AD/HD student to AD/HD teacher
(Tried and True Strategies to help get you Through the Day)
Written by Erica C. Daltry
As a child I had a super power that no one ever understood. I had the ability to make things disappear without ever having to try. I would put both of my gloves in my coat pocket when I got inside. Then, without having to even say abracadabra, at least one glove was gone every time I went to put my coat on again. The same thing happened with my homework. I swear I put it in my school bag everyday, but by the time I got home and my mom asked me to take out my homework, poof, no homework to be found. Sometimes things would reappear, but never when I needed them to. Like when I found my soggy tuna sandwich in the back of my desk, a week after I cried because I didn’t have a lunch. Or when my mom would find my book report underneath my bed, while we were unpacking from summer camp. My mom and my teachers were not so impressed with my super power. It seemed to provoke a look of frustration and exhaustion from the adults in my life. A look I became very familiar with. So maybe it wasn’t a super power, but it still wasn’t my fault. I tried to explain this point, but no one seemed to believe me. My super power was Attention Deficit Disorder, and only now as an adult do I know how much thought and energy has to go into completing a day without forgetting to do a task or losing something I need.
Getting through elementary school is fun for most children, but for a child with AD/HD it brings anxiety that most people don’t experience until college. I can honestly say that I hated elementary school, and if I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure elementary school hated me right back. Without a system that works for each individual child, things are lost, information is forgotten, and self-esteem is low. It took me until college to find a system that works, and even now with my extremely thought out system you will find random important papers crinkled up in my “#1 teacher” bag. AD/HD kids live in the right now, meaning that you need to remind them to slow down and put certain papers in specific folders if you want any hope of seeing the paper again. If you want different notebooks for different subjects, you can’t just expect an AD/HD student to know this. Books need to be labeled, and color-coded if possible. Without these systems in place you will find single pieces of paper with many different subjects shoved into a desk or schoolbag. Even if different notebooks are used, finding what you’re looking for may be hard considering the pages that were skipped or the many subjects the book has been used for. As adults we get so frustrated when kids “don’t use their heads,” but we need to remember that with AD/HD children it’s the same as getting mad at blind kid for bumping into you. I am not saying that having AD/HD gives you permission to forget or be disorganized. It just means that we need to understand how these children work, and teach them the necessary strategies they need to survive the expectations of school.
We as teachers and parents need to remember that AD/HD is an invisible disability. We wouldn’t teach students who were deaf the same way we teach students who have normal hearing. We would make adjustments if we knew a child was dyslexic! Yet we have the same expectations for AD/HD students to excel in a regular classroom without feeling the need to make any adjustments to help them succeed. I agree that we should hold each one of our students to the highest expectation, but if a student is unable to listen and write at the same time, as most AD/HD students are, then it is our job to provide alternative solutions for those students. If strategies are not put in place for AD/HD children, then it is not them that fail, it is really our failure.
The student handbook that I have created is just one organizational strategy that can be useful for parents and teachers to use with all students, especially students with AD/HD. How can we expect kids to be organized if we never take the time to show them how? It would be like giving a speeding ticket to someone when there is no speed limit sign anywhere on the road.
The handbook should include a supply case, so that the pencils, erasers, sharpeners, etc, are altogether in one spot and are attached to the book that will always be with them. I would suggest using mechanical pencils as well, because many AD/HD students have a rough time with fine motor skills such as writing neatly and they tend to spend more time sharpening their pencils then writing with them. Also sticky notes and highlighters are useful tools. If a student wants to remember to read that night they can stick a post-it on the page as a reminder for when they get home. I also use sticky notes for those students who need my attention at all times to ask me questions, even when they know the answers. I tell them to write down their question and stick it on my desk and I’ll write them back when I’m back at my desk. The highlighters are useful when teaching the students to locate details, characters, or facts from a passage. They also highlight the important words in comprehension questions. In math I have them highlight the sign in each number problem so that they don’t rush and subtract when they were asked to add.
Each section of this handbook should be color-coded. This will help students attach a certain color with subjects. If the writing section is pink, then the student might remember his or her writing notebook if that is pink as well. It also helps with remembering strategies for certain subjects. If the student is reading a book (let’s say that reading is the pink section), he or she may recall some of the strategies found in the reading section because the pink color pages are all now associated with reading. This works better then just teaching different strategies or even putting up posters in the room. The more reinforcement we provide the better chances there are of comprehension.
Section #1
The first section consists of motivational pictures and sayings. These visual reminders are good to have so that when the student starts loosing focus in the classroom at least they have bright pictures to look at that send good messages. Also in this section is a clock buddy sheet, which is very important for an AD/HD student as well as an outstanding tool for classroom management. How often as teachers to we let the students “buddy read,” just to have to deal with the repercussions of those students who have no buddy to read with. Included in those kids who are our AD/HD students feeling left out. Children with AD/HD have trouble with social interaction due to misinterpretations of remarks, getting too close, blurting out answers, talking loudly, and mostly not being in complete control of situations. The “Clock Buddies” is designed so that all students get to choose their buddies, but everyone has 4 different buddies on their sheet. When we partner read, I will pick a time on the clock and the students know who to partner up with. No feelings are hurt with this system and since the student knows that it is coming they won’t be thrown off by the anxiety of having to find a partner.
Section #2 – Day Planner
Each day the student will start the school day by filling in the star day planner page. This gives them a chance to think about how they are feeling and create a goal for the day. The morning checklist is just a reminder for them to complete the daily tasks without getting side tracked (which is very easy for the AD/HD child and adult to do).
I felt this was a good place to write down homework as well because the binder is going home and the page has the date on it incase the child forgets what the homework was. Also the student is asked to write why they are a shining star each day; this forces them to be proud of themselves and motivates them to be the best version of themselves.
The star day planner is written in throughout the day, after reading time the students should write down the book they are reading and one thing about the book, if they write it down there is a better chance they might keep that information with them. I also included a vocabulary word for the very same reason. The midday check-in is a chance for the student to calmly regroup and make sure they are on track. Just double check what has been expected of them by this point. In my class I take for granted that the reading packet that is used all week is placed in the proper folder, then I’ll get annoyed the next day when 4 students can’t find their packet, so that is a part of my checklist. I also know how their minds work and by this point in the day some of them have already lost their pencil and pieces of their desk have made it onto the floor. This checklist is a big help for both them and me. I no longer get frustrated when I have to repeat myself, I’ll just ask if they checked in? This keeps the anxiety levels down because the student doesn’t feel picked on or as if they have disappointed you again. The happier we are as teachers, the happier our students are.
The checkout is mostly to ensure that the student is prepared to go home and has everything that they need. If they forget what their homework was, they can just look at the front of the page to remind themselves what books to take home, this keeps them from asking you…everyday! Because I know that most AD/HD students seem to always be in a rush, I added pictures to each task so that they can make a visual association early in the year. The day planner allows the student to become more responsible and self-dependent while still providing important reminders for them to refer to.
Section #3 - Behavior
The behavior section of my handbook includes the explanation for the color smiley face that may appear on the calendar. Each day brings a new start and all students begin the day on green. If a student forgets the classroom rules they must get up to flip their card to the next color so they are fully aware that they need to think before acting if they want to keep from changing colors again. At the end of the day every student colors in his or her calendar, then the parents initial the date each night.
The classroom rules are also in this section as a reminder if a child needs to refresh his or her memory. Those rules have been written by the student so that they are fully aware of what each rule means.
If a student needs an individual behavior report that would be found in this section as well. Specific behavior plans are extremely helpful with AD/HD students. They are very impulsive and sensitive. If certain measurable behaviors are chosen to be improved then they student needs to be aware of these behaviors as well as aware of what the preferred behavior is. The constant revisit of these behaviors will trigger the student to become more aware when the behaviors are occurring and after some modeling they may develop some self-control.
Section #4 - Journal
The journal section includes a calendar with a journal for each day of the month. Behind the monthly journal calendar are pages of words that a student can look to for correct spellings. Not being able to spell can prevent an AD/HD student from attempting to write in a journal because of the feeling of failure that may follow. The journal is also a chance for AD/HD students to be creative and think out of the box, something that most AD/HD students enjoy and excel in. I know for myself, I was never good at writing reports or answering direct questions, but when it came to writing stories, plays, poems, or songs my confidence went straight up along with my productivity.
Section #5 - Reading
Reading is the next section of this handbook. Here you will find a reading log that should be signed by a parent each night after a child has read for 20 minutes. Behind the reading log you will find reading strategies that students can refer to when reading on their own. These strategies can be reinforced daily if necessary. There are also strategies for parents that are useful when trying to develop a child’s love of reading. An AD/HD child usually will sit and read to a parent due to the emotional connection that is experienced during that time. Just giving them a book and expecting them to read while practicing strategies in there head is a very tall order, especially if the book doesn’t grab their interest in the first few pages. AD/HD students need to feel a connection to the story in order to process what they’ve read. Books with small print will scare an AD/HD student so it’s always good to have some picture books around that have a better chance of holding the attention of an AD/HD child.
Section #6 - Writing
Writing is an area of ups and downs for AD/HD students. Most are very creative, but then get frustrated with the rules of spelling, punctuation, sequencing, etc. Great ideas get stuck in their heads with anxiety building while they try to prioritize those great ideas and put them on paper. In the writing section of the handbook there are step by step procedures that are broken down for the students who are overwhelmed. Rubrics are also placed in the binder so that the student knows exactly what is expected and can use it to check their work before publishing.
Section #7 - Math
The math section just includes charts and information that most AD/HD students have trouble retaining such as weight, money, and multiplication facts. These charts are there just to reinforce the engaging right brained learning activities that should be going on in the classroom to provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Section # 8 - Reminders
The last two sections of the handbook deal with the random thoughts that go on in the mind of an AD/HD person throughout the day. I know from personal experiences that I can be right smack in the middle of a read aloud with my class and all of a sudden a light goes off in my head alerting me that my phone bill hasn’t been paid and is due tomorrow. At least as an adult I know to write it on a sticky note or in my calendar so that I do not forget to pay it. How many elementary school kids have a place to write down these random alerts? The reminder section is a place for to do lists as well as reminders. A child may want to remember to bring back the basketball team permission slip, so here would be where they would write that. Or they may need to wash their team jersey for the big game tomorrow; this section gives them a place to release those thoughts so that they don’t take over the brain for the rest of the day.
How many of us have a book filled with to-do lists, I know I have a few due to misplacing them from time to time. In high school I remember writing reminders on my hand and arm so that I wouldn’t forget, that may not have been the best place, but there was a good chance that I wasn’t going to loose my arm between school and home so it worked well for me. Kids have enough on their minds so asking them to remember that they need colored pencils for the next day’s project may be a larger task then we think. If we expect them to remember these things then we need to provide a place for them to write it down.
Section # 9 – “The Brain Dump”
The last section of the handbook is called the “brain dump.” It is a place where students can write down information as they learn it. No matter how old you are, when you are learning new information it is very difficult to remember it all without writing it down. Have you ever gotten directions from someone without writing them down? Then halfway there you realize you have no idea what to do next. Our brains can only handle so much, and the AD/HD brain functions with 5% to 10% less activity, so imagine how hard it is to recall newly learned information. Writing down learned information gives students a quick reinforcement, not to mention they can write it in there own words, so they have now processed the information. Then when they need to be reminded of certain important facts, terms, or thoughts, they can look in their brain dump. If you are explaining a project to a class and an AD/HD child has an idea for his or her project, that idea will now block all other information about the project from getting in because the child has to work so hard at not forgetting the idea. If the student “dumps” the idea, there is now room to let more information in.
Thinking back to my super power days, and how my homework from 1st grade can still be found in between the seat cushions of my parents couch, I thought it only appropriate to include folders in this handbook. The homework folder has a pocket for homework that needs to be done, and another pocket for work that has been checked a can be left at home. This minimizes the stress that goes along with a child who needs to prioritize the importance of each paper, not knowing what to keep and what to throw out it also reduces the amount of unnecessary papers a student has in their desk. If we tell the students where to put the papers that we give them, then they will know what needs to be done and they also know where to locate their homework each night.
The next folder is a parent connection folder that includes copies of notes that a teacher or parents may want to send to the other. If we had the student put the note in his or her homework folder and the teacher collects the homework at the end of the day, the note either gets lost or doesn’t get read by the teacher until after the student has gone home. How often in the past have I planned trips or parties in my classroom and the parent walks in the day of telling me that their child never told them about it? It creates a place for parents and teachers to communicate without the fear of the message getting lost along the way.
The last folder in the handbook is for STAR work. AD/DH children usually have lower self-esteem in school because they have to work so much harder at everything. There are sometimes when an AD/HD child forgets that they have the brain power to get good grades and they give up easily when frustrated with an assignment. If they are able to put their best work or the work that they are most proud of in their STAR folder, then they can look at it as motivation to give each project their all.
The front pocket of the handbook has 3 break cards. Some teachers like this, others do not, so just like everything else in this book, use what is helpful, take out what does not apply to you and add what you feel is important. The break cards are for the students to be in control of their time. Most AD/HD students need to feel in control and they also get easily upset if they refused. Asking to go to the bathroom is the AD/HD child’s favorite question. We all know that they don’t always have to go, but if we say no they get very upset because it means we didn’t believe them, plus they have now already shut down because their only focus is going to the bathroom. With the break cards, a child is in control of his or her time. If they need to go to the bathroom, they just hand in their break card without disrupting the class, and they can go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, stretch, whatever they need to do. They only get three a day so that have to get in the habit of not wasting them early in the day, this may take a few weeks for them to learn, but once they do they day is smoother for both the teacher and the students.
The star binder was created out of my own personal experiences as a student with AD/HD as well as a teacher with AD/HD students. Organization is a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to education, and this tool can be just one of the many that need to be used to ease the frustrations and anxiety that AD/HD students associate with school. Papers can be added while others can be removed because the most important thing to remember is that it needs to be helpful to the individual child.
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