Things Teachers Can Do to Help Students with ADHD (Cathryn Harper)

This year, between three and five percent of school aged children will be among those diagnosed with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Some will be met with understanding and well-trained teachers and aides, minimizing the challenges for children struggling with the disorder. Others will not be so lucky. With crowded classrooms and limited funding, some schools find it difficult just to meet the demands of the average student.

For those teachers who have not explored the ADHD landscape of late, here are several points that can make a difference as far as understanding the student with ADHD symptoms, and helping everyone turn classroom time into positive, productive days.

Persons with ADHD symptoms are often quite intelligent, with IQ assessments of 120 or higher. The problem most ADHD students have with academic and social tasks comes from impaired cognition with regard to the menu of executive function, or EF tasks. Intelligent, but unable to channel that intelligence properly, it is easy to see why ADHD students become frustrated. Addressing their frustration with calm, quiet discipline as opposed to forceful or physical punishment usually delivers superior results.

ADHD students can become bored with repeated tasks, having already gotten the concepts. Adjusting their assignments or classwork to be more interesting can keep them more engaged.

Easily distracted, either by their own thoughts or nearby activity, ADHD students also have difficulty multi-tasking and following directions. Visual redirection is especially effective with ADHD children. Tapping quietly on their desks or pointing to where they should be working can get them to refocus on the task at hand.

ADHD persons have difficulty organizing, prioritizing, and initiating tasks. Keeping such students on a regular daily schedule can be helpful with regard to those issues.

Many ADHD children do their homework but will forget to turn it in, or in the reverse, forget to bring the assignment home. Signing their planners, putting all their work in a single "going home" folder and giving them a second set of books to keep at home, gives them a far greater chance of being successful with homework and project assignments.

Some ADHD persons show signs at an early age, while others make it through grade school without issue but upon moving into the less structured, multi classroom environment of middle and high school begin to exhibit problems in academic and social environments. Tutors, small groups, and quiet learning areas that avoid overstimulation are helpful in maintaining academic progress.

One of the most important points for teachers and counselors to remember about ADHD students is that they are not choosing to behave the way they do. Simply telling them to stop or thinking that they can alter their behavior to that of the rest of the class, is misguided. This ultimately leads to feelings of anxiety and depression for the student.

ADHD is a very complex, very controversial set of problems with no definitive set of answers. With the explosion of diagnoses over the past few decades, however, intensive studies continue to discover important factors that bring understanding and creative solutions from those in the field. Compassion and patience in tandem with willingness to try to reach out to those afflicted with ADHD despite their sometimes exasperating behaviors will reward those educators, parents, and counselors tasked with educating ADHD students.

With a little help, these children can overcome their challenges and become incredibly successful. As the mother of a child with ADHD, I can tell you, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing pride and confidence appear in a child that was struggling.

Cathryn is a working mother of three. A self-professed health and fitness nut, Cathryn loves to research and write about health and wellness related topics. Click here for more information.