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Teacher Tips: Improving Consistency of ADHD Student's Performance

Author: Douglas Cowan, Psy.D.

Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children! We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children, so here are your teacher tips for the week, brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchool.com. This is a sampling of over 500 classroom interventions for your use at http://www.ADDinSchool.com.

Here are some tips on Improving Consistency of Performance:

Computers are great for 1 on 1 work and immediate feedback. Use them whenever possible.

Establish routines and notify the child well ahead of time if there are to be changes in the daily routine. This will help the child to focus better. Report any significant changes in behavior or school performance to parents, school administrators, or school psychologist.

Your student may need a place to unwind and reduce stress during the school day. Often times this can be simply providing a place for sitting alone, using the computer, taking a short walk, drawing, or modeling with clay. After ten to fifteen minutes, your student will likely be able to access the energy needed to attend to the classroom.

Students using medication to treat attentional problems will have their optimal attention effects for methylphenidate 45 minutes to 2 2 hours after medication. Other medications differ, and it is best to check with the physician about the time of maximum medication effects. If possible, it is best to schedule the most attention-demanding tasks for the student during this medication window.

Tasks can also be modified to improve opportunities for optimal attention.

Students with attentional problems can benefit greatly from behavioral interventions that are sensitive to their processing style. An individualized plan that emphasizes stimulating reinforcers on a consistent basis has a good chance of success. Consequences and reinforcement should be as immediate as possible. Changing the reward periodically is usually necessary. A major consideration in forming an effective behavioral plan is assessing what is workable for the classroom teacher on a regular basis. Some plans that require extensive charting do not succeed because the teacher can not follow through effectively within the context of the daily classroom demands. Keeping the plan simple and flexible is the key to success.

Students with attentional problems generally respond poorly to institution-wide classroom behavioral systems. Programs such as Assertive Discipline usually provide difficulty in that rewards/consequences are delayed and not tailored to the individual student's needs. Whether or not there is a formal behavioral program for all students, your student's benefit from an individualized approach, in which target behaviors are specifically identified and rewards/consequences are fairly immediate.

Rewards and verbal praise on a continual basis will change the attentional problem the most effectively. One suggested system is the "point system."

Feedback that is delayed or variable is problematic in that your student may have difficulty in correlating delay and gratification. Your student may begin to make faulty behavioral connections in these situations.

Students respond well to rewards that they experience as highly-stimulating.

Hopefully these will help the ADHD students in your classroom to be more successful. You can learn more about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder at the ADHD Information Library.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

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