Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Dana's colleagues face many challenging situations that a pupil with the infamous ADHD diagnosis can stir up. Let's not fool ourselves. It can indeed happen. Nevertheless, we, as educators, can avoid them. It is "just" a matter of understanding what a given situation is about and how to respond and work preventively with such a pupil.

What is the most common cause of difficult situations with these children? Of course, the main manifestations of this diagnosis itself, but the educator’s inability/unpreparedness to respond appropriately as well.

Hyperaktivity

How (not) to behave

• Everyone in the classroom can hear Charlie, yet you cannot hear Annie in the first row. Or you are asking your pupils, and before you can choose from all the raised hands, Charles is already talking. This can make one pretty angry – a challenging situation has been born. And the worst part is that the educator passes this attitude to the rest of the class, and Charlie ends up being the unpopular classmate (which later triggers more difficult situations).
  
• A pupil with ADHD needs to be sure that s/he will get a turn. Like this s/he can focus better. So stop her/him and tell the pupil that s/he will get a turn but only after her/his classmate finishes talking.

Impulsivity

• “Charles acts impulsively – he does not think things over, he is messy, he hits other pupils.”

What (not) to do?

• Provide her/him with an order and clear limits. This will give the pupil a sense of security and allow her/him to process individual emotions better.
• Give attention to other children as well. It often happens that a child with ADHD becomes a target of jokes and other pupils try to provoke her/him. Yet, the child with ADHD often gets punished by a teacher, which only triggers more challenging situations. Do not be blinded by the diagnosis when dealing with problems. “The child” can happen to be involved in the situation because of the others.

Attention deficit disorder

• Charles gets distracted by any stimulus. Teachers consider it to be bad manners and disobedience. However, the cause of this lies in brain activity. So, let’s check together with Dana what she has learnt about brain functioning in a child with ADHD.

So, how (not) to act?

• Activities focused on performance are not recommended. These children have a hard time focusing on one thing. Let them be for 20 minutes. Fast transitions make them lose attention.
• When talking to a child with ADHD, try to explain your reasons and give them a choice (“you can do this, if you do not want to, just watch us"). Then, if the child feels like having options, it does not happen that it would not cooperate.
• Include activities in which they do not have to come first, where there is no possibility of losing or disappointment. They become more responsive.
• Involve the children even when they are not really involved (e.g., let them hold something – sandglass or read something – “could you read that to me, I forgot my glasses, or something got into my eye”).
• Children with ADHD need to learn by experience. Talk about that failing is a normal part of life. They need to have this experience and see and feel that other people cannot handle some things too. (“oh, he dropped something” – point at it).
• It is a good idea to use mirroring – I (the educator) get angry, and they need to calm me down to see it is normal (the children with ADHD accept better a person who is also not good at something).
• We transform YOU-messages into I-messages: 
  •  1. You are naughty. → Now, I got upset about how you behaved. Why are you angry? Is there anything wrong?
  • 2. You put a wet towel on my bed again. How often do I have to tell you not to do that. → Hey, hey, there is a wet towel on my bed. What is it doing here?
• Reactions must always be authentic. Do not say what you do not feel. And take it easy.

When working with a class where there is a child with ADHD, I should...

• know well what we want to do.
• A child with ADHD will test our limits – We need to respond well. Otherwise, they will ruin the class (and the other ones as well). We should approach them frankly – "Let's have a 10-minute break (clear limits), and then let's see how we are doing." "If we do not like something, let's try to change it together." (link to "Who am I? Who are they?")
• A child with ADHD should always be involved - even if just a little bit, it is enough. (The child then adapts faster.)
• Rules are an essential part of the life of the class.
  • At the first level, a teacher sets them – we should observe how a child with ADHD responds to them. But s/he MUST follow good manners. Lead them to see that it says a lot about them.
  • Three basic rules are enough (try to set them).
• If a child is acting out, ask what is wrong (do not start screaming right away).
• The behaviour of a child with ADHD is usually pointed out by “teacher's favourites". It is important to praise them for their effort but explain that you will handle this issue and they should focus on their work (say it nicely, we do not want to traumatise the good children).
• It is good to pay attention to details about the child with ADHD. It helps in building mutual trust.
• We should have some activities ready to entertain the children if they get bored. 
  • Relaxation techniques are essential as well.
  • A child with ADHD should not have too much physical activity – the child can act out even more if s/he gets tired.
  • Try jacobson relaxing - English version (YouTube) – it is suitable for children with ADHD, and others enjoy it as well. 😊
• Do not be afraid to tell the child that it irritates you – but you need to explain exactly why it is so. (Sometimes, we are annoyed because we slept terribly, and we blame the child with ADHD.)
• Set minimal goals – exaggerated goals can stress us out, which has consequences for the class. Instead, believe in them, and you shall see the progress.

Interesting sources and literature: