The following is from a discussion on the ADD Forum on what
teachers can do to help ADD students in their classrooms.

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#: 1011 S5/Working w/Schools
    12-May-93  10:33:31
Sb: #392-#Need Help With ADD
Fm: Margaret Gibson 76467,1466
To: Tony Toscano 71640,2520 (X)

Tony,

What can a teacher do with an ADD student?  Just some examples
from personal experience --

Don't: tell the child (and parents) that "Johnny" is in ____
grade and should know how to use an assignment book by now.

Don't: write all the assignments for two weeks on the board and
expect the ADD child to write them all down, in the right place,
look at them and do them when he is supposed to, and also know
where he put the list every day of those two weeks.

Don't: expect the child to use an assignment book logically from
beginning to end.

Don't: assign a chapter from a particularly interesting book,
especially one with lots of pictures, and expect the child to
just turn to the particular chapter, take notes on that chapter,
and close the book.  What about all those other interesting
articles in the book that the child sees as he is looking for
the right one?  In the child's view, there is nothing wrong with
looking at that other stuff now.  Also, don't send the child to
the library and expect him to go directly to the shelves and
pick out a book and sit down and read it.

Do: adapt some assignments to use distractive tendencies -- can
the child do a report on the first interesting article he came
to rather than the one you were thinking of?

Do: for long-term assignments, break down into tasks which
should be done daily, and send a list home to the parents who
can keep it in a safe place for daily consultation.  (We hang
ours on the refrigerator.)

Do: Consider that the child is not just being stubborn and
refusing to do his work, but that he may not think like
everybody else, and that adjustments/strategies which may work
for one child do not work for every child.  Be patient with
him/her, and adaptable.

Do: Allow a child to stand up, lie down, or sing while doing his
work if it is not disturbing others in the classroom.

Do: Have a place for the child to put everything and enforce the
idea that things should be put in the proper place as soon as
they are finished.  For example, math papers in the math box, or
folder, or wherever you keep them. Otherwise, they just get
stuffed in the desk to be dealt with later (or kept in the
backpack for weeks).

Do: Recognize that certain outbursts may be caused by
frustration.  Allow the child to have a temper tantrum in a safe
place and perhaps give him something he can hit (rather than
another child).  Punching pillows is effective in our house, as
is allowing the child to go outside and scream as loud as he
wants.

Do: Be aware, that although you are trying to help the child,
that he will view some of these things as interference in his
personal life and as accusations that he is not normal, or good
enough.  (Viewing as trait instead of disorder, as suggested by
several other Forum people, would work well here).

Too long, but you know once you get us started we're hard to
keep quiet!!

                                                   Margaret
__________________________________________________________________________

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