Sunday, July 2, 2017

Classroom And Environmental Accommodations For ADHD

By Ryan McDonald


About 3-5 percent of Americans suffer from a degree of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This means that it is almost impossible to miss a student or workmate at one point in life. You therefore need approved accommodations for ADHD persons to assist them hit their potential and also manage them with ease. You should expect such disruptive behaviors as calling out, interrupting activities and leaving seats or positions, among others. They can be very disturbing if you are not aware or conscious of their condition.

It is recommended that you allocate them seats close to the teacher. This should also be away from doors and windows because they will easily be distracted. As a teacher, your access to these students should be uninterrupted. Create space so that their desks are accessible. Adjustments that should be made include provision of resistant bands, seat cushions and foot rests, among other enablers.

Students need to engage in assignments on regular basis. This is one of the most challenging environments because assistance from the teacher is limited. However, teachers still have options that include provision of fewer questions, breaking down the long sentences and providing extra time as well as a quieter space for work and tests. You should also provide the students with the opportunity to answer questions loud or fill answers on the sheet of paper.

ADHD students will be disadvantaged if education and examination rules are too strict. They need a lot of assistance in the learning process. For instance, paying attention to neatness during examination will lead to total failure. Other than focus on the answer, attention should be on effort and attempt at working out the question. Do not be mad when the paper is turned in late or partially complete. Such students have a short concentration span and thus are unable to handle long assignments.

The classroom environment is crucial in determining how well a student grasps the content. Though the instructions are written on scripts, they should be read out loud. The use of pictures and images makes instructions easier to understand. It helps if a buddy of the student can take the notes on his behalf. Constantly check on the student to ensure that he or she understood the lesson. Simplify and clarify the instructions if your student is struggling.

The behaviors of these students will be out of ordinary. To accommodate their shortcomings, you should reward them using a behavior plan. Do not shout at the student. Rather, use a one-on-one approach to deal with behavioral challenges. Monitor whether your student is experiencing frustrations and ignore some acts as long as they are not disruptive.

Tests easily disadvantage students with attention deficiency and hyper activity disorder. A teacher must make the effort of intervening to accommodate their shortcomings. Do not squeeze tests within a short duration because it will overwhelm your student. Allow use of such assistive measures as word to text software, spell checkers, reference charts and calculators among others that ease understanding for the student.

ADHD has no treatment. All interventions are meant to make management of such people easier and thus make them more productive. Available interventions include medication, training, education and psychotherapy. The symptoms and behavior vary from one person to the other and thus each should receive individualized attention.




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