How to handle children with ADHD as a teacher

If you're a teacher, it is difficult to have one or more children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in your class, because these children need to be treated differently than other children. This doesn't mean that children with ADHD need to be handled in a completely different manner, but in certain situations they will need a bit more attention than regular children. What is recommended and what should be avoided when dealing with students with ADHD?

Recommended

It is recommended to follow the following guidelines when dealing with children with ADHD. Of course, not everything needs to be applied, it varies per situation and per child. They are useful however, to get a general impression of how teachers should treat children with ADHD in their class.

Pedagogical acting

• Make rules clear explicitly
• Make it possible for the pupil to talk about undesirable behaviour
• Show appreciation for desirable behaviour
• Pay extra attention to difficult or new situations
• Pay extra attention to building up a good relationship, this helps to make and keep agreements
• Set a time-out when tensions run high
• Stimulate contact with other children
• Set measures against undesirable behaviour and reward desirable behaviour

Didactic (instructive) acting

• Make clear and concrete agreements
• Use a clear structure in your method
• Clearly explain tasks and assignments
• Make a planning together with the pupil
• Often check homework, agenda, etc.
• Clearly state goals, this way the pupil knows exactly what he is working towards
• Possibly use a personal log

Other

• Keep in contact with the parents
• Stay informed about medicins used
• Discuss progress made by the pupil with other teachers and care team

Avoid

For pupils with ADHD it's best to avoid certain situations, since their disorder can be clearly present in some situations. Of course teachers want these children, despite their disorder, to be able to perform to the best of their capabilities.

Communication

• Avoid asking many questions 
• Avoid using difficult words

Pedagogical acting

• Avoid unexpected changes
• Avoid busy and unfamiliar situations
• Prevent classmates from misunderstanding the pupil
• Avoid negative feedback
• Don't place the pupil next to another busy pupil
• Don't expect the pupil to sit still the entire lesson

Didactic acting

• Avoid giving many tasks or assignments at the same time
• Avoid giving tasks that take long, children with ADHD often have a harder time focusing than other children
• Make sure the pupil doesn't do too much written work
• Avoid new and strange situations, especially with tests and exams
• Don't give the student too much room to fill his or her own time
• Avoid complex information
• Don't allow the pupil to put more on his table than he needs, this will cause him or her to get distracted too quickly

Sources: www.todio.nl