Accommodations-ADHD
Classroom Accommodations for Children with Cognitively Impulsivity &/or ADHD
Primary challenges for students: sitting still, listening quietly, concentrating, disrupting, distracting, setting goals/timelines/prioritizing, planning ahead, not checking work, needing time, remembering, note-taking, following directions or examples.
Classroom accommodations:
TESTS/ASSIGNMENTS
- Multiple-choice & open book tests vs. short-answer, closed book tests.
- Remind students taking a test to check their work before completion, to take their time.
- Provide extra time to complete work and finish tests for those who need it.
- Clarify; there is no benefit to being the first to finish a test.
- Encourage students to take as much testing/assignment time as possible.
- Mark/emphasize correct answers vs. incorrect
- Communicate the value of accuracy over speed.
- Do a countdown for the last several minutes of the activity.
ORGANIZATION
- Give frequent reminders re projects, schedules & due dates.
- Define the requirements of a completed activity.
- Use colors & shapes to help them organize – emphasize “(best order of) key ideas”
- Encourage planning by frequently using lists, calendars, charts, pictures, and finished
products in the classroom.
- Assist student in setting long-range goals; break goal into realistic steps.
- Ask, “What do you need to be able to do this?” Set clear timelines for each step.
- Provide an outline of important points from reading or test-study material.
- Use a school-to-home notebook, to assist in tracking homework, academic and behavioral
objectives. This can be an agenda book, or a note-taking book.
WHILE TEACHING
- Gain students’ attention before giving directions. Use alerting cues.
- Accompany oral directions with written directions.
- Prioritize assignments and activities.
- Give short assignments/frequent breaks. Split major tasks down into minor ones.
- Play games to create interest, change instructional pace, re-teach and practice concepts.
- Teach outlining, main-idea/details concepts.
- Pause and create suspense by looking around before asking questions.
- Randomly pick reciters so the children cannot time their attention.
- Signal that someone is going to have to answer a question about what is being said.
- Establish frequent eye contact.
- Use the child’s name in a question or in the material being covered.
- Walk around the classroom as the lesson is progressing, tap child’s material under discussion.
- Provide copies of presentation/study material notes.
- Reward attention, timely accomplishment, any indication of effort.
- Consider giving student his/her own behavior plan or agreement, with consequences.
CLASSROOM ARRANGEMENTS
- Seat in front row/near teacher, away from doors and windows.
- Surround student with good role models.
- Provide quiet study areas, single desks.
- Post the rules for your class and verify they are understood.
- Post a monthly calendar with assignment due dates and test dates on it.
- Dim lights to signal an activity change.
- Post daily schedule.
Sources: http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/teacher.shtml
http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_teaching_strategies.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/teaching-the-adhd-child--part-1-a5768