ADHD Group 4 Handout
By: Taylor Wormald, Jessica Botbyl, Megan Mandula, and Brooke Scott
Our 3 Objectives:
1. Assess symptoms and accommodations of students and learners of ADD/ADHD
2. Engage in respectful, critical discussion and tasks with peers that test and expand your
knowledge surrounding the SLD presented
3. Strategies for promoting social-emotional development and achievement, positive
discipline and conflict resolution in both school and work-based relationships
Symptoms:
Schools nowadays tend to follow a general method of classroom instruction. For children
and adults with ADD/ADHD, this is almost always problematic. Watkins (2010) acknowledges
the fact that the schooling of children with this disorder needs to change: “Often they require a
more dynamic learning environment that can provide the tools and techniques that can help
transcend their disability and allow academic retention and scholastic
self-efficacy” (p. 161).
ADD/ADHD are both very well-known and co-morbid Specific
Learning Disabilities. The most popular association people use to
distinguish and identify individuals with ADD/ADHD is that they are
extremely hyper and cannot focus and use a one-track mind set.
Kristjansson (2009) provides us with a simple-worded method in
recognition of this SLD:
Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder s characterised by inattention, hyperactive
motor behaviour, impetuosity and distractibility. Teachers complain that pupils suffering
from ADD/ADHD have severe difficulties in maintaining focus and staying on task. (p.
113)
With this being said, there are no specific symptoms, per se, involved with recognizing this SLD.
They are extremely varied, seeing as every child is different. As an educator, it is of the upmost
importance to always be aware of students who exhibit behaviour that is not classified as
“normal” to the extent that they are unable to perform to their best abilities. Sometimes, a child
or adult just needs a little bit more motivation to push them in the right direction.
Workplace accommodations:
It is important for an employer to create a working environment that is friendly to all
employees. This includes employees with learning disabilities. For this presentation we are
focusing on ADHD. Here are some accommodations to consider when an employer has an
employee with ADHD:
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Reduced distraction in work environments
Computer technology for written work to help with organization
Extended time to learn job tasks or to perform work
Instructions presented both in written and oral formats.
Allowing the employee to tape-record important information
Clearly defining job requirements, the dates when projects assignments are due; advance
notice of any changes
Providing handouts and visual aids
Using more than one way to demonstrate or explain information
Breaking information into small steps when teaching many new tasks in one lesson (state
objectives, review previous lesson, summarize periodically)
Allowing time for clarification of directions and essential information
Therefore, it is important not to discriminate on any employee with a disability, but to give
them ample opportunity to succeed and provide accommodations that will help them complete
the tasks they need to. It is also important to remember to ask the individual what would help
them best and help them succeed because accommodations are going to vary depending on the
individual.
Social-emotional Development:
Often individuals with ADHD have more social-emotional problems than others. Their
social problems begin with the fact that they might have difficulty reading social cues therefore
they may interrupt or have trouble taking turns. This may lead them to have problems learning
social skills such as conversation skills and problem solving. Individuals with ADHD can
develop social-emotional problems with the people around them have a difficult time accepting
their hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Signs that an individual with ADHD is having social-emotional problems are:
1. Behaving aggressively
2. Being rejected by peers
3. Having poor conversational skills
4. Having trouble using conversational skills in social situations
5. Becoming frustrated or angry more easily than other individuals
6. Being anxious or depressed
7. Seeming quiet and withdrawn
8. Being shunned or bullied by peers
There are lots of programs that have been developed to help individuals with ADHD learn social
skills, and advance their way of dealing with their hyperactivity. It is important for parents and
teachers to teach, model, and support appropriate behavior, as well as, given positive feedback
for appropriate behavior. Teachers can make a difference in the classroom by making individuals
feel more accepted and connected, which can result in pro- social skills for someone with
ADHD. Social skills training can help individuals in the workplace as it specifically focuses on
communication, anger management, problem solving and conflict resolution, improving
interpersonal skills, and making and keeping friends.
School Accommodations
School and learning environments can provide many challenges
for students with ADHD. There are numerous ways and strategies
to help a child succeed in school. It is always very important to
remember that each child with ADHD will be different and may
need different tools and strategies, or a combination of both, to
help him or her have a positive educational experience. In
Ontario, early interventions and identifications are helping to
provide accommodations for students with ADHD in public school classrooms. IEPs (Individual
Education Plans) are developed for each individual student with learning disabilities.
Students with ADHD are often very distracted by outside noises, other students, or their own
thoughts and often have a hard time staying focused on the teacher’s lesson or a task that is given
to them. This can be a problem if the child misses important instructions or information for
future learning. Some helpful accommodations to decrease distractions are:
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Seating the child away from doors and windows
Whenever possible, incorporating physical activity into lessons
Writing important information down, so the student can easily make reference to it
Allowing frequent breaks
Breaking-down assignments into smaller chunks
Keeping the child’s classroom and workspace organized
Seating the child close to the teacher
Providing a note-taker
Alternative forms of testing
Students with ADHD can be very impulsive and might act before they think. This behaviour can
be disruptive in classrooms, and may even come off as aggressive, depending upon the child.
Methods that can help manage a child’s impulsivity include:
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Recognizing good behaviour, and giving verbal praise.
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Having the day’s schedule on the board or visible elsewhere in the classroom, and
crossing off each subject as it is completed. This will give the student some control, and
he or she would know what to expect as the day progressed.
Private signals can be used between teacher and student to refocus the student, and to
recognize bad behaviours.
Reward Systems in the classroom for good behaviours and for completion of tests and
assignments
Hyperactivity and fidgeting can also be a big challenge for students with ADHD. Children with
ADHD often have a hard time sitting still. The following methods for helping children release
their energy in appropriate ways and at the appropriate time; can help the child stay calm
throughout the day.
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Asking children with ADHD to run errands or do specific tasks, for example running
something to the principal’s office or sharpening pencils
Always allowing the child out for recess and encouraging them to play sports
Making sure a child with ADHD never gets recess or PE taken away from them
Providing a small toy (stress ball or other object) that the child can play with in class that
won’t be distracting for the other children
References
Helping At School | LDAO. (n.d.). LDAO . Retrieved November 5, 2013, from
http://www.ldao.ca/introduction-to-ldsadhd/introduction-to-ldsadhd/what-helps/whathelps- helping-at-school/
Kristjansson, K. (2009). Medicalised pupils: the case of ADD/ADHD. Oxford Review Of
Education, 35(1), 111-127.
McAuley, T., Chaban, P., & Tannock, R. (2009). ADHD and social emotional abilities. Journal
of About Kids Health, 07. Retrieved from:
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/ResourceCentres/ADHD/.
Segal, J., & Smith, M. (n.d.). ADD / ADHD and School. Helping Children with ADHD Succeed
at School. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_teaching_strategies.htm
Special Education. (n.d.). - Teaching Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A
Resource Guide for Teachers. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/adhd
Watkins, S. (2010). A VYGOTSKIAN APPROACH TO ADD/ADHD: SCAFFOLDING WITH
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES. Journal Of Philosophy & History Of Education, 60161166.
Working Effectively with People with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. 2010. Retrieved
from: http://www.hrtips.org/article_1.cfm?b_id=23.