| Commonly Asked Questions and Answers about How to Choose a School for a Child with ADHD and Other Helpful Information
Commonly Asked Questions and Answers About How to Choose a School for a Child with ADHD and Other Helpful Information
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Q. What's the best kind of school and/or teacher for a child with ADHD?
- A. Every child is entitled to a successful educational experience in a
school led by a principal who is a strong and knowledgeable leader and
teachers who are instructionally effective. A highly motivated and organized
child can usually handle a "less than the best" school or a teacher.
Together, parents and child can usually compensate for the deficiencies. A
student with ADHD, however, cannot learn in an unstructured environment with
low expectations and haphazard instruction. His/her behavior, skills, and
knowledge will steadily spiral out of control after only a week or two and
by the end of a year or two he/she may well be considered a candidate for a
behavior disordered class.
The Chesapeake Institute under contract with the Office of Special Education
Programs, a division of the U.S. Department of Education conducted a field
study of effective practices for educating children with ADHD. The team
visited six public school districts in five states across the country
observing over 50 children with ADHD in 30 classrooms in 8 elementary
schools. They found that successful programs have three key components:
- Academic Instruction that combines inclusion of the child with ADHD in the
majority of regular classroom instruction as well as individualizing
academic instruction where needed;
- Behavior Management that includes a well developed plan to help the child
learn how to manage his or her own behavior in the classroom; and
- Classroom Accommodations or changes that recognize the special needs of the
child with ADHD.
How can parents find out if a school qualifies in these three areas? What
questions can they ask to determine if a school is "ADHD-friendly"? First,
investigate the overall climate and atmosphere of the school.
- Do the administration and staff members believe that all students can
learn?
- Are the rules and expectations for behavior in the school clearly stated
and consistently applied in all classrooms and learning areas?
- Are the consequences for breaking the rules swiftly and fairly
administered to all students?
- Is the school well ordered and structured?
- Does the school staff believe in positive reinforcement, incentive
programs, and motivational activities?
Who is responsible for creating this kind of school? The principal. Here
are the top ten characteristics of principals who are most effective in
working with students with ADHD. How does your principal rate? Does he/she:
- run a tight ship with regard to discipline, structure, and organization?
- provide training and resource materials about ADHD for staff members?
- attend all meetings and staffings regularly and participate
collaboratively in all decisions regarding students with ADHD?
- listen to parents and their concerns?
- think about and help to solve the problems of students with ADHD
creatively by coming up with one more plan, one more idea, or one more
incentive?
- hold both teachers and students to high expectations?
- believe that all can learn (this includes teachers, students, and
parents)?
- regularly spend time with students (in the cafeteria, on the athletic
fields, and in the classrooms)?
- affirm, support and encourage teachers?
While the school climate and the principal are certainly very important, an
outstanding teacher is the key to the academic success of a child with ADHD?
What does this paragon of professional virtue look like? He/she is:
- informed and educated about the symptoms and treatments of ADHD;
- empathetic about the struggles of a child with ADHD;
- able to listen to and work with parents;
- loving, kind, and supportive;
- highly structured and organized;
- calm and nonreactive;
- able to use rewards, incentives, and reinforcement successfully;
- articulate about expectations;
- flexible and willing to change;
- communicative and empathetic with parents;
- able to teach a concept using many different approaches; and
- tenacious about student learning and success.
How can you determine if your school, principal, and teachers measure up?
Visit the school. Observe the teachers. Talk to parents of students
currently enrolled in the school whose students have ADHD. Do your homework.
Your child's academic success depends on it.
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Q. How can I help my child get the adaptations and accommodations he needs to be successful in the classroom?
- A. Use a published checklist of interventions and adaptations to show the educators who work with your child some possibilities.
The ADHD Intervention Checklist has been designed to help teachers,
administrators, and other support personnel adapt and structure all aspects
of classroom life to better meet the needs of students with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The purpose of using any intervention is to
maximize learning opportunities for the student.
The checklist is divided into seven sections: Environmental Interventions
(changes in the physical setting that will increase the likelihood of
increased learning); Academic Interventions
(modification of classroom procedures and expectations for the student);
Instructional Interventions (changes in teacher behavior and/or lesson
presentation); Organizational Interventions (strategies to assist the
student toward independent self-organization); Homework Interventions (ways
to insure that independent practice will be productive and lead to the
student's learning); Behavioral Interventions(methods to increase the
likelihood of positive behaviors leading to increased learning); and
finally, Social Skills Interventions (modifications to help the student with
ADHD relate more positively with peers).
Here are some sample items from the Academic Interventions section.
- Experiment with a variety of testing formats to find the one best suited
to the student's learning style (e.g., true-false, fill-in, multiple choice,
or oral).
- Provide lined answer spaces for responses on short answer or essay tests.
- Permit student to take tests in less distracting environment (e.g.,
resource room, study carrel).
- Permit short breaks during tests.
- Teach student test-taking strategies (e.g., eliminating all incorrect
responses on a multiple-choice test rather than rushing to choose a correct
answer).
If you would like to purchase a single copy of the ADHD Intervention
Checklist containing close to 150 items for use with your child and his/her
teacher, contact Elaine for details and information.
- Q. My son is a very active third grader who tends to get into a bit of trouble every now and then at school. The punishment his teacher seems to
favor is taking away his gym period or recess. I can see her reasoning
since these are his favorite subjects in school. But, he desperately needs
this time of exercise. What can I do? I think his behavior gets even worse
when he doesn't get to blow off some steam.
- A. I shudder to think of the times I've done the very same thing (both as
a
teacher and a principal). Educators get desperate just like parents do and
rather than being logical or creative we react in anger and frustration and
take away the very thing that the child needs most. A school district in
Evanston, Illinois was recently in the news regarding their decision to
take away a daily 15 minute morning recess which will add a total of 8
instructional days worth of time over a school year. At first blush it
sounds like a great idea, but even in Japan where academics reign king,
students are given frequent but short recesses. A friend of mine who
consults in school situations involving children with behavior problems
reports that often she'll find that a child with behavior problems may have
missed recess for most of the school year. A disastrous happening, indeed.
Children who have a difficult time following the rules and doing what
they're supposed to often have extra amounts of energy. That's what gets
them into trouble in the first place. They need more opportunities for
physical release, not fewer. When they miss their physical exercise they
are often twice as wiggly and disruptive for the next few hours. They are
being set up to fail again. My friend recommends that recess be reinstated
since its removal is not having the intended effect and giving the
"high-energy"child the opportunity to earn points for not being
disruptive. He can then trade his points for an extra gym or recess
period–just what he needs. Here are some other environmental modifications
to try if a student is wiggly, disruptive, and easily distracted.
 Seat student where most visual distractions are
behind him/her (e.g. in front row with back to rest of class).
Seat student away from potential distractions (e.g. heaters, air
conditioners, high traffic areas, pencil sharpeners, windows, water
coolers, and/or noisy classmates).
Seat student near teacher as well as appropriate role models. Avoid
isolating the student.
Create a stimuli-reduced area that all students may use (e.g. study carrel
in corner of room). Encourage student to self-select this environment when
necessary.
Permit student to stand, move between two desks, or sit at a round table
and move from chair to chair while working.
Provide brief breaks (e.g. to run errands, water plants, distribute
materials) or exercise breaks to relieve the "wiggles".
Permit student to use earplugs or headphones to block auditory distractions
during tests or independent seat work.
Allow for a higher level of restlessness and movement on the part of the
student during teacher presentation than would normally be
acceptable.
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Q. I'm beside myself with frustration over the behavior of my nine year
old
son. He's challenging, strong-willed, difficult, persistent, intense, and
very oppositional. There are probably other adjectives that could describe
him, but I'm too tired to think of them. I use all of my energy every day
just trying to get him to do what he should. What can I do?
- A. When you live with a child like that it's very tempting to look at the
sweet, docile children of your next door neighbor and want to give up. The
question, "Why me?" has probably crossed your lips more than once in the
past twenty-four hours. You will never experience complacency, quiet, and
cooperation. Rather, your life is filled with confrontation, argumentation,
and rebellion. Bedtime, homework, wardrobe, car trips, and family
gatherings are all potential sources of trouble. Am I describing your life?
Well, you're not alone. There are lots of parents out there going through
exactly what you are. In dealing with challenging children in the school
setting, I always found that the more control you can give this kind of
child over what is happening in their lives, the smoother will be the
sailing. The following interventions are called Cognitive Behavior
Modification techniques and they try to change problem behavior by putting
the child in charge of the behavior change plan. The goal
of all the techniques is to develop as much independent control as
possible to prepare the child for adulthood. The interventions should be
used when necessary and are not presented in any order.
Time Management Strategy - Have your child draw a circle and place the
things he or she has to do around the circle in a spoke-like fashion. Mark
what is being managed inside the circle. For example, if the circle is for
organizing nightly homework, the words "Tuesday's Homework" might be in the
circle. Number all the items attached around the circle. Look at the amount
of time available to complete the jobs. Make squares for small units of the
overall amount of time. For example, one hour might be available for
studying, so four squares would be drawn to represent 15 minute blocks of
time. Have the child put the number of the item that he or she will be
working on during that 15 minutes in each square so that the child is
distributing the workload over the available time. Get a timer and have the
child set the timer for the first 15 minutes and begin work. The timer will
help the child begin, as well as stay on-task. When the timer sounds, the
child asks, "How am I doing?" If the child is on schedule, the timer is
reset and the child returns to work. If the child is behind schedule, he or
she may increase attention or have to plan on additional time. If the child
is ahead of schedule, he or she may decide to spend some time checking work
or slowing down his/her speed. The strategy will help with task completion,
on-task behavior, and time usage.
Charts Behavior - Charts can make progress visual for the child and provide
consequences in a systematic manner. Have the child choose one behavior
that needs to be changed. The behaviors can be identified by the teacher or
parent, but the child should have a choice as to which behavior to begin to
change. Ask the child to draw up a chart that can be used to keep track of
his/her progress. Ask the child to make a list of rewards and consequences
for the chart. The chart should be as simple as possible and have spaces
for each day. Plan so that the child has a chance of earning the reward.
For example, don't have the reward depend on perfect behavior for an entire
school day. If the child misbehaves at 9:30 in the morning, he or she has
nothing to lose by misbehaving for the rest of the day. Set up the system
so that the child can experience the connection between improved behavior
and a reward.
Self-reward - The concept of self-reward is very important for developing
independence and self-control. Have the child reward himself/herself for
accomplishing tasks. For example, if the child completes his or her
homework, he/she will be able to choose a relaxing or fun activity. Have
the child set up the "If-Then" situation in writing and decide on the
reward.
Frustration Management Strategy - Challenging children have little tolerance
for frustration. They may have short fuses and blow off steam for no
apparent reason, or in ways that are out of proportion. Confrontation will
put the child on the defensive and imposed control will result in increased
anger. The best method to handle the situation at the moment may be to
diffuse the situation by recognizing the child's feelings. A statement such
as "I'm sure that you are just as angry as you can be that you studied for
that test and failed anyway. That would make me want to tell somebody off
or just give up. I understand how you feel, and I'd like to talk to you
about it when you're ready." The understanding may be sufficient to lessen
the emotional reaction so that another intervention can take place, or so
that a situation does not escalate out of control.
Stop and Think Approaches - The old "Stop and Count to Ten" philosophy can be
helpful to reduce a challenging child's impulsivity and temper; however,
rather than count to ten, a child should use a couple of questions to think
about his/her action before acting. For example, asking "What will happen
if I do this?" may help a child identify and think about the consequence
before acting. Have the child make up his/her own question to ask before
acting.
Making Plans - Have the child try to develop plans whenever possible. For
example, if the family has three errands to run, ask the child to make a
plan to finish the errands. If a child has a lot of homework and wants to
watch television have him or her draw up a plan to manage both activities.
If you are having friends over, have the child help plan the food or the
activities. Everyday planning will be important modeling and practice for
the challenging child and will provide the child with a sense of
accomplishment, as well as participation. If the plan doesn't work, the
child can try to figure out how the plan could have been changed to work
better.
Social Preparation Strategy - If a holiday time or social event is upcoming
and may prove to be disruptive, try to prepare the child for the event .
Talk about all the things that may happen and how people should behave in
the different situations. Make up possible situations or problems that may
occur, and talk about possible ways that trouble could be avoided. The goal
would be to help the child identify possible trouble spots, as well as what
to do if the trouble occurs. One of the reasons that ADHD children
have difficulty in unstructured situations is that the rules for behavior
are not clear. This causes the child to be anxious, because his/her ability
to behave appropriately may be questionable. Preparation will reduce
anxiety.
Developing Alternatives - A family activity similar to charades can be
helpful to enable a child to think about alternatives rather than reacting
impulsively. Make up a situation or keep track of actual situations that
occur at school or at home. Occasionally choose one of the situations, and
as a group, list all the possible actions that could have been taken in
that situation. For example, the situation may be that the child was bumped
in the lunch line and dropped his tray on the floor. What could happen? The
following actions may be given:
- The child could say: "Did you do that on purpose?"
- The child could hit the person who bumped him/her.
- The child could knock the other child's tray on the floor.
- The child could say "I'm sorry" and help pick up the tray.
- The child could ask to talk to a teacher for help.
- The child could try to get back at the other child later.
The family members take turns acting out each different alternative. The
activity is usually fun, but also makes the alternative visual for the ADHD
child who finds it difficult to attend to too much oral discussion. After
each alternative has been acted out, the group decides on the alternative
that would have worked the best and gives the reasons why.
Self-monitoring Systems - Any behavior that can be counted can be changed
using a self-recording system. The child simply identifies the behavior to
be changed and makes up a question to ask himself/herself about the
behavior. For example, if the behavior is talking out in class, the
question might be, "Did I talk in class today?" The child puts the question
at the top of an index card and makes a mark to keep track of every time
the behavior occurs. For example, a child might have three checks on an
index card (or sheet of paper) under the question. That would mean that
he/she talked out three times in class that day. The tracking of the
behavior will help the child increase or decrease the behavior according to
the desired change.
Other Person Interviews - Sometimes, challenging children are so
self-centered that they may not be aware of the impact of their behavior on
others. When something bad happens or they get into trouble, they think
that the other person doesn't like them, or that the other person is
stupid. They overlook their involvement in the situation and blame someone
else. Other person interviews can be helpful to focus the child's attention
on the other person's feelings. The child makes up one or two questions to
ask himself/herself after he/she has done something that has resulted in
trouble. For example, a child may make up the question, "How did I make the
other person feel?" or "How would I have felt if I were the other person?"
When a situation involving another person occurs, the question may help the
child process the events so that his/her involvement is acknowledged. If
the connection between the child's behavior and the resultant consequence
can be made, there is a better chance for positive behavior change.
Behavior Conference - Often, the challenging child doesn't understand the
dynamics of a situation, but gets carried away by the emotional components
of the situation. The child may misinterpret the situation because he/she
does not attend to all the details. It is important for the situation to be
clarified in an unemotional manner so that the child has an understanding
of the situation and the consequence he/she has received. If a child feels
wronged in one situation and is allowed to continue to feel wronged, the
feelings will carry over to the next situation and will make the child
become more impulsive and reactive as time lapses. The child needs to look
at all the pieces involved in an interaction or a situation, from an
individual's viewpoint, so that an understanding is achieved. The child may
still disagree with the outcome, but may not continue to bear a grudge or
feel wronged, which will decrease the impulsivity and the carryover to
future actions.
- Q. Why do special education administrators always insist that my
children
who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder do not need services and
think that they will be ok if they are only monitored? Outside evaluations
reveal that they need the services.
- A. Even if your children have been diagnosed with ADHD by professionals
(physicians, psychologists), they may not necessarily qualify for special
education services because of a specific learning disability or a health
impairment. The only way to determine their eligibility is through a case
study by the school district. But, there are also other alternatives. In
some cases, children will be eligible for services under Section 504 (of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), which is a non-special education method of
providing services to students with disabilities. Section 504 is a civil
rights law rather than a funding law (which requires every recipient of
federal aid operating a public elementary or secondary education program to
address the needs of children with disabilities). As defined in Section
504 regulations, a "person with a disability" is any person who has a
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life
activity (such as learning), who has a record of such an impairment, or who
is regarded as having such an impairment. Many children with ADHD do not
need to be labeled eligible for special education services, especially if
they are receiving medication and handling the academic and social demands
of school with the help of regular classroom teachers and parents. This
"least restrictive" approach to meeting your children's needs is to be
preferred.
One of the ways that many children with ADHD who are not eligible for
special education are served is through following the Education Department
guidelines for compliance with Section 504. These guidelines advise
teachers and administrators to meet the needs of children with ADHD by
doing the following:
- providing a structured learning environment
- repeating and simplifying instructions about in-class and homework
assignments;
- supplementing verbal instructions with visual instructions
- using behavioral management techniques
- adjusting class schedules
- modifying test delivery
- using tape recorders
- using computer-aided instruction and other audio-visual equipment
- selecting modified textbooks or workbooks
- tailoring homework assignments.
- Q. How do you avoid lip service from schools if you have a
child with
ADHD? Lots of talk and no action.
- A. The best way to avoid lip service from schools is to become
educated and
involved. Become informed about a variety of topics: your legal rights,
the best medication therapies, the most recent research on learning theory,
and the most effective interventions for home and classroom. Become an
expert who is respected for possessing a wide range of knowledge. When you
operate from this kind of knowledge base, you may find that doors open that
were closed before. Then be visible and involved in your school. Engage in
problem solving, not problem making. If something happens at school that
creates a problem for your chid, learn to approach teachers and
administrators with a can-do attitude. Use diplomacy and assertiveness,
not aggression. The real reason behind much of the"lip service" to which
you refer is fear. Teachers are afraid of not being able to teach or
manage your child. The principal is afraid of being criticized by the
teachers. And, the central office administrators are afraid of doing
anything that might get them involved in a legal hassle.
- Q. My 13 year old daughter, who has ADD, is in 7th grade but she reads
and
spells on a fourth grade level. I haven't noticed much progress as the
years go by. She goes to special ed for English and math but doesn't get
any extra in help in other subject except at home. This makes for a very
stressful evenings for everyone in the family? How can I be sure she's
getting all the help at school that she's entitled to?
-
A. If your daughter has been diagnosed with a learning disability (and it
sounds like she has), then you have very specific rights under federal law.
However, sometimes, special education teachers are working on the learning
disability and failing to recognize, understand, and teach to the problem
of attending/concentration which your daughter has. The evaluation which
she received has probably labeled her learning disabled in just two areas,
English and math. However, her ADD is impacting her learning in all of the
other subjects. The"regular" classroom teachers need to be aware of her
ADD and then make modifications in the expectations they have for her (see
the list provided in Question #1). A very comprehensive document that
suggests variety of ways to modify the classroom to meet the needs of high
school students with ADHD was published by the Michigan Department of
Education, Office of Special Education, 608 W. Allegan, Lansing, MI 48909.
The document is titled "Attention Deficit Disorder: ADHD Task Force
Report," 1993). Although your daughter is in junior high school, many of
the strategies and suggestions will be applicable.
- Q. What is the best way to approach high school teachers
to modify my
ADHD daughter's curriculum by allowing her more time to work on tests?
-
A. Begin by working through a counselor/assistant principal/principal that you
trust. Ask this individual to schedule a joint meeting with all of the
teachers involved. Bring copies of your daughter's evaluation with you (if
needed). Be familiar with Section 504 (see earlier Question on Section 504) because this is
your "back-up ammunition" if it is needed. Be informative, but assertive
as you present the details of your daughter's diagnosis and your specific
request. If you are a two-parent family, then both of you should attend the
meeting to show your concern and interest. If you are a single parent,
bring along an "advocate" to give you moral support during the meeting.
You should have no problem making this happen, however. I know many high
school young people who have worked out far more extensive accommodations
than simply giving more time to take the test.
- Q. Are there any educational psychologists out there who
have hands on
expertise regarding therapy for ADHD boys in middle school years? Our twin
sons are struggling to "pull it all together" in sixth grade as they have
been in all formal schooling. But this year is loaded with transitions,
anxieties, high expectations and hormonal changes!
- A. Yes, there are. They may not be easy to find, but they exist. Let me
describe how one I know works. Sylvia meets regularly with Anne (not her
real name) who is a sophomore in high school. Since working with this
therapist, Anne has been getting the best grades she's ever had. The
therapist is teaching her coping strategies receiving regular reports on
her grades from her counselor, mentoring her, and encouraging her. Sylvia
even attends the twice yearly conferences that Anne's parents have with all
of her teachers. Anne's parents have been relieved of some of the giant
psychological responsibility they have carried for years of helping Anne be
successful in school. Her parents can now relax and be "the good guys"
once in awhile since they aren't always having to monitor grades and school
work. This has made for a much more relaxing environment at home.
Where can you find someone like Sylvia? Be creative. Is there a good
school psychologist, learning specialist, classroom teacher, or behavior
management specialist who is retired or on maternity leave that might be
interested in filling this role for you? Do you have a clinic in your town
that works with children with ADHD who has someone like Sylvia on the
staff? Find someone who will love and appreciate your children like you do
who can share in helping them be successful.
I'm sorry that you feel so alone in your struggle. It's okay to be angry,
depressed, weary, discouraged, or even defensive. Cognitively, you may
know that the diagnosis of ADHD is not punishment that's been visited upon
you, but deep down there may be anger and resentment at the unfairness of
it all. You may even pass through the stages of grief that affect those
mourning the loss of a loved one. You, however, are mourning for the
children you don't have, children who can pay attention, follow the
rules, succeed in school, and be "normal." Hang in there.
Don't give all of your attention and energy to your twins. Be good to
yourself. Go out to lunch with a friend. Read a good book. Get a massage.
Don't give up your own life totally.
Resources for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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