4 Ways To Guide An ADHD Student In School

Children with ADHD have difficulty concentrating and exhibit impulsive behavior. They might show you aggressive behavior and at times hurt you or themselves. It takes them time to complete work and stay focused on the given task, and the irritation often brings out the tendency to break things and distract others. It might be a challenge for the teacher and their peers in the class to deal with such a situation while taking a class. As a result, not only teaching and classroom management becomes difficult, delivering a lesson effectively becomes impossible.

1. Learn and get information

Get yourself well informed of the signs and symptoms of ADHD child and how to deal with such children. If you are a teacher it is a must that you understand what the child is going through in order to deal with concerns you must be facing with the child and class. Read books or research online on how you can help him or her and deal with classroom management and lesson delivery. It will help you to be more prepared and composed.

2. Collaborating with the parents

Inform your concerned authorities about the child so that if the situation or behavior is severe they could get involved in providing you with a support system. And also be involved in communicating with the parents. You must invite the parents for a meeting and talk to them in an emphatic manner while conveying your own concerns about the child. Prepare tips to handover to parents on how they can help their child and help in managing the symptoms of ADHD. Make sure they are aware of the problems the child is dealing with a sensitive and caring approach. If parents are not aware of the child’s diagnosis request them to see a specialist. A professional will be able to handle you and the parents on how to help the ADHD child effectively, both, at home and school. Keep communicating through a diary and meeting the school counselor as well to ensure that the parent and teacher both work as a team in helping the child. Build a rapport with the parents

3. Reward system

A table could be made at home and school and the frequent unwanted behavior could be listed along with acceptable behavior. Explain to the child that what the desirable and undesirable behavior and that when he or she accomplishes a desired behavior and set of rules the child will be given a smiley face or a sticker on the chart. If the child is not able to he will get a sad face. The number of sad faces will represent mean something the child likes will be taken from him and if he or she accomplishes the desired behavior the number of stickers or smiley faces will serve as a token and the child will be rewarded. The reward could be a picnic, or going for ice cream. Such token system can work at school as well you could modify the chart according your own resources and the frequent undesirable you are dealing with.

4. Build rapport with the child

Here are some activities and methods teachers can use to build rapport with the child:

• Talk to the child and befriend her/him.
• Take the child out for walks and acknowledge his or her good behavior and work.
• Keep the child busy and engaged. His seating arrangement should be kept separate from the other peers where he can easily focus and have few distractions.
• Provide them with slinky, puzzles, play dough and pressing ball to release their energy whenever they like to.

Make sure the parents are taking him out for nature walk and physical activities and working as a family to provide the child with all the help.

Dealing with ADHD

Dealing with an ADHD child can get overwhelming for parents and the teacher. You must make to work as a team with persistence. As a teacher, take all the help and support you can get from the school to help the ADHD child. Make sure to show the child you care about him or her.