by Bonnie Thomas

Created on: December 14, 2008   Last Updated: February 15, 2012

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often miss learning basic skills because they were not able to stay focused or were out of class due to behavior issues. They are bright and very capable of acquiring the information. This is why teaching students with ADHD can be very frustrating at times. Fortunately, there are several strategies that have proven to be effective.

Behavior Prevention

Behavior prevention is foremost. The child will not learn any of the content material if he has been removed from the class for disruptive behavior. This is why establishing an open rapport with the child and his parents is necessary. The parents may be able to give suggestions that have previously worked. The student may also be able to identify and convey his needs. Once that has been accomplished, identify some signals with the child to signal that he should focus. This may be lightly squeezing his shoulder, a hand signal, or placing a sticky note on his desk.

Seating

Seating is very important for a student with ADHD. Do not seat the child near the door or the window. This will only increase distractions. The best placement is in the front of the room.

Instruction

Students with ADHD are often not able to complete assignments because they missed the directions. This problem can be avoided by utilizing two simple solutions. Have the student repeat the directions back to you. Also, keep the directions simple.

Sometimes students with ADHD are unable to keep the operations neat on paper, thus getting the problem incorrect. Large count graphing paper can help the student organize his math problems.

Breaks

Students with ADHD cannot stay focused for extended time periods. That is why it is necessary to give them frequent breaks. It is helpful to find a fun way to redirect their attention to the lesson when the break is over. Sometimes making a game of the last question they did will help, or even just asking them what their last answer was. That will also give the student the feedback that they need to see if they are doing the work correctly.

Organization

These students are often engaged in off-task behavior. When they cannot find their assignments, paper, or pencils, it can start the day off on the wrong foot. Therefore, having an assignment notebook that includes paper and pencil tucked into it can be a life saver for the day. Also, you can highlight important papers or assignments with color-coded tabs. For example, you could use red tabs for study guides and green tabs for assignments.

In conclusion, behavior prevention, organization, seating, frequent breaks, and instruction can be utilized to help students with ADHD acquire necessary math skills. These strategies can be implemented in the classroom and at home for homework.

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