5 Things General Education Teachers Should Know About ADHD

Some general education teachers face a challenge in dealing with hyperactivity and impulsive behavior in the 10% who have ADHD, but remember that they are not bad students, and try to help them with these five tips that will make them (and their parents) grateful to you!

1- Let them move

Some research has found that children with ADHD learn better if they are moving or rocking while doing so. They need movement, and the teacher's role lies in finding ways that help them release their energy well without affecting others. The teacher can resort to stress-relief toys such as (the Pop It toy, a stress ball, or even an eraser!).

However, some students may need more than that; allow children, for example, to sit on an exercise ball. Also consider allowing them to stand at the desks in the back, and if there are some children who must stand and move from their spots, try drawing a path for them to walk—and listen at the same time—inside the classroom. Also try incorporating break periods where they stand and stretch.

2- Boost physical education and recess periods

Children who take break periods perform better on standardized tests than those who did not rest. If you restrict times for movement and high activity, be prepared to bear the consequences! The need for children with ADHD to move is cumulative and builds up throughout the day; they must be given a break period in which they release what has accumulated of energy, and preventing them from doing so because of a bad behavior they committed or school tasks they did not complete produces counterproductive results.

3- Give them preference in seating arrangements

Some children with ADHD experience visual distraction and should have priority to sit in front-row seats. As for those who experience auditory distraction—who are the children that always look behind them whenever they hear any sound—sitting at the back of the classroom makes them listen to you better. You should allow them to sit in the back of the classroom. Beware of moving the child's chair away from their peers and making them sit alone; this action gives them a sense of shame and stigma, and subconsciously gives the green light to the rest of the students to bully them. Any change in the child's seating location should be done privately and not in front of all students, without making them feel frustrated. One way is to change the seating arrangements of all students so that no one feels they are the reason, and if you find them rocking and fidgeting in the new spot you chose for them as well, do not hesitate to rearrange the seating once more!

4- Notice their good behaviors, and divert your attention from bad behaviors

Children with ADHD receive many negative remarks about themselves. So when you find them regulating their behavior or completing their work and assignments, make sure to notice and praise that, and be forgiving with the opposite. Equality does not always mean fairness; most children—and even adults—improve with encouragement and praise more than correction and discipline. When there are some problems that must be addressed, be clear and specific: "He was scribbling over answers and getting up from his seat a lot today" is better than "He was bad today." Consider identifying three problems if you encounter them and giving a daily rating out of 5, where 1–2 is considered a problem, 3 is average, and 4–5 means a great day; that way, parents can know their child's behavior and reinforce or regulate it.

5- Never mention their medical treatments in class

Asking a child about their medications in the classroom or in front of one of their peers is considered a violation of privacy. Most teachers reading this agree with that, but based on what children say, this happens to them repeatedly from time to time, which is disastrous and devastating for them, and often causes them to stop medications and not complete treatment. It is better to hint to them and say, "You seem distracted today" or "You seem very active," instead of asking about their medication. If you need to speak with them about medication, remember to speak in private. Finally, do not hesitate to share your observations with parents regarding medication side effects or lack of medication efficacy (or with the child's doctor after obtaining parental permission); your observations are valuable, as you sit with the child eight hours a day, five days a week, for nine months, and your professional opinion matters.

https://www.focus-md.com/5-things-teachers-know-ad...Adapted translation

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Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.