detrimental — either bad for the individual, not good for the group, or both-voiced with particular concern for “fairness.” This “fairness doctrine” has the ring of one of those cultural assumptions, worthy of closer examination, given the unfair factsof classroom life.

In actual practice, neither instruction nor discipline is evenhanded in classrooms, differing along lines of gender, race, class, and more. Different students are, in fact, treated substantially differently in all classrooms. Some of this is intended, as when one student spends much time parked outside the principal’s office, while another goes there only on high-prestige errands. But much is unintended, even unnoticed. As but one example of such unacknowledged differential treatment: students with learning disabilities receive decreasing academic challenges over time in general education classes. Eventually many of their teachers settle into unspoken agreements with them — “I won’t demand of you, if you don’t bother me.” Thus, “achieving” youngsters receive a continuing diet of cognitive challenges, while many of their classmates who have learning disabilities are dished up less and less.

By high school, the latter are often like phantoms, sliding in and out of classes with little effect. And frequently this complicity is neither desired nor fully “seen” by either teacher or student.

So, in fact, fairness, in the sense of sameness of instruction, or equity of instruction, or even in the sense of “each challenged to near capacity,” is not very operative in classrooms, certainly not as much as we might like to think.

So, why the staunch resistance to purposefully treating the Dans, the Joses and the others differently, resistance in the name of fairness? I’ll hazard that this concern, voiced by many teachers, has to do with some implicit “rules of the game” that have been handed down via the culture of schools and probably also by the culture at large. School participants, enculturated beings, “feel” when these rules are being violated, and will commonly rush to uphold themeven when they are not in the best interests either of the individual learner or the “ rest of the class.” Put another way, for classrooms to more fully accommodate students with learning disabilities, it may well take a cultural shift in the current way of “doing school,” a more fundamental shift in how the enterprise operates overall, not only for those few. Now that is a tall order and one requiring approaches from multiple directions.

But, wait a minute!

What about the special educators in general classrooms-the consultant teachers, team teachers, collaborators- aren’t they doing the needed individual adapting? Well, that certainly is the intention, with the assumption that the special educators’ “close-up kid view” will complement as well as rub off on their colleagues. As it turns out though, evidence points in the other direction: special educators, set down in the midst of general education classes, adapt to the prevailing focus on activity, activity flow, and the group’s overall engagement and responsiveness. They become supportive regular classroom teachers, even generalizing their “special” advice in stereotypical, rather than kid-specific, terms.

For example: “Semantic maps help kids with learning disabilities.”

Instead of “Dan really has to organize his studying into semantic maps, with color cues. He can do it for stories now, but not for information, like Science News. Also, we need to get him to verbally rehearse his maps-then he really remembers! But you know, I’ve been watching Nicholas — and he’s thoroughly confused when you put students’ ideas into semantic maps on the board. We need to walk him through these on his own, making the thing very explicit verbally.”

The surprising evidence that special educators in regular classrooms do not maintain this sort of student-specific focus suggests that there are sizable “cultural” forces pulling on classroom participants.

Ideas to investigate

The first step is to look with new eyes at what actually may be there to see. Special and general education colleagues could alternate roles as observer and observed to gain new views. Here are some ways that might work.

Idea 1: For one week, each take notes on how “different strokes for different folks” is both beneficial and problematic for your students. In addition to noting these when you happen to notice, also take five-minute respites from “doing,” and just “be” eyes and ears noticing: Who is doing whatwhen-for how long? Who is actually getting how much of what? Wait till week’s end before comparing notes and chewing over what you’ve each seen.

Idea 2: Together select just one student — Keesha, for example. Uncover what she is actually learning and how she “sees” things at various times during the day. Observe her during whole-class discussions, during paired work, and as she works on her own. But also remember to interview her, caringly probing for what she actually came away with from a discussion, what she remained confused about. Assume that up until now you have only seen 10 percent of who she is and what she’s learning. Try constructing a fuller portrait (80%?) of Keesha as a learner. Again, share your notes at week’s end. Does your new picture point to changes you can make for her?

Idea 3: If everybody is to learn and make their best progress, then they will all need somewhat different amounts and somewhat different ingredients. Learning and progress are the goals that your students need to buy into. Brainstorm (with colleagues and/or your students) ways to re-orient classroom activities so that “different strokes for different folks” is viewed as a value in pursuit of learning. Try one of the ideas for six weeks, supporting one another as the experiment unfolds.

In conclusion

Currently, many general education classrooms make little adaptation to the individual characteristics of students with learning disabilities. It seems that adding adaptations as “one more thing you have to do,” is largely unworkable. Some broader change or restructuring of how classrooms operate seems called for. But, remolding classrooms is not simple, involving something like a “cultural shift.” Formidable, though not impossible, this is rather like rearranging the living room with an invisible elephant in the middle-the more you “see” where it is, the less it tramples your efforts.

Teaching girls with autism

By: Tania Marshall May 2, 2019

Tania Marshall looks at best practice in supporting the learning of girls on the autism spectrum.

Girls and boys with autism present quite differently to one another in school and also across the lifespan. Generally speaking, they differ in terms of the severity of their symptoms, personality, IQ, social skills, sensory processing sensitivities, cognitive profile, disorders and learning disabilities.

All individuals with autism have social communication challenges. In girls in school this usually presents as difficulty working in groups, not participating in class discussions, anxiety when attention is placed on them and often making unintentional social faux pas due to not understanding the unwritten rules of communication and behaviour. Other clues that a student may have autism include: over-apologising, social immaturity with high intelligence, intense special interests, different forms of eye contact, coordination issues and trouble with handwriting. At times, the teacher may view the student as “odd”, whilst not being able to put their finger on what is going on.

There are two main groups that girls with autism tend to fit into. One group is passive, compliant, and has a rule-following attitude; they do not like getting into trouble and are not able to manage stress or conflict well. The other group is outspoken, may correct the teacher (regardless of whether it is socially inappropriate), be overly talkative, tell on other peers and become a school leader. Both groups are often

high achievers, perfectionistic, rule followers (sometimes of their own rules), don’t manage conflict or stress well, and are highly sensitive and emotional. Many individuals with autism also have a strong sense of justice, and are rigid in their thinking and adherence to what they think is right.

The way autism presents in girls can range from severe impairment to barely noticeable characteristics. In relation to intelligence, girls with an intellectual disability tend to be more severely affected, whereas girls with higher IQs are characterised by subtler presentations, and are often not diagnosed until they are older, when their social difficulties become more obvious. Their intelligence often masks their issues and they are more motivated to learn the necessary skills to fit in with their peers.

Hidden difficulties

Speech delay is one of the red flags that can be used to identify autism and girls are likely to learn to speak earlier than boys, so their language development may not be seen as delayed; those with a higher IQ can usually read and have advanced speech prior to starting school. Females also have fewer repetitive behaviours than boys with autism and often appear more neurotypical due to their use of language. However, girls with autism do not tend to engage in what they consider “meaningless” chatter and this is one major challenge when they interact with other girls during childhood and adolescence.

Girls tend to be diagnosed later than boys and the diagnostic process is usually longer and more challenging for clinicians. Prior to the age of ten, it can be difficult to pick up a female with autism. Females are typically diagnosed during their teen years and are less likely to be diagnosed than males due to their ability to camouflage, mask and compensate their way through school.

Females have been found to have more social understanding than their male autistic peers. Girls are usually more motivated to be sociable and make friends. Their ability to do this often results in a “social hangover” – a realisation they are “different” – and their social effort and over-analysing of social interaction can predispose them to mental health issues.

Strategies for teachers

A lack of identification, support, and appropriately trained teachers and staff can result in a pupil with autism feeling isolated, depressed and lonely. This can lead to lower grades, mental health issues and a reduction in future opportunities. Early intervention by school staff is crucial and the earlier it is provided, the better the outcome.

Focusing on an individual’s talents, while assisting them with their challenges, is crucial. It is important to take a strengths-based approach to offset a tendency towards selfdeprecation, which students with autism often have.

Inflexibility in learning approaches and not understanding an autistic child’s preferred learning style are harmful. Most girls on the autism spectrum who are high-functioning prefer to be self-taught and have a teacher check in on them from time to time. The allowances of an individualised education plan, sensory tools, academic accommodations, support and teachers who understand the world from an autistic pupil’s perspective are vital.

To help those with autism thrive in the school environment, accommodations and provisions could include:

Alternatives to unstructured time

Unstructured time is when pupils with autism may feel most vulnerable, due to the difficulties they have with change; their traits often become more obvious during breaks and lunchtime and they may choose to spend time with school staff or hide away, rather than socialising with their peers. A good alternative is setting up a lunchtime club; this could be a reading or hobby-related club.

Ideas for promoting learning:

• topic-based learning – a great way to teach pupils with autism, as they have a tendency to hyper-focus for long periods of time on special interests

• physical education based around the child’s interests

• pre-teaching content; this enables students to be more confident, understand the information better and improve

their status with peers

• teaching touch typing and using dictation apps to help students with autism who often have difficulty with writing and fine/gross motor skills

• small group work and step plans to help students with autism feel more comfortable in groups

• reducing the amount of homework or having supervised homework at school, which can prevent students feeling overwhelmed

• untimed tests/exams and 50 per cent more time to complete their work to help those with processing speed issues

• visual spatial teaching, using visuals rather than verbal instructions and demonstrations

• clear, specific instructions and checking in with the student to ensure they have understood

• a low-arousal and calming environment

• a sensory toolbox (a collection of sensory strategies that can help the pupil with sensory regulation)

• regular breaks.

Ideas for social skills training:

• peer programmes which use small groups of socially aware and trusted students to support and mentor students with autism

• modelling (for example using role play and writing narratives) to explain social situations in a factual way

• providing opportunities for pupils with autism to build friendships with other pupils who have similar interests

• social skills classes, with training around relationships, managing conflict, negotiation and social interaction

• in secondary school, female-specific teaching about hygiene, personal development, gender identity and sex education

• strength and interest-based activities, such as supervised and structured groups, leisure and sporting activities, volunteering or work experience as well as career training, which focuses on talents and interests.

Wellbeing and mental health

Socially, in primary school, girls with autism tend to be included in groups by neurotypical girls and will mimic them. Conversely, boys with autism tend to spend time alone and are more likely to be bullied. Due to the fact that girls with autism appear to be part of a group (although they often flit between groups and stay on the outer edges), teachers may

not recognise their social difficulties. Many girls experience depression and anxiety from an early age – as young as six –and this often goes unnoticed.

As girls move into the teen years, the social complexities are more challenging. During these years, girls with autism have great difficulties with their changing bodies, in addition to heightened anxiety due to the combination of having autism, an increase in hormones and increased social challenges.

Teaching girls how to be independent, resilient, assertive and socially aware reduces their vulnerability. The complexity of female relationships in secondary school is overwhelming for girls with autism and the earlier they are taught social skills, the better the outcome. Working on girls’ self-esteem, self-image and building their confidence is also crucial, as is focusing on their emotional and mental wellbeing.

The role of teachers

The current state of autism training among teachers is poor. Worldwide, teachers receive little-to-no autism training at university. Teachers are often role models and mentors for pupils and spend more time with children than their parents; yet, in England, 60 per cent of teachers say they feel

inadequately trained to teach children with autism (Support for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs, NASUWT, June 2013). It is not a surprise that many teachers report being overwhelmed in the classroom and have a high burnout rate due to a lack of training.

The type of teacher a child with autism has can make or break their school experience.

Many girls on the autism spectrum have great difficulties when they start school. The teen years are particularly challenging and this is when many females drop out or are home-schooled. Teachers should learn how to better identify autism (including understanding masking and compensation strategies used by pupils), and how to recognise individual educational needs early on and take a strength-based approach to teaching methods. It is also important for teachers to understand the full breadth of autism conditions, from extreme demand avoidance autism, low-functioning autism, high-functioning autism, Asperger’s syndrome and twice-exceptional (2e) autism to gifted and talented with autism. Teachers who are patient, adaptive and persistent can have a major impact on improving the school experience of a child with autism.

ADHD and School

School can be a challenge for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—but here’s how you can help your child or teen succeed in the classroom.

Setting up your child for school success

The classroom environment can pose challenges for a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). The very tasks these students find the most difficult—sitting still, listening quietly, concentrating—are the ones they are required to do all day long. Perhaps most frustrating of all is that most of these children want to be able to learn and behave like their unaffected peers. Neurological deficits, not unwillingness, keep kids with attention deficit disorder from learning in traditional ways.

As a parent, you can help your child cope with these deficits and overcome the challenges school creates. You can work with your child to implement practical strategies for learning both inside and out of the classroom and communicate with teachers about how your child learns best. With consistent support, the following strategies can help your child enjoy learning, meet educational challenges—and experience success at school and beyond.

Tips for working with teachers

Remember that your child’s teacher has a full plate: in addition to managing a group of children with distinct personalities and learning styles, they can also expect to

have at least one student with ADHD. Teachers may try their best to help your child with attention deficit disorder learn effectively, but parental involvement can dramatically improve your child’s education. You have the power to optimize your child’s chances for success by supporting the steps taken in the classroom. If you can work with and support your child’s teacher, you can directly affect the experience of your child with ADHD at school.

There are a number of ways you can work with teachers to keep your child on track at school. Together you can help your child learn to find their feet in the classroom and work effectively through the challenges of the school day. As a parent, you are your child’s advocate. For your child to succeed in the classroom, it is vital that you communicate their needs to the adults at school. It is equally important for you to listen to what the teachers and other school officials have to say.

You can ensure that communication with your child’s school is constructive and productive. Try to keep in mind that your mutual purpose is finding out how to best help your child succeed in school. Whether you talk over the phone, email, or meet in person, make an effort to be calm, specific, and above all positive—a good attitude can go a long way when communicating with the school.

Plan ahead. You can arrange to speak with school officials or teachers before the school year even begins. If the year has started, plan to speak with a teacher or counselor on at least a monthly basis.

Make meetings happen. Agree on a time that works for both you and your child’s teacher and stick to it. If it’s convenient, meet in your child’s classroom so you can get a sense of their physical learning environment.

Create goals together. Discuss your hopes for your child’s school success. Together, write down specific and realistic goals and talk about how to help your child reach them.

Listen carefully. Like you, your child’s teacher wants to see them succeed at school. Listen to what they have to say— even if it is sometimes hard to hear. Understanding your child’s challenges in school is the key to finding solutions that work.

Share information. You know your child’s history, and your child’s teacher sees them every day: together you have a lot of information that can lead to better understanding of your child’s hardships. Share your observations freely, and encourage your child’s teachers to do the same.

Ask the hard questions and give a complete picture. Be sure to list any medications your child takes and explain any other treatments. Share with the teacher which tactics work well— and which don’t—for your child at home. Ask if your child is having any problems in school, including on the playground. Find out if they are eligible for any special services to help with learning.

Developing and using a behavior plan

Children with ADD/ADHD are capable of appropriate classroom behavior, but they need structure and clear expectations in order to keep their symptoms in check. As a parent, you can help by developing a behavior plan for your child—and sticking to it. Whatever type of behavior plan you decide to implement, create it in close collaboration with your child and their teacher.

Kids with attention deficit disorder respond best to specific goals and daily positive reinforcement—as well as worthwhile rewards. Yes, you may have to hang a carrot on a stick to motivate your child to behave better in class. Create a plan that incorporates small rewards for small victories and larger rewards for bigger accomplishments.

Find a behavior plan that works

Click here to download a highly regarded behavior plan called The Daily Report Card, which can be adjusted for elementary, middle, and even high school students with ADHD.

Source: Center for Children and Families

Tips for managing ADHD symptoms at school

ADHD impacts each child’s brain differently, so each case can look quite different in the classroom. Children with ADHD exhibit a range of symptoms: some seem to bounce off the walls, some daydream constantly, and others just can’t seem to follow the rules.

As a parent, you can help your child reduce any or all of these types of behaviors. It is important to understand how attention deficit disorder affects different children’s behavior so that you can choose the appropriate strategies for tackling the problem. There are a variety of fairly straightforward approaches you and your child’s teacher can take to best manage the symptoms of ADHD—and put your child on the road to school success.

Managing distractibility

Students with ADHD may become so easily distracted by noises, passersby, or their own thoughts that they often miss vital classroom information. These children have trouble staying focused on tasks that require sustained mental effort. They may seem as if they’re listening to you, but something gets in the way of their ability to retain the information.

Helping kids who distract easily involves physical placement, increased movement, and breaking long stretches of work into shorter chunks.

• Seat the child with ADHD away from doors and windows. Put pets in another room or a corner while the student is working.

• Alternate seated activities with those that allow the child to move their body around the room. Whenever possible, incorporate physical movement into lessons.

• Write important information down where the child can easily read and reference it. Remind the student where the information is located.

• Divide big assignments into smaller ones, and allow children frequent breaks.

Reducing interrupting

Kids with attention deficit disorder may struggle with controlling their impulses, so they often speak out of turn. In the classroom or at home, they call out or comment while others are speaking. Their outbursts may come across as aggressive or even rude, creating social problems as well. The self-esteem of children with ADHD is often quite fragile, so pointing this issue out in class or in front of family members doesn’t help the problem—and may even make matters worse.

Correcting the interruptions of children with ADHD should be done carefully so that the child’s self-esteem is maintained, especially in front of others. Develop a “secret language” with the child with ADHD. You can use discreet gestures or

words you have previously agreed upon to let the child know they are interrupting. Praise the child for interruption-free conversations.

Managing impulsivity

Children with ADHD may act before thinking, creating difficult social situations in addition to problems in the classroom. Kids who have trouble with impulse control may come off as aggressive or unruly. This is perhaps the most disruptive symptom of ADHD, particularly at school.

Methods for managing impulsivity include behavior plans, immediate discipline for infractions, and a plan for giving children with ADHD a sense of control over their day.

Make sure a written behavior plan is near the student. You can even tape it to the wall or the child’s desk.

Give consequences immediately following misbehavior. Be specific in your explanation, making sure the child knows how they misbehaved.

Recognize good behavior out loud. Be specific in your praise, making sure the child knows what they did right.

Write the schedule for the day on the board or on a piece of paper and cross off each item as it is completed. Children with impulse problems may gain a sense of control and feel calmer when they know what to expect.

Managing fidgeting and hyperactivity

Students with ADHD are often in constant physical motion. It may seem like a struggle for these children to stay in their seats. Kids with ADD/ADHD may jump, kick, twist, fidget and otherwise move in ways that make them difficult to teach.

Strategies for combating hyperactivity consist of creative ways to allow the child with ADHD to move in appropriate ways at appropriate times. Releasing energy this way may make it easier for the child to keep their body calmer during work time.

Ask children with ADHD to run an errand or complete a task for you, even if it just means walking across the room to sharpen pencils or put dishes away.

Encourage a child with ADHD to play a sport—or at least run around before and after school—and make sure the child never misses recess or P.E.

Provide a stress ball, small toy, or another object for the child to squeeze or play with discreetly at their seat.

Limit screen time in favor of time for movement.

Dealing with trouble following directions

Difficulty following directions is a hallmark problem for many children with ADHD. These kids may look like they understand and might even write down directions, but then aren’t able

to follow them as asked. Sometimes these students miss steps and turn in incomplete work, or misunderstand an assignment altogether and wind up doing something else entirely.

Helping children with ADHD follow directions means taking measures to break down and reinforce the steps involved in your instructions, and redirecting when necessary. Try keeping your instructions extremely brief, allowing the child to complete one step and then come back to find out what they should do next. If the child gets off track, give a calm reminder, redirecting in a calm but firm voice. Whenever possible, write directions down in a bold marker or in colored chalk on a blackboard.

Tips for making learning fun

One positive way to keep a child’s attention focused on learning is to make the process fun. Using physical motion in a lesson, connecting dry facts to interesting trivia, or inventing silly songs that make details easier to remember can help your child enjoy learning and even reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

Helping children with ADHD enjoy math

Children who have attention deficit disorder tend to think in a “concrete” manner. They often like to hold, touch, or take part in an experience to learn something new. By using games and objects to demonstrate mathematical concepts, you can show your child that math can be meaningful—and fun.

Play games. Use memory cards, dice, or dominoes to make numbers fun. Or simply use your fingers and toes, tucking them in or wiggling them when you add or subtract.

Draw pictures. Especially for word problems, illustrations can help kids better understand mathematical concepts. If the word problem says there are twelve cars, help your child draw them from steering wheel to trunk.

Invent silly acronyms. In order to remember order of operations, for example, make up a song or phrase that uses the first letter of each operation in the correct order.

Helping children with ADHD enjoy reading

There are many ways to make reading exciting, even if the skill itself tends to pose a struggle for children with ADHD. Keep in mind that reading at its most basic level involves stories and interesting information—which all children enjoy.

Read to children. Make reading cozy, quality time with you.

Make predictions or “bets.” Constantly ask the child what they think might happen next. Model prediction: “The girl in the story seems pretty brave—I bet she’s going to try to save her family.”

Act out the story. Let the child choose their character and assign you one, too. Use funny voices and costumes to bring it to life.

How does your kid like to learn?

When children are given information in a way that makes it easy for them to absorb, learning is a lot more fun. If you understand how your child with ADHD learns best, you can create enjoyable lessons that pack an informational punch.

• Auditory learners learn best by talking and listening. Have these kids recite facts to a favorite song. Let them pretend they are on a radio show and work with others often.

• Visual learners learn best through reading or observation. Let them have fun with different fonts on the computer and use colored flash cards to study. Allow them to write or draw their ideas on paper.

• Tactile learners learn best through physical touch or movement as part of a lesson. For these students, provide jellybeans for counters and costumes for acting out parts of literature or history. Let them use clay and make collages.

Tips for mastering homework

Sure, kids may universally dread it—but for a parent of a child with ADHD, homework is a golden opportunity. Academic work done outside the classroom provides you as the parent with a chance to directly support your child. It’s a time you can help your child succeed at school where you both feel most comfortable: your own living room.

With your support, kids with ADHD can use homework time not only for math problems or writing essays, but also for practicing the organizational and study skills they need to thrive in the classroom.

Helping a child with ADHD get organized

When it comes to organization, it can help to get a fresh start. Even if it’s not the start of the academic year, go shopping with your child and pick out school supplies that include folders, a three-ring binder, and color-coded dividers. Help the child file their papers into this new system.

• Establish a homework folder for finished homework and organize loose papers by color-coding folders. Show your child how to file appropriately.

• Help your child organize their belongings on a daily basis, including backpack, folders, and even pockets.

• If possible, keep an extra set of textbooks and other materials at home.

• Help your child learn to make and use checklists, crossing items off as they accomplish them.

Helping a child with ADHD get homework done on time

Understanding concepts and getting organized are two steps in the right direction, but homework also has to be completed in a single evening—and turned in on time. Help a child with ADHD to the finish line with strategies that provide consistent structure.

• Pick a specific time and place for homework that is as free as possible of clutter, pets, and television.

• Allow the child breaks as often as every ten to twenty minutes.

• Teach a better understanding of the passage of time: use an analog clock and timers to monitor homework efficiency.

• Set up a homework procedure at school: establish a place where the student can easily find their finished homework and pick a consistent time to hand in work to the teacher.

Other ways to help your child with homework

Encourage exercise and sleep Physical activity improves concentration and promotes brain growth. Importantly for children with ADHD, it also leads to better sleep, which in turn can reduce the ADHD symptoms.

Help your child eat right. Scheduling regular nutritious meals and snacks while cutting back on junk and sugary foods can help manage symptoms of ADHD.

Take care of yourself so you’re better able to care for your child. Don’t neglect your own needs. Try to eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, manage stress , and seek face-to-face support from family and friends.

KES Curriculum Support Team

For more information about anything covered in the magazine, or general information about learning support, please contact:

King Edward VI School SENDCO

Mrs Ramshaw

znr@kes.hants.sch.uk