The ADHD Toolkit by Linda Wheeler

Author:Linda Wheeler
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Psychopathology, Special Education, Psychology, General, Education, Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD-ADHD)
ISBN: 9781848601833
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2010-04-01T21:00:00+00:00

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6

Classroom and behaviour

management strategies

Many of the general classroom and behaviour management strategies

already in place in some schools may be appropriate in supporting students

who display ADHD characteristics. The strategies and approaches described

in this chapter, which are by no means all new or radical, could benefit many

individuals in educational settings, not just those with a formal diagnosis of

ADHD. By referring to DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, this chapter will highlight a

range of general strategies aimed at reducing specific ADHD characteristics

and behaviours in learners of all ages in inclusive classrooms. Checklists

provide a wide selection of tried and tested ideas for you to imple-

ment. A short section focuses specifically on offering support to ado-

lescents and suggestions are offered for whole-school characteristics

which may benefit individuals with ADHD.

Classroom management strategies

The suggestions shown below are aimed at minimising ADHD-specific difficulties

and increasing on-task behaviour in mainstream educational settings. Ideally a

combination of proactive and reactive strategies should be adopted.

Inattention

The following approaches may be particularly useful for those students who are

included in the ‘predominantly inattentive’ or ‘combined’ ADHD subtypes or who

display behaviours included in the DSM-IV criteria for inattention (see Chapter 4 – fixed

interval sampling and instantaneous time sampling observation schedules, behav-

iour categories 1–9). Students with the ‘predominantly inattentive’ subtype may

easily be overlooked in a classroom as they tend not to draw attention to themselves

in the same way as do those who display hyperactive–impulsive behaviours. Suggestions

are examined in three areas: classroom layout, sustaining attention, and time man-

agement and organisation.

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THE ADHD TOOLKIT

Classroom layout

Close attention should be paid to seating in the classroom which should preferably

be self-contained rather than open-plan. In order to minimise distractions, an indi-

vidual with ADHD or attention difficulties should be seated:

•

close to the teacher;

•

near to the front of the classroom with his back to other children;

•

away from windows, doors, air conditioning and busy areas;

•

near to good role models;

•

with all unnecessary objects removed from desks;

•

with a study carrel or screen around the desk on some occasions.

Ideally the student with ADHD will have the choice of two seats, one in a quiet

place for times when he feels the need to remove himself from situations when he

(or his teacher) feels he will not be able to cope with the distractions of the class-

room and the other within a group to promote social contact and to encourage peer

tutoring and cooperative learning.

Case study

Edward – classroom arrangement

Edward had previously been known to wander out of the classroom when he

found things difficult to cope with and the SENCO reported that there had

been occasions in earlier years when he had tried to run away from school. The

class teacher had very little TA support with a class of 30 students in the after-

noons. It was arranged that if Edward felt he could not cope at any time in the

main class group he should go and sit quietly in the book corner until he felt

able to rejoin his classmates, which he did on several occasions when he

appeared to be getting angry with himself or other children or frustrated with

a particular task.

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