Martha Van Leeuwen

Resources for Paraeducators Website

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
ADHD
The Center for Disease Control Prevention describes
ADHD as:

"ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavior
disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in
childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with
ADHD have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive
behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result
will be), and in some cases, are overly active."

Students with ADHD experience difficulty with attention
and impulse control causeing them to struggle with
concentration on lessons and completing assignments.
Students with ADHD may show there symptoms differently.
There are 3 different types of ADHD and only a qualified
professional can make this diagnosis.


ADHD - Predominatly Hyperactive-
Impulsive Type
A student with this form of ADHD will show behaviors such
as being overactive and misbehaving due to the fact that
they do not think about the consequences of their
behavior.
Students with this type of ADHD are usually diagnosed at a
young age (preschool/kindergarten)
Some behaviors you may see are fidgeting with hands or feet,
leaving their seat or situation when expected to sit, runs or
climbs excessively in situations even when inappropriate, has
difficulty playing quietly, or blurts out the answers prior to
questions being asked.
Students may also have difficulty waiting their turn or
interrupts or intrudes on others.




ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive
Type
This type of ADHD is usually seen as just ADD (taking
the hyperactivity out). Students with this type of ADHD
have little or no impulsivity or hyperactivity.
Their primary concern is keeping attention, being alert,
organization, memory, and planning. Students with this
type of ADHD can often be seen as lazy, unmotivated, or
irresponsible due to their difficulty with initiating,
remembering and following through on various tasks.
Students with this type of ADHD may have symptoms
such as not making close attention or making careless
erros. The student doesn't seem to listen when spoken
to, has difficulty keeping attention, and does not follow
through on instructions causing them to fail to finish
tasks.
Students may also struggle with organization and will
lose things necessary for certain tasks or activities.



ADHD, Combined Type
The last type of ADHD is when students have difficulty
with impulsivity and hyperactivity as the first type, but
also struggle with attention.
Students with this diagnosis often get the most attention
due to their challenging behaviors in the classroom and
difficulty with academics.
This type of ADHD is not an attention disorder, but rather
an impulse control disorder. This means students have
difficulty resisting inappropriate behavior due to the
impulsivity of doing what feels good and not thinking
about consequences.




Interventions
Inattention
Place a students seat away from distractions
Make direct eye contact with the student to help keep them engaged
Write instructions on the board or on paper for the student
Allow students to have a copy of the notes
Teach students to check their work
Reduce the amount of writing students need to do on tests and
assignments
Prepare the student for transitions

Slow/Inefficient Work Production
Allow students extra time to complete work
Shorten assignments when possible especially if student understand
the material
Use a time for the student to complete various tasks
Beak up assignments into short parts and teach the student to finish the
easiest tasks first.



Interventions
Excessive Physical Activity and Impulsivity
Allow students to take movement breaks and provide opportunities for physical activity
Teach students to look over their work prior to handing it in for a grade
Closely monitor behavior during transitions or unstructured activities
Address misbehavior without bring a lot of attention to the student
Set up a behavior contract and provide positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior

Disorganization and Poor Memory
Establish routines and teach clear expectations
Encourage the use of an assignment notebook
Encourage the use of a three ring binder
Help students organize their desks, work space, lockers
Create a place for students to have extra books at home
Provide a checklist for students and create a system for using them
Color code and coordinate objects to be remembered and organized
References
LD Online
Cooley, M. L., (2007). Teaching Kids with Mental
Health and Learning Disorders in the Regular
Classroom. Minneapolis; Free Spirit Publishing
Inc.