Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)-is a complex pattern of interrelated problems in attention, behavior, organization, peer interactions,and social comptence which affect the student's ability to communicate effectively, and to perform many of the tasks expected in the classroom.
ADD-has two forms of this disorder-1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-includes hyperactivity and impulsivity.
2. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)- without the hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Students with ADD usually have average or above average intelligence.But these students are likely to experience difficulty in the classroom as a result of problems in the following areas:
Interventions For Attentionally Impaired Children
5. Avoid teaching at a frustration level.Teach at tolerance level at which it is easy for the student to apply him/herself and at a level which is challenging for the student to apply him/herself.
6. Be sure the student completely understands what he/she is being taught.
7. Relate new situations to those the student already knows well.
8. Teach when the student is well motivated and ready to work.
9. Be calm. Be firm. Be consistent.
10. Use simple commands and directions. Don't talk too much.
11. Never ask, "Do you want to do this?" Say, "Do this." You must structure the siuation.
12. Keep in mind that with all children it's best to discontinue an activity at the highest point of their interest, and to come back to the activity at a later time.
13. With Attention Deficit students who have these difficult behaviors there are frequently many behaviors that should be changed-establish PRIORITIES!!!!!!
An attention deficit is the inability to filter out extraneous auditory, visual or kinesthetic information in order to focus and maintain attention to the task at hand. Hyperactivity or impulsiveness may be evident with this deficit.
The following is a list of characteristics that may be evident in children with this deficit. Use this as a checklist with regard to students’ who you think may fit this category.
-The student is fidgety.
-The student is slow to respond when asked to give a direction, when asked for an oral response, or when asked to complete written work.
-The student often misperceives social situations.
-The student leaves his seat at inappropriate times.
-The student runs or climbs or is generally overactive in inappropriate situations.
-The student talks excessively.
-The student has difficulty playing or working quietly.
-The student is always on the go.
-The student tends to blurt out answers.
-The student has trouble waiting for his/her turn.
-The student interrupts often.
-The student has difficulty following through on instructions.
-The student has difficulty maintaining attention on the task at hand.
-The student loses things necessary for tasks and activities at school or at home.
-The student has difficulty listening.
-The student fails to give close attention to detail.
-The student seems disorganized.
-The student has trouble with tasks that require sustained focus.
-The student is forgetful
-The student is easily distracted.
• Help to build self-esteem by displaying work or projects that emphasize the child’s strengths.
• Use a signal to draw the child’s attention back.
• Redirect physical energy, or ignore it.
• Assign a classroom or study “buddy” to the child.
• Provide visual examples and steps for completing assignments.
• Provide an outline and ensure that the child understands the exact requirements for his or her assignments.
• Provide the child with a copy of the reading material with the main ideas highlighted.
• Allow the child to have practice tests prior to testing so he or she comprehends the structure of testing.
• Try using calming music when working on a task, testing, or during transition times.
• Provide an outline for lengthy reading assignments.
• Provide earphones and tapes of a text, book, or passage.
Evaluation
• Adjust the length of tests, not the level of difficulty. Measure knowledge, not endurance.
• Allow extra time for completion of tests.
• Avoid visually crowded sheets or confusing configurations on tests.
• Arrange for a quiet area for the child to work during testing.
• Allow for scheduled breaks during testing.
• Base evaluations on a demonstration of knowledge of curriculum concepts and content, not simply on completion of all grade assignments. This child may not be able to complete the same number of assignments, but may display adequate knowledge.
• Consider open-book tests.
• Give oral tests or make a scribe available when necessary.
• Consider providing the test on tape, to which the student responds on an answer sheet.
Methods/Strategies:
• Put the child in a more structured seating plan with his or her back to classmates, away from high traffic areas.
• Inform the child when possible, prior to all scheduled changes in routine.
• Give only one direction at a time.
• Check with the child to see if directions have been understood.
• Activity-based lessons with lots of movement work much better for this type of child. Try to program scheduled breaks into the day. Asking these children to sit still for any length of time is an unreasonable request and most likely not possible for them.
• A calm, positive manner is much more productive with this type of child.
• Plan organization strategies into this child’s lesson ( see section on organization).
• Reduce the amount of homework given, but not the level of difficulty of the task.
• Send home an extra set of textbooks to circumvent memory lapses with regard tobringing books home or to school.
• Be patient, as these children become more frustrated and tire more easily than others.
• Make eye contact with the child when giving instructions.
• Establish daily contact, if possible, with the parents, e.g. notes in a homework book, Talk Mail, or brief daily reports to be signed by the parents.
• Use classroom tokens for reward whenappropriate.
• Use encouraging statements to elicit appropriate behaviours.
• Praise appropriate behaviour and ignore inappropriate behaviour.
• Immediately give a reprimand if one is necessary.
• Use time out when necessary.
• Provide a quiet space to work without distraction when appropriate and if possible.
• Assign oral reports or hands-on projects.
• Give more weight for assignments or projects that allow the child to show his or her understanding, using his or her strength area(s).
ADD-has two forms of this disorder-1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-includes hyperactivity and impulsivity.
2. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)- without the hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Students with ADD usually have average or above average intelligence.But these students are likely to experience difficulty in the classroom as a result of problems in the following areas:
- Organization and memory
- On task behavior
- Time management
- Rigidity
- Inappropriate and out of proportion reactions
- Problems with peer relationships
- Frustration resultong from failed socialization and academic difficulties
- General immaturity
- Inability to follow verbal directions: Because of an inabilty to process connected speech quickly, to focus attention on the spoken message , to separate important information from less important information, and to remember a sequence of instructions, ADD students frequently have difficulty doing what they are asked to do.ADD studentscomprehend only about 30% of the information presented to them through the auditory channel.
- Inability to finish assignments: Because of an inability to stay on task, ADD students simply can not complete most tasks as quickly as their peers. This is true of tests as well as written assignments and class projects.
- Poorly organized and messy tasks: Assignments prepared by ADD students frequently reflect the lack of organization and scattered attention which characterize the disorder.Written work is typically characterized by numerous erasures with resulting ripped and crinkled papers, misspelling, and punctuation errors. Art work often resembles that of a younger child. Notebooks, desks, and lockers are often in such disarray that they cannot find their work and/or an assignment that they have completed to turn into the teacher.
- Difficulties with homework: This is a particulary challenging part of school for the ADD student. First, there is the formidable task of remembering exactly what it is they are to do. Even when they can remember what the task is they frequently forget to bring home the texts or other materials required to complete the task.
- Interpersonal skills: Many ADD students have difficulty relating to peers and sometimes interacting appropriately with adults. Many ADD students are very sensitive and react to this social ostracism in a negative and often inappropriate or immature fashion. Because they have difficulty with impulse control, ADD students are also prone to lash out verbally and physically aggressive manner against those whom they feel are treating them unjustly. To make matters worse, ADD students, once committed to a course of action, are often unable to alter that course regardless of the circumstances. They seem unable to suppress their behavior. This social frustration combines with academics difficulty for many ADD students to make school an unpleasant place at times.
Interventions For Attentionally Impaired Children
- Help the student structure task so that they can proceed in a step-by-step manner.
- Reduce distractions.Sit the student in a front side row, thus reducing the number of close contacts.
- Use some physical contact with the student, which could be a hand on the shoulder, or directing of their arm/hand movements.
5. Avoid teaching at a frustration level.Teach at tolerance level at which it is easy for the student to apply him/herself and at a level which is challenging for the student to apply him/herself.
6. Be sure the student completely understands what he/she is being taught.
7. Relate new situations to those the student already knows well.
8. Teach when the student is well motivated and ready to work.
9. Be calm. Be firm. Be consistent.
10. Use simple commands and directions. Don't talk too much.
11. Never ask, "Do you want to do this?" Say, "Do this." You must structure the siuation.
12. Keep in mind that with all children it's best to discontinue an activity at the highest point of their interest, and to come back to the activity at a later time.
13. With Attention Deficit students who have these difficult behaviors there are frequently many behaviors that should be changed-establish PRIORITIES!!!!!!
An attention deficit is the inability to filter out extraneous auditory, visual or kinesthetic information in order to focus and maintain attention to the task at hand. Hyperactivity or impulsiveness may be evident with this deficit.
The following is a list of characteristics that may be evident in children with this deficit. Use this as a checklist with regard to students’ who you think may fit this category.
-The student is fidgety.
-The student is slow to respond when asked to give a direction, when asked for an oral response, or when asked to complete written work.
-The student often misperceives social situations.
-The student leaves his seat at inappropriate times.
-The student runs or climbs or is generally overactive in inappropriate situations.
-The student talks excessively.
-The student has difficulty playing or working quietly.
-The student is always on the go.
-The student tends to blurt out answers.
-The student has trouble waiting for his/her turn.
-The student interrupts often.
-The student has difficulty following through on instructions.
-The student has difficulty maintaining attention on the task at hand.
-The student loses things necessary for tasks and activities at school or at home.
-The student has difficulty listening.
-The student fails to give close attention to detail.
-The student seems disorganized.
-The student has trouble with tasks that require sustained focus.
-The student is forgetful
-The student is easily distracted.
• Help to build self-esteem by displaying work or projects that emphasize the child’s strengths.
• Use a signal to draw the child’s attention back.
• Redirect physical energy, or ignore it.
• Assign a classroom or study “buddy” to the child.
• Provide visual examples and steps for completing assignments.
• Provide an outline and ensure that the child understands the exact requirements for his or her assignments.
• Provide the child with a copy of the reading material with the main ideas highlighted.
• Allow the child to have practice tests prior to testing so he or she comprehends the structure of testing.
• Try using calming music when working on a task, testing, or during transition times.
• Provide an outline for lengthy reading assignments.
• Provide earphones and tapes of a text, book, or passage.
Evaluation
• Adjust the length of tests, not the level of difficulty. Measure knowledge, not endurance.
• Allow extra time for completion of tests.
• Avoid visually crowded sheets or confusing configurations on tests.
• Arrange for a quiet area for the child to work during testing.
• Allow for scheduled breaks during testing.
• Base evaluations on a demonstration of knowledge of curriculum concepts and content, not simply on completion of all grade assignments. This child may not be able to complete the same number of assignments, but may display adequate knowledge.
• Consider open-book tests.
• Give oral tests or make a scribe available when necessary.
• Consider providing the test on tape, to which the student responds on an answer sheet.
Methods/Strategies:
• Put the child in a more structured seating plan with his or her back to classmates, away from high traffic areas.
• Inform the child when possible, prior to all scheduled changes in routine.
• Give only one direction at a time.
• Check with the child to see if directions have been understood.
• Activity-based lessons with lots of movement work much better for this type of child. Try to program scheduled breaks into the day. Asking these children to sit still for any length of time is an unreasonable request and most likely not possible for them.
• A calm, positive manner is much more productive with this type of child.
• Plan organization strategies into this child’s lesson ( see section on organization).
• Reduce the amount of homework given, but not the level of difficulty of the task.
• Send home an extra set of textbooks to circumvent memory lapses with regard tobringing books home or to school.
• Be patient, as these children become more frustrated and tire more easily than others.
• Make eye contact with the child when giving instructions.
• Establish daily contact, if possible, with the parents, e.g. notes in a homework book, Talk Mail, or brief daily reports to be signed by the parents.
• Use classroom tokens for reward whenappropriate.
• Use encouraging statements to elicit appropriate behaviours.
• Praise appropriate behaviour and ignore inappropriate behaviour.
• Immediately give a reprimand if one is necessary.
• Use time out when necessary.
• Provide a quiet space to work without distraction when appropriate and if possible.
• Assign oral reports or hands-on projects.
• Give more weight for assignments or projects that allow the child to show his or her understanding, using his or her strength area(s).