Cognitive · Attention Deficit Disorder

What is it?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioural disorder in children and young people. It usually starts in early childhood and some people will continue to have ADHD as adults.

What causes it?

The causes of Attention Deficit Disorders are not fully understood although a strong genetic link has been noted. The levels of neurotransmitters in the brain may be different in these students.

Incidence

Up to 1 in 20 students diagnosed with ADHD. More boys than girls are identified.

Medical Considerations

The core symptoms of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Adolescents with ADHD may become withdrawn and less communicative.

Characteristics

A person with ADHD may be:

Inattentive

• unable to concentrate for very long or finish a task
• disorganised, often losing things
• easily distracted and forgetful
• unable to listen when people are talking

Hyperactive

• fidgety and unable to sit still
• restless (children may be running or climbing much of the time)
• talking constantly
• noisy
• having difficulty doing quiet activities

Impulsive

• speaking without thinking about the consequences
• interrupting other people
• unable to wait or take their turn

Support

A person with ADHD has symptoms most of the time that can seriously affect their everyday life. They may also be clumsy, unable to sleep, have temper tantrums and mood swings and find it hard to socialise and make friends.

Further Information

Raising Children Network

Lesson Preparation & Materials

• Incorporate space for students to actively engage with the text eg highlighting.
• Provide lesson overviews and unit outlines in verbal and written form.
• Incorporate colour to aid in the processing of visual information.
• Develop a glossary to which students can add.
• Provide an advance organiser which summarises the lesson’s activities and the order in which they will occur.
• Identify all materials students will need in the lesson rather than leaving them to work it out.
• Develop self-correcting materials.
• Create short tasks and offer immediate feedback.
• Use novelty to gain attention.

Teaching Strategies

• Begin each lesson with a review of previous material.
• Consider creative presentation of course material. Stimulate a range of senses.
• Link lesson to personal experiences and visuals.
• Teach in a variety of formats with and without technology.
• Use verbal description and narrative to supplement written material.
• Always gain the student’s attention prior to giving important information.
• Break assignments and activities into smaller, manageable chunks.
• Encourage students to follow checklists and record due dates in diaries.
• Ensure that cognitive demands match ability. Up to a third of these students will also have learning difficulties.
• Repeat and rephrase important information.
• Maintain the lesson pace and try not to get side-tracked.
• Encourage students to ‘think aloud’ during problem solving.

Feedback & Assessment

• Choose only one or two behaviour goals to work on at a time. Reward successes eg. staying in seat, waiting in turn, supplying answers only when asked.
• Give assignments with as much notice as possible. Allow student to submit parts in stages.
• Reward task completion by acknowledging each step of a process.
• Explicitly tell student to check for errors before submitting test papers.
• Refer to the student’s IEP or Behaviour Plan for further information.
• Refer to other teachers to collate successful strategies and interventions.
• Avoid timed tests.

Classroom Management

• Identify the student’s typical patterns eg. less attentive in the afternoon.
• Encourage students to sit near the front to minimise distractions.
• Schedules
• Maintain a spare copy of materials in the classroom for when student forgets.
• Don’t take mood swings personally.
• A large number of students will have comorbid psychiatric or behavioural diagnoses. Develop consistent classroom expectations and gentle rule reminders. Keep accurate and descriptive incident reports to support any later referrals.
• Students may become restless and have trouble remaining in the seat. Allow them a movement break by changing areas of the classroom or delivering an errand.
• Develop private, discreet signals to let a student know you will soon be asking them to respond.
• Question students individually to frequently monitor understanding and performance.
• Try to reduce extraneous classroom noise.
• Try to schedule more ‘academic’ tasks for lessons earlier in the day.

Peers & SLSOs

• Ask for student volunteers to record written texts.
• Assign peers to work in groups to brainstorm assignments and create lists of steps.
• Students may find a new environment or one-to-one tutoring easier to attend to.
• Assign student tutors or learning partners.

Have I...

• Arranged for rest breaks to include opportunities for attention?

• Arranged for special provisions in assessment task – separate supervision?

• Developed a behaviour plan in consultation with the Learning Support Team?

• Displayed unit outlines, objectives and schedules in the classroom?

• Established a reward system and method for students to self-monitor progress?