Strategies for Teaching Students With ADHD

Strategies for Teaching Students With ADHD

The article I read was written by Lisa Medoff, a learning specialist. Lisa discusses her challenges working with a specific student, Baxter, who has ADHD. Baxter is a fourth-grade boy who Lisa would work with afterschool, one-on-one, twice a week. The focus of their meetings was to teach Baxter strategies for managing his ADHD. These strategies pertained to organization, planning ahead, checking details, writing essays, handwriting, and reading (Medoff 2016).

At first, Lisa dreaded working with Baxter. She had a hard time connecting with him, and he did not enjoy working with her. At often times, he was rude to her and would walk away when he was not interested in what she was having him do. This seems typical of any fourth-grade boy. Having to do work after already being in school all day can be difficult for any elementary-aged student, especially one with ADHD. Lisa had to work on finding methods that would make working with Baxter more enjoyable for him and for her. Lisa (2016) stated,

At that crossroads, however, I pushed myself to

remember what I say to my college students when I

talk about the kids I work with: “They’re so used to

being rejected, pushed away, and made to feel bad

about themselves, especially when it comes to school,

that the number one strategy I have for helping them

is that I really like them, and I see their strengths.” So

I challenged myself to really, really like Baxter.

            Lisa was able to successfully do this. She worked on putting herself in a better mood while driving to see him. She would listen to music that made her happy, and would give herself little pep talks. She also researched topics that Baxter would mention during their sessions. This way, she was able to apply his interest to the skills they were practicing. Through her experiences working with Baxter, Lisa came up with strategies to help teachers connect with students, specifically ones who have ADHD.

1.      Ask the student to help you figure out what he needs and how you can help him.

2.      Frame new strategies as experiments, not decrees.

3.      Teach students how to question and challenge in a manner that will get them heard.

4.      Rather than trying to clamp down on off-task behaviors, use them to get to

          know  students better.

5.      Share stories with students about your own struggles.

6.      Try as much as you can to accommodate the needs of students with ADHD.

7.      Make deals with students about behaviors you both want to change.

8.      Try as hard as you can to limit negativity in your interactions with a challenging student.

9.      Have students teach you something.

10.    As much as you have time to do so, take a beat to stop and acknowledge that a student

          with ADHD may have the right answer.

11.    If a student seems to be off-task or is having trouble getting started, don’t assume he

          hasn’t been paying attention.

12.    If it’s possible, allow students to work just outside of the classroom door.

13.    If you lose your temper, acknowledge it, explain why it happened, and let the student know you want to work together to repair the relationship.

            I really liked the strategies Lisa came up with for working with students with ADHD. These are strategies I will keep in mind, and plan on using in my own classroom. Of course, when teachers have a room full of students, it can be quite difficult to give the needed attention a student with ADHD may require. However, I feel that her strategies really break down to two things, caring for your students, and knowing your students. As teachers, we are much more able to control our patience when we truly learn to like our students, while knowing them well enough to understand why he or she is behaving in a certain manner.  

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Medoff, L. (2016). Building Bridges with Students Who Have ADHD. Educational Leadership, 74(1), 44-48.