ADHD

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ADHD

• By Kasey McElreath
• and Angela Gordon

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• What is ADHD?
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
• ADHD is a biological, brain based condition that
  is characterized by poor attention,
  distractibility, hyperactive and impulsive
  behaviors.

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Who has ADHD?

• 3-7 (approximately 4.5 million) of school aged
  children suffer from ADHD concentrating in the
  Southeast of the United States
• Of these children about 60 of these children
  will carry the disorder into adulthood
• 4 of the US. Adult population has ADHD

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• Characteristics of ADHD
• Distractibility- Student is easily distracted.
• Inattentiveness- The student has difficulty
  maintaining attention to the task at hand and the
  student has difficulty listening.
• Hyperactivity- Student runs, climbs, plays with
  objects, or is generally overactive in
  inappropriate situations . The student is always
  on the go.
• Impulsivity-The student will act without
  thinking about what the result will be.

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Characteristics Continued

• A student with ADHD will have
• Exceptional imagination and creativity
• Difficulty making smooth transitions from one
  classroom activity to another
• Classroom behavior problems (disruptiveness,
  noncompliance with classroom rules)- The student
  interrupts often, the student has trouble waiting
  his/her own turn, student leaves his/her seat at
  inappropriate times, the student talks
  excessively, difficulty playing or working
  quietly, student tends to blurt out answers
• Information processing difficulties, student is
  slow to respond when asked to give a direction,
  when asked for an oral response, or when asked to
  complete written work, student has difficulty
  following through on instructions, the student is
  forgetful
• Few friendships among peers and possible
  outright rejection by them- Student often
  misperceives social situations

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• Accommodations in the Classroom
• Give only one direction at a time
• Place the student in a work-spot with his/her
  back to classmates away from noise and obvious
  distractions
• Give positive reinforcement for example, use
  tokens for reward when appropriate
• Create a classroom routine
• Create organizational strategies into the
  childs lesson
• Use a signal to draw the childs attention back
• Give directions/instruction in multiple ways
  (visual, written, oral)
• Allow for movement breaks or incorporate
  movement into activities
• Help to build self-esteem by displaying work or
  projects that emphasize the childs strengths

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• Curriculum Modifications
• Allow for scheduled breaks during testing
• Give fewer questions on assignments but do not
  modify the level of difficulty (measure knowledge
  not endurance)
• Base evaluations on the demonstration of concept
  mastery, not solely on the completion of all
  course work, because the child may not be capable
  of completing the same amount of work.
• Allow for extra time to complete tests
• Give oral tests or write down answers for the
  student when necessary
• Give students a copy of the reading with main
  ideas highlighted

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• Misconceptions
• ADHD is caused by
• eating too much sugar or watching too much
  television
• inappropriate parenting skills
• environmental factors such as poverty level or
  family chaos
• FALSE! FALSE! FALSE!
• These things may make symptoms worse, but on
  their own are not powerful enough to cause ADHD.

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Resources American Deficit Disorder Association
http//www.add.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId92497or
gIdatdda   Children and adults with attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder http//www.chadd.o
rg/   National Institute of Mental Health
http//www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/atten
tion-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index
.shtml   Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention http//www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/