ADHD in the Classroom | CDC (2023)

FAQs

What does ADHD look like in a classroom? ›

Inattentive Symptoms of ADHD:

Doesn't seem to be listening when spoken to directly. Has trouble organizing tasks and possessions. Often fails to finish work in school or chores in the classroom. Often avoids or resists tasks that require sustained mental effort, including doing homework.

Kids with ADHD can thrive in school, but it often takes some thoughtful planning and a team effort to get them there. Use these strategies to set your child up for academic success. The classroom can be a dizzying and overwhelming place for a child or teen with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Children with ADHD struggle more with boredom and putting mental effort into challenging tasks. Virtual learning or in-person school with more rules may lack the novelty and excitement. Teachers may need to find new ways to keep children with ADHD from being bored and keep them engaged in learning.

In general, children with ADHD are right-brained learners. They prefer to learn visually — by watching or doing a task in an activity-based, hands-on format, not by listening to lectures, practicing drills, or memorizing. There are many ways to implement visual learning outside the classroom.

Keep instructions simple and structured. Use props, charts, and other visual aids. Vary the pace and include different kinds of activities. Many students with ADHD do well with competitive games or other activities that are rapid and intense.

According to Dr. Zentall, children with ADHD seek change/novelty and high-interest activities. They do best with an engaging active curriculum at school and an active home environment. Incorporating physical movement and motor activity throughout the day increases successes.

Some examples of IEP goals for a student with ADHD may include: The student will stay on task throughout the lesson. The student will use a checklist to complete all tasks throughout the lesson. The student will maintain appropriate personal space with peers throughout the P.E. lesson.

What is the best classroom environment for a child with ADHD? The ideal classroom will be informal but structured. That may sound contradictory at first, because we tend to think of structure and formality as being the same thing.

What are kids with ADHD good at? ›

These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage.

Federal Law Protects Students from Disability Discrimination

Regardless of how well he or she performs in school, a student who has trouble concentrating, reading, thinking, organizing or prioritizing projects, among other important tasks, because of ADHD may have a disability and be protected under Section 504.

ADHD can have a significant impact on a student's ability to learn because it can interfere with a child's concentration, focus, and impulse control which leads to difficulty in understanding and retaining information.

Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.

Some of the most prominent intrinsic barriers include language and communication difficulties, health difficulties such as HIV and tuberculosis, sensory impairments, intellectual and learning difficulties, and pervasive developmental disorders [17].

Students with ADHD can be successful in the classroom, but there is work needed to done that will help to differentiate instruction for each student.

How ADHD Affects Kids. ADHD causes kids to be more inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive than is normal for their age. ADHD makes it harder for kids to develop the skills that control attention, behavior, emotions, and activity. As a result, they often act in ways that are hard for parents manage.

Disorganization: Disorganization can make it hard for people with ADHD to study or prioritize tasks. It can also cause them to miss deadlines and forget schoolwork, affecting grades. Impulsivity: ADHD can cause impulsive behavior — this can lead to a student getting into trouble at school.

Establish Rules and Routines

Make routines and stick to them. This can help a student with ADHD to stay on task and reduce distracting changes. Routines do not have to be fully planned out – something as small as always writing the homework task on the whiteboard can be an effective routine.

Restlessness and fidgety behavior associated with ADHD can be reduced by taking exercise breaks. Walking and running, and activities like yoga or meditation that incorporate deep breathing and mindfulness can be beneficial and induce relaxation and calm.

What kind of teacher does a child with ADHD need? ›

The best teacher for a child with ADHD is one who celebrates and works with their students' creativity, energy, and curiosity. One who not only follows but improves classroom accommodations. And one who goes above and beyond to help their students feel smart, successful, and appreciated.

Like an IEP, a 504 plan details the academic, organizational, and social accommodations that will be used to help a child access learning at school. But 504 plans are less formal, apply to more situations, and can be used by children with a wider range of disabilities than can IEPs.

If your child's ADHD is so severe that it causes major impairment, he might qualify under IDEA. If so, a document called an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is designed to outline services, accommodations, special education, and goals for your child. The IEP document is usually about 10 to 12 pages long.

Here are several examples of appropriate accommodations that might be included in a Section 504 Plan for a child with ADHD: Reducing the number of homework problems without reducing the level or content of what is being taught. Giving the student a quiet place to work, free from distractions.

Yelling doesn't help kids with ADHD learn better behavior. In fact, harsh punishment can lead them to act out more in the future. Try these calm, collected ways to deal with discipline instead.

Kids with ADHD often have behavior problems. They get angry quickly, throw tantrums, and refuse to do things they don't want to do. These kids aren't trying to be bad. The problem is that ADHD can make it hard for them to do things they find difficult or boring.

ADHD students should sit in the front row (or close to the teacher), away from windows and other distractions. Oral and written instructions. Oral instructions should be reiterated and written down for the student. Break down assignments.

What age does ADHD peak in children? ›

At what age are symptoms of ADHD the worst? The symptoms of hyperactivity are typically most severe at age 7 to 8, gradually declining thereafter. Peak severity of impulsive behaviour is usually at age 7 or 8. There is no specific age of peak severity for inattentive behaviour.

Inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing)

having a short attention span and being easily distracted. making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork. appearing forgetful or losing things. being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming.

ADHD is not on the autism spectrum, but they have some of the same symptoms. And having one of these conditions increases the chances of having the other. Experts have changed the way they think about how autism and ADHD are related.

Having a diagnosis of ADHD by itself does not make a student eligible for an IEP. The assessment must also show that by reason of the disability the student needs special education and related services.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) helps with the cost of caring for an eligible ADHD child, under 16 years of age, needing extra looking after and having had these difficulties for at least three months.

How Can ADHD Affect Kids at School? ADHD can affect a student's ability to focus, pay attention, listen, or put effort into schoolwork. ADHD also can make a student fidgety, restless, talk too much, or disrupt the class. Kids with ADHD might also have learning disabilities that cause them to have problems in school.

ADHD in children may present through symptoms including inattentiveness, impulsivity, hyperactivity, fidgeting, excessive talking, trouble waiting turn, and difficulty following direction.

ADHD symptoms can make math more difficult. But ADHD can also increase your chances of having a co-occurring math learning disorder called dyscalculia. Statistics from the early 2000s (the most recent available) suggest that 31 percent of students with ADHD also have a math disability.

Students who are affected by ADHD often have a hard time with math because their memory is not very strong and blocking out external stimuli is a struggle. Memory, which is where information is stored for later use, is one of many executive functions.

At what point is ADHD a disability? ›

ADHD is only a protected disability when it interferes with a person's ability to work and participate in society but not for mild conditions that don't interfere with functionality. The Centers for Disease Control considers ADHD to be a developmental disability.

Some of the common foods that can cause ADHD reactions include milk, chocolate, soy, wheat, eggs, beans, corn, tomatoes, grapes, and oranges. If you suspect a food sensitivity may be contributing to your child's ADHD symptoms, talk to your ADHD dietitian or doctor about trying an elimination diet.

Vitamin B & C

Finally, supplementing vitamins B and C can also help alleviate ADD and ADHD symptoms. Vitamin C, like zinc, iron, and magnesium, is used to produce neurotransmitters like dopamine. Additionally, vitamin B deficiency is linked to irritability and fatigue in children.

“If a child constantly fidgets, doesn't wait their turn, forgets homework, doesn't pay attention, cannot complete tasks or is not learning as expected, it is also cause for concern.” Any of these symptoms may lead a teacher to believe that the child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Avoid or dislike tasks that require focused mental effort, such as homework. Lose items needed for tasks or activities, for example, toys, school assignments, pencils. Be easily distracted. Forget to do some daily activities, such as forgetting to do chores.

A child who can't seem to sit still, who blurts out answers in class without raising his hand, who doesn't finish his homework, who seems to be daydreaming when the teacher gives instructions—these are well-known symptoms of ADHD.

For someone to fully unmask, they need to feel safe; they need to know, by observing your actions and behaviors, that there won't be negative consequences to being oneself. The more that you can show real acceptance, the more the ADHDer will be able to unmask.

How does ADHD affect a child in the classroom? ›

ADHD can affect a student's ability to focus, pay attention, listen, or put effort into schoolwork. ADHD also can make a student fidgety, restless, talk too much, or disrupt the class. Kids with ADHD might also have learning disabilities that cause them to have problems in school.

These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage. People with ADHD have a unique perspective that others may find interesting and valuable.

ADHD is not considered to be a learning disability. It can be determined to be a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), making a student eligible to receive special education services.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

At what age are symptoms of ADHD the worst? The symptoms of hyperactivity are typically most severe at age 7 to 8, gradually declining thereafter. Peak severity of impulsive behaviour is usually at age 7 or 8. There is no specific age of peak severity for inattentive behaviour.

ADHD causes kids to be more inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive than is normal for their age. ADHD makes it harder for kids to develop the skills that control attention, behavior, emotions, and activity. As a result, they often act in ways that are hard for parents manage.