Student Teacher - Need Help!

[Christy]

Hi All,

I am a student teacher and for my program, I have been asked to find experienced teachers to help me answer the following questions.

How would you handle a child with ADHD in your classroom and what strategies would you use to handle them in your classroom? I am in a second grade classroom.

How do you teach multiculturalism in your classroom?

Thank you!
Christy

[DrLou]

Hey Christy,

You know, there really isn't a way to 'handle' a child who is identified as ADHD. While the label of ADHD can infer a certain behavioral profile, each child's learning and social styles are different. And ADHD can actually be diagnosed differently across different clinicans and regions.

In fact, many professionals currently argue that ADHD is more of a social construct than formal diagnosis. I generally concur with this argument...with a few caveats! One reason for this belief is that there really are no specific or otherwise unique instructional (or treatment) strategies that apply more to children considered ADHD as opoosed to those without that label.

When one talks about ADHD as a behavioral, or learning, profile, there are certain overall things which can be considered.

First, of course, is to get to know the child and understand his/her learning, social, communicative styles, and individual preferences. While there is nothing very unique in this, the teacher might have to try a little harder to build rapport and trust with some kids. This can be especially with those children who have a history of 'being in trouble.'

Next, think about issues of motivation/reinforcement and how you might best be able to hold the child's attention. A child who might be easily distracted, for instance, could do better sitting in the front of the room so as to reduce his/her visual field (allowing for less to attend to). Other children might need a faster pace, a little more 1:1 attention, smaller groups, a few more choices, or a mix of active/passive/higher and lower preference tasks.

Finally, if there are behaviors which are intefering with the child's success, think about an individualized functional assessment. This is based on the premise that behavior is not random and that children most typically want to be successful. The functional assessment can help you better understand those triggers, outcomes/consequences, and environmental conditions which most reliably predict interfering behaviors. For more information on functional assessment and positive behavior support, check out my website below.

Most importantly, don't presume what the child can do or why s/he is doing it. Effective instructional practices will help your students, both with and without the label of ADHD be successful. Children considered ADHD might just need a little more attention and individualization of many of those same teaching strategies.

Comprehensive Behavior Support website:
www.nu-world.com/~jls/ (http://www.nu-world.com/~jls/)