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Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder:

Classroom Strategies

Adele Goldberg, Andrea Maughan, Teju Pathare & Helena Zajdeman

TDSB Psychological Services

With thanks to Amanda Gold, Meghan Smith, David Schwartzbein, and Ashley Sederoff,

TDSB Psychological Services.

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Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge we are on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Wendat. We also recognise the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

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Topics for Discussion

Land Acknowledgement

ADHD in the Classroom
Gender-based Differences
Neurodiversity
Executive Functioning Skills
Social skills
Environmental Accommodations
Resources

ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder. This means that the behaviours we see are due to the way that a student’s brain is wired. These behaviours are not purposeful.ADHD is quite common. It is estimated that in a class of 30, 1 to 3 students may have ADHD. However, ADHD is not just something we see in children and continues to be present in adulthood. ADHD is still more commonly diagnosed in boys, and we will talk about how ADHD can look different in girls. Today’s focus will be on ADHD but it is also important to know that ADHD can be present on its own or can co-exist with other neurodevelopmental disorders, like Autism or Learning Disabilities. There are 3 types of ADHD - Inattentive, Hyperactive/Impulsivity and Combined.

Today, we’ll talk about how ADHD presents in the classroom. We’ll focus on a neurodiversity approach, recognizing the strengths and differences in students with ADHD. We’ll explore how to support the development of learning skills and social relationships of students with ADHD through scaffolding and strengthening their executive functioning skills, which is the , and enhancing their social skills with some practical strategies. We’ll also provide some resources for you to access following the presentation.

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ADHD in the Classroom

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Behaviour

Interrupting

Fidgeting

Doesn’t seem to listen

Neurotransmitter differences

Difficulty waiting

Slow cognitive processing speed

Can’t memorize easily

Emotionally reactive

Slow retrieval of information

Less visible symptoms

Impulsive behaviour

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Inattention -

Grade 2 Elementary Student

Land Acknowledgement

Attention & Focus Issues

Difficulty paying close attention to details
Zoning out
Needs directions repeated
Loses interest quickly

Carelessness & Mistakes

Careless mistakes
Does not read instructions carefully
Misses key words (e.g., NOT in a question)

Memory & Organization Challenges

Forgets to put name on worksheets
Forgets worksheets
Forgets personal items
Loses things needed for a task (and has no idea where they are)

Task Completion Difficulties

Missing steps in a longer math problem
Struggles to read an entire chapter
Reluctant to engage in tasks requiring sustained effort

This is a list of the symptoms as well as operational definitions of how the symptoms might present in the home and school environments.

This Grade 2 student might present with difficulty paying close attention to details, forgets to put their name and date on worksheets, not reading instructions carefully, missing a step in a longer math problem, struggling to read an entire chapter, misses key words - e.g., “not” in a question. This student might also zone out, needs directions repeated, loses interest quickly. They might forget personal items, lose things necessary to complete a task, has no idea about where things might be, forgets worksheets. This student might have difficulty giving close attention to details OR makes careless mistakes and might seem reluctant to engage in task that require sustained effort.

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Inattention -

Grade 11 Secondary Student

Land Acknowledgement

Organization & Tracking Challenges

Difficulty keeping track of phone, wallet, etc
Backpack is a jumbled mess and struggles with organization plans
Develops extensive routines to keep track of things

Work Habits & Task Avoidance

Looks for shortcuts to avoid tasks
Avoids or is reluctant to engage in effortful tasks

Time Management & Deadlines

Assignments are often late or incomplete
Frequently asks for extensions

Focus & Organization in Writing

Written work often rambles (starts on topic but gets distracted by new ideas)

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Hyperactivity/Impulsivity -

Grade 2 Elementary Student

Land Acknowledgement

Physical Movement & Restlessness

Excessive fidgeting (wiggling, tapping, moving in seat)
Whole body movement
Wanders around the room
Makes excuses to leave seat (e.g., get a drink, sharpen a pencil)

Impulsivity & Patience Challenges

Difficulty waiting turn in games or class
Jumps the line
Cannot wait for instructions to be completed before starting a task
Seems rushed or in a hurry

Verbal & Social Awareness

Talks when others are working
Sings absentmindedly
Loud self-talk
Lack of awareness of volume based on the situation

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Hyperactivity/Impulsivity -

Grade 11 Secondary Student

Land Acknowledgement

Social & Communication Challenges

Overshares personal information (about themselves or others)
Comments and answers can be tangential

Physical Restlessness & Hyperactivity

Constant foot in motion while seated
Often “on the go” or acts as if driven by a motor
Impatient while driving (e.g., switches lanes often)
Struggles to remain still in quiet environments (e.g., exams, libraries, confined workspaces)

Creative & Cognitive Overflow

Cannot shut off creative side, streams of ideas so constantly writing notes or muttering
Records voice notes because they cannot write as fast as they think

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Gender Based Differences

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ADHD in Girls and Women

Land Acknowledgement

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ADHD in Girls

Land Acknowledgement

Attention & Focus Challenges

Daydreaming
Struggles to pay attention/poor attention to detail
Distractibility
Processing information may take longer than peers
Difficulty following directions

Impulsivity & Hyperactivity

Hyper-talkative
Verbally impulsive (interrupting, speaks before thinking)
Fidgets; gets up and walks around
May go from task to task without completing one

Organization & Time Management

Poor time management
May appear disorganized and scattered; forgetful

Social & Emotional Challenges

Trouble maintaining friendships (can appear shy, withdrawn)
Self-harming activities

FROM ADDitude and Simply Psychology 2023, Chadd.org

Regarding friendships - research has shown that girls with ADHD may be rejected by their peers more often than boys with ADHD; this may be explained due to the fact that female friendships require greater sophistication and more maintenance than male friendships may require; friendships among girls is more complex, even at young ages; additionally - if verbally impulsive - may cause friction in relationships

Self-harming activities - may look like activities that require extreme and unhealthy self-discipline; for example, they may compensate by developing strategies that mask their ADHD; an example may be perfectionism, where a girl might spend hours taking notes on textbook chapters before tests; another example may look like repetitively checking and rechecking a backpack to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything

-may adopt compensatory strategies, leading to working 2-3x as hard as peers in order to be equally successful

Daydreaming - but will say thoughts feel like theta re goin ga million miles a minute; have trouble keeping her mind on one topic

To assume that women and girls only experience the inattentive presentation would be incorrect. Many women and girls report and describe “internal” hyperactivity and other unrecognized symptoms, with behaviors often ascribed culturally to very “social” girls:

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Neurodiversity

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What is Neurodiversity?

Land Acknowledgement

There's no “correct” way for the brain to work. Instead, there is a wide range of ways that people perceive and respond to the world, and these differences are to be embraced and encouraged.
A main goal of the neurodiversity movement is to shine a light on the benefits of this diversity.

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Neurodiversity: A strength based approach

Land Acknowledgement

Here we take a look at some common ADHD labels and reframe these:

Energetic: Children with ADHD often have a great deal of energy, which can be channeled into positive outlets such as sports, dance, and other physical activities.⁣

Idea Machine/Out-of-the-box thinking: Children with ADHD often think outside the box and have a unique perspective on the world, which can lead to innovative ideas and solutions.⁣They may think outside the box, make unique connections between ideas, and approach problems in unconventional ways.

⁣Enthusiasm: Children with ADHD often approach new experiences and challenges with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure.⁣

⁣Emotional Intensity: Children with ADHD often feel things more intensely, which can lead to a strong sense of empathy and a desire to help others.⁣

⁣Sense of Humor: Many children with ADHD possess a great sense of humor and quick wit, often making others laugh and easing tension in social situations.⁣

⁣Resilience: ADHD individuals face challenges in daily life, which builds resilience and determination. They learn to persist in the face of adversity, bounce back from setbacks, and develop a strong sense of perseverance.

⁣Strong Imagination: Children with ADHD often have a vivid imagination, which can lead to a love of storytelling, art, and other creative endeavors.⁣

⁣Flexibility: Children with ADHD often have a great deal of flexibility and adaptability, which can serve them well in a constantly changing world. ⁣ADHD individuals tend to thrive in dynamic and fast-paced environments. They can quickly adapt to changing circumstances, switch between tasks, and find innovative solutions to challenges.

Divergent Thinking: ADHD individuals often have a unique perspective and can think outside conventional boundaries. They can offer fresh insights, alternative approaches, and creative solutions to problems.

Intuition and Sensitivity: Many individuals with ADHD possess heightened intuition and sensitivity to their surroundings. They may pick up on subtle cues, emotions, and nonverbal communication, making them empathetic and perceptive individuals.

Entrepreneurial Spirit: The combination of creativity, high energy levels, and a willingness to take risks can contribute to an entrepreneurial mindset. Many individuals with ADHD excel in entrepreneurial ventures, bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to their work.

Quick Thinking and Problem-Solving: Individuals with ADHD often exhibit fast thinking skills and have the ability to think on their feet. They can make connections quickly, see patterns, and find innovative solutions to problems.

Passionate Interests: Individuals with ADHD tend to develop intense passions and interests in specific areas. They can become deeply knowledgeable and engaged in subjects that capture their attention, becoming experts in their chosen fields.

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Executive Functioning

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Executive Functioning

Land Acknowledgement

The executive functioning part of the brain, the frontal lobe, is in charge of directing actions, regulating behaviours and motivating us to begin daily activities and plan for the future. It can be described as being like the an orchestra conductor who coordinates the musicians in an orchestra to play well and integrate sounds together to make music or like an air traffic controller who manages the take offs and landings to coordinate flying,

Executive functioning skills include:

Organization
Task initiation
Time management
Attention
Planning and prioritizing
Self-monitoring
Emotional regulation
Impulse control/inhibition
Flexibility
Working memory

When you think of the elementary school report card, many of these executive functioning skills are what are rated on the learning skills section of the report card.

Some students pick these skills up incidentally - observing, watching, some children learn them easily with practice and others need to have these skills chunked, rehearsed, prompted with much much effort. Students with ADHD and other developmental conditions such as ASD have challenges in areas of executive functioning that are significant. For students with ADHD, challenges with sustaining attention with activities that aren’t interesting, beginning and planning and completing tasks within a time frame, noticing careless errors and keeping their thoughts and materials organized is a struggle. Holding their impulses to think before they act and to regulate their emotions can be very challenging.

(These skills have been described as developing slower for students with ADHD by about 30% so if you think of an 11 year old (grade 6), the ADHD student’s executive functioning might be more like an 8 year old (grade 3 student)).

https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/

https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/?src=embed_link

https://www.additudemag.com/executive-functioning-adhd-teacher-guide/

Hearts and Minds

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Supporting Executive Functioning Skills

Land Acknowledgement

Skills can be developed!

Direct instruction
Modify the environment
Modify the task
Use incentives
Provide just enough support to be successful

Skills can be optimized!

EFs are effortful
They are affected by energy level and stress
Need to replenish energy

Of note is that the executive functioning part of the brain is not fully formed until the age of 25 so these skills are ones that develop. They can be taught and developed, through direct instruction, and modelling. Like a muscle they can improve with exercise or practice. For students with ADHD, understanding their executive functioning differences and developing these skills can enhance their learning and social relationships. We will focus on a few key executive functioning skills that have an impact on our ADHD students in the school setting. Self-Regulation, Organization and time management, and task initiation.

Notably for most students with ADHD, we will need to teach these skills specifically rather than expecting the child to acquire them through observation or osmosis. We may need to modify the environment or the tasks. We may use incentives/reinforcement to motivate. It is important to provide just enough support for the child to be successful . -too much support- child is succesful- but never learns to perform task independently

Too little support- child fails and doesn’t learn to perform task independently

Executive functioning skills can be optimized. Executive functioning skills are effortful and can be impacted by energy level, and stress (think of how you might be inattentive and might make more careless mistakes on a day when you are tired, or unwell or stressed). As well, executive functioning skills can be depleted with usage - (think about how you might lose focus when you have long meetings after a full day of work).

So, it is important to refill the fuel tank to boost energy to use these skills optimally - taking frequent breaks, either calming or activating like exercise, or rewarding (something fun, e.g. first, then). Ensure the student isn’t hungry or tired and support positive emotions through giving praise or rewards and teaching positive self-statements.

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Executive Functioning:

Self-Regulation

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Self-Regulation

Land Acknowledgement

Students with ADHD often have challenges with Self-regulation - meaning they have challenges regulating their feelings and behaviours to fit the situation, for example in order to learn or interact with peers appropriately.

Some reasons for this are that:

The STOP function of students with ADHD does not function well. They might know what to do, but their impulsiveness creates a breakdown between knowing and doing, so they may act impulsively and, on reflection, later regret their behaviour because they know they did something wrong. (from David S. Exec functioning)
Students with ADHD often have difficulty regulating feelings, leading to difficulty reacting in a moderate way (like the slow or calm engines in picture). Instead they may display strong emotions! They can be quick to anger and have a low frustration tolerance, and be impatient. This may in turn lead to inappropriate behaviours (hitting, kicking, throwing etc related to these strong emotions. Or they may also be more quick to cry or on the other side they may be more excitable than is appropriate for the situation.
Because children with ADHD may be more reactive than proactive, they have trouble thinking or planning ahead. They also may not learn as well from consequences because their impulses over-ride connections created by previous rewards or consequences. (Barkley and David S.)
Finally, students with ADHD are having to exert more effort in their learning skills, executive functioning skills, and sustaining attention and as we said before, this effort can lead to fatigue which can in turn lead to challenges with self-regulation.

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Support and Develop Self-Regulation Skills

Land Acknowledgement

GIVE	-clear, consistent expectations
IDENTIFY	-situations in which issues might arise (i.e., gym class, lines)
REVIEW	-expectations prior to specific situations.
TEACH	-how to identify warning signs
PLAN	-strategies with student
PROVIDE	-structure in challenging situations
PRACTICE	-coping strategies, such as positive self-talk, relaxation, movement breaks.

To support the development of self-regulation skills it is helpful to:

Give clear, consistent expectations for behaviour; perhaps with visuals of the expectations as verbal cues can be fleeting
Identify situations in which challenging issues are most likely to arise; is it in line-ups before recess; is it in gym class, after a long lesson
Review context-specific expectations immediately prior to entering specific situations e.g. before recess, or before lunch remind them of expectations
Teach how to identify types, intensities and early warning signs of various emotions using simple language and visual aids (e.g., Zones of Regulation).
Work with the student to Plan strategies to help the student cope with particular situations (how to deal when losing a game, or someone doesn’t want to be your partner)
Provide structure during unstructured times - eg participating in a supervised activity at recess, having a job during line up time or .
Practice calming strategies in calm times so that the student can more easily go to these when in the heat of the moment

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Optimize Self-Regulation

Land Acknowledgement

Allow breaks
Validate
Reduce demands/stressors
Provide and prompt alternative behaviours
Give choices

**find a different image

To optimize self-regulation skills , co-regulation - or support from a caring adult is often necessary to prevent an outburst or calm a student who is in the middle of an outburst.
Some suggestions include:
Offering a break, or creating a break - perhaps a movement break, or using sensory (fidget) toys) Using break cards so the student doesn’t need to talk when they are feeling agitated. It is important to monitor how long that break is and to know when it is time to rejoin the group.
Validate the student so they feel supported (e.g., “you look like you’re feeling stressed out right now; it must be really frustrating to have to correct mistakes when you are anxious to just get this done” or, “It makes sense that you felt upset - I know you really don’t like waiting or XX!”). Avoid using BUT - try And
Reducing demands/stressors may be important (e.g., reducing the number of questions that need to be completed; and providing scaffolding and structure in situations that are predictably challenging for the student.
Provide and prompt alternative behaviours for problem solving, or calming activities
Give choices - especially if student is being oppositional - being able to select from 2 or 3 alternatives can be empowering

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Optimize Self-Regulation

Land Acknowledgement

Allow breaks
Validate
Reduce demands/stressors
Provide and prompt alternative behaviours
Give choices

high school slide with a graphic for older students

To optimize self-regulation skills , co-regulation - or support from a caring adult is often necessary to prevent an outburst or calm a student who is in the middle of an outburst.
Some suggestions include:
Offering a break, or creating a break - perhaps a movement break, or using sensory (fidget) toys) Using break cards so the student doesn’t need to talk when they are feeling agitated. It is important to monitor how long that break is and to know when it is time to rejoin the group.
Validate the student so they feel supported (e.g., “you look like you’re feeling stressed out right now; it must be really frustrating to have to correct mistakes when you are anxious to just get this done” or, “It makes sense that you felt upset - I know you really don’t like waiting or XX!”). Avoid using BUT - try And
Reducing demands/stressors may be important (e.g., reducing the number of questions that need to be completed; and providing scaffolding and structure in situations that are predictably challenging for the student.
Provide and prompt alternative behaviours for problem solving, or calming activities
Give choices - especially if student is being oppositional - being able to select from 2 or 3 alternatives can be empowering

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Executive Functioning:

Organization

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Interventions for Students who Struggle with Organization

Land Acknowledgement

Organization skills are a key executive function skill to develop for all students and is an area that often needs to be specifically taught to our students with ADHD

Cluttered backpacks, desks and lockers make it hard to keep track of items and can lead to frustration
Losing homework, and important items, like jackets, lunch bags or more can be expensive and time consuming. They may have completed great assignments but can’t hand them in if they are missing papers or forgot to send them to their teacher by the deadline.

There are lots of organization strategies to choose from and I’m sure you have tried many some that work with some students and not with others. .

When planning strategies it is important to recognize that many students with ADHD have difficulties with working memory or holding information in their minds. Since students can’t hold things in their mind, we need to have them not rely on their memories and instead having explicit places, routines, and reminders.
Regular routines help with practicing organization and reducing stress . Change can create confusion, distraction and uncertainty. So give warning and reminder of change.
Visual prompts especially, because they are more permanent, are important. Technology can help with apps for organizing. Giving an outline or a preview of the tasks, projects or lessons can prevent uncertainty and insecurity. Use checklists to breakdown activities. Have questions, or parts a, b, c, in list form not paragraph form to ensure nothing is skipped.
It is not just materials that can be challenging to organize, but also ideas. Organizing thoughts verbally and in writing can be difficult. Learning how to sequence their thoughts, tell a story in a logical manner is important for social skills and academics.
To help with written ideas, engage in topics of interest when you can. It is easier to stay on task if the topic is intrinsically interesting. Graphic organizers, mind maps, and structure are important. For some students, this structure may be important even for paragraphs not just projects. Sentence starters or fill in the blanks may help for those struggling to get ideas down. For those with lots of ideas, having them generate ideas under headings and organizing them later may help.

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Executive Functioning:

Task

Initiation

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What is Task Initiation?

Land Acknowledgement

The ability to start tasks or projects efficiently and without unnecessary procrastination.

Example (Young Child): Begins a chore or assignment promptly after receiving instructions.
Example (High School Student): Starts a project with adequate time for completion rather than waiting until the last minute.

Keep in mind… lagging skills in task initiation (and other executive functions) can look like unwillingness/ oppositionality

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Difficulty with Initiation

Land Acknowledgement

Shifting/ Transitions

Moving from preferred to non-preferred activities
Difficulty shifting to a different task type

Not attending during important instructions about task

Not knowing the first step
Not having the right materials ready

Does the task feel too big? Too challenging?
Is the internal dialogue something like…?

This is too hard; will take too long
I’m stupid; I don’t want to make mistakes

Attention

Planning

Anxiety/

Overwhelm

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Supporting with Initiation

Land Acknowledgement

Shifting/ Transitions

Transition supports (timers, reinforcements, visual schedules)
Activity to prepare to shift
Change or reset environment

Provide prompts to pay attention when announcing important information or lesson material (e.g., “listen, this is important.”)

What is the first thing I need to do to get started?
What materials do I need?
Organizational framework/ picture chart

Chunking task into manageable bits
Check-in: what’s going through your mind when about to start?
Reminder card/visual for encouragement

Attention

Planning

Anxiety/

Overwhelm

Shifting: schedules; timers; reward/reinforce (we often do this as adults when approaching a difficult task); transition activity (active movement, mindful moment, fun transition routine to reset)

Attention: to help students maintain focus during a lesson, provide prompts to pay attention when announcing important information or lesson material (e.g., “Now listen, this is important.”)

Planning: see organization slides; be the external coach/brain and support with planning (org charts); prompts for materials/first thing, etc.

Anxiety/overwhelm:

Get curious - what’s going through your mind; take a guess at the thought if you think you’re right (I wonder if you’re thinking - this is too tricky)

Invite students to estimate the amount of time required to complete a task and then time them. Have students compare how long they thought they would need with how long the task actually took to do.

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Supporting Time Management Skills

Land Acknowledgement

Make time visible and concrete by using timers that students can see.
Develop a sense of time by having students estimate how long tasks will take, then track and compare their actual progress.
Clearly prioritize tasks to help students focus on what needs to be completed first.
Utilize assistive technology with reminder apps to support time management.
Minimize downtime by providing immediate consequences and short-term rewards to reinforce time-sensitive behaviors.

Concept of time and time management is often a significant challenge for ADHD students.
It is difficult for these students to estimate time (e.g. how long it will take to complete an assignment), to plan across time , and to delay gratification.
Students with ADHD are more in the moment and have difficulty looking ahead to understand the consequences of being late, or not doing work a little at a time.
Some suggestions include: making time concrete by using timers, chunking long term projects and using specific deadlines for these chunks. Support priorities by being specific with indicating what is the most important.
Given that ADHD students are more in the moment, it is important that both rewards and consequences are immediate for them to be effective. Reward systems should ensure that they are used throughout the day, not a summary at the end of the day. Praise should be immediate and specific - for example, not just saying well-done, but well-done for waiting your turn to speak, or well-done for putting your books away. The moment is fleeting and for the ADHD student, they might have moved on and won’t know what the praise or reward is for.

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Social Skills

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Five Common Social Challenges

Land Acknowledgement

Difficulty Reading Social Cues – May not notice how their behaviour affects others, leading to frequent interruptions or rule-breaking.
Struggles Maintaining Friendships – Can be intense or demanding without realizing it, making turn-taking and sharing difficult, which may strain relationships.
Going Off-Topic – Easily distracted in conversations, sometimes misinterpreting what others say.
Being Unreliable – Difficulty with planning and follow-through can make them seem undependable in group settings.
Overreacting – Trouble managing emotions may lead to outbursts or meltdowns beyond an expected age.

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Understanding Underlying Challenges

Land Acknowledgement

PERSPECTIVE TAKING	Understanding others’ thoughts & feelings
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS	Reading the room and understanding what you should be doing
RESPONDING APPROPRIATELY TO OTHERS’ EMOTIONS	May come off as rude, disinterested if you do not respond as expected after someone has shared their feelings
INITIATION	Difficulty with starting conversations, with asking for help, and with self-advocacy skills
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY	For the sake of being part of a peer group, accepting others’ ideas, and being able to take direction from others
USING HUMOUR APPROPRIATELY	Impulsively saying or doing things that others may not view as humourous

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Environmental Accommodations

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Attention

Land Acknowledgement

Strategic seating (ask student & use own observations)

Reduce distractions (consider auditory & visual; minimize interruptions)

Instructions 2x (repeat; oral & visual; prompt before/after)

End with some environmental accommodations - ideas that you can implement in classroom
Often in IEPs, you read about various accommodations. We know there are some ways that an accommodation can be implemented that are helpful/go well, some ways that don’t go as well
Provide some examples of helpful ways to implement environmental accommodations.

*Examples below, but presenter can discuss specific and doable examples of strategies you (psychology) know to be helpful, or have seen work well

Seating

Allow student to pick; observe what is most/least helpful and share your observations with them

Distractions

Often only auditory distractions considered, note what might be visually distracting in immediate work area, on desk

Instructions

Can repeat (i.e., 2x), can provide in 2 different ways (oral, visual), can prompt (this is important) before, and prompt after (what are we working on)

*Pulled from: https://chadd.org/for-educators/classroom-accommodations/

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Activity Levels

Land Acknowledgement

Activity breaks (brief, with start & end prompted)

Timers (visual; expect high focus for short periods)

Outdoor time (prioritize gym, lunch, recess)

Checklists (few items at a time)

Again, some accommodations to support high activity levels.

*Examples below, but presenter can discuss specific and doable examples of strategies you (psychology) know to be helpful, or have seen work well

Movement/activity breaks

E.g., time for 3-5 minutes - prompt at the beginning and end.
Use movement breaks in other ways - stretch, walk to board to complete task, be a ‘leader’ in charge of hanging out assignments, materials; do a quick activity with whole class.
Breaks are much more challenging for students when unstructured; time blindness and impulse control challenges could make it hard to return

Timers

E.g., visual timer; set up increments in advance (e.g., 20, 5, 20, 5)
Expect only short periods of high focus before a break

Checklists

Checklists can be adapted from assignment rubrics/org charts, but for an individual work period, just choose a few items.
For the item student is meant to be working on - write it on a post it that is visible to them (i.e., so the list does not distract/overwhelm)

Outdoor/physical time

Don’t use recess, lunch, gym, other physical activity times to catch up on work! Students with ADHD will most often be at their best if they have had adequate physical activity throughout the day

*Pulled from: https://chadd.org/for-educators/classroom-accommodations/

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Reminders

Land Acknowledgement

Children with ADHD may get a LOT of corrective or negative feedback in their day.
Remember: For every correction, give 4 praises!
It is important to foster a collaborative home-school connection.

Remember that kids diagnosed with ADHD often receive a lot of corrective feedback; important to remember that frequent negative commentary about a child’s behaviour can impact their self-esteem
So it is important to try to look for good behaviour and praise it - Remember for every correction - give 4 praises
You may wish to share your child’s diagnosis, as well as any recommendations, with the school;
Keep in touch about progress in class, how they are doing academically, socially, what are strengths/interests, and what are the challenges
Let the teachers know what strategies are working well for you at home, and see if they can implement them in the classroom
Similarly - ask what’s working well at school and see if those strategies would be applicable at home. Consistency is helpful

From HelpGuide.org: ADHD Parenting Tips - How to Help a Child with ADHD (Melinda Smith, Jeanne Segal) and CHADD.org - Parenting a child with ADHD

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Reframe the Behaviour

Land Acknowledgement

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Neuro-diversity Affirming Practices

Land Acknowledgement

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Resources

Land Acknowledgement

TDSB Psychological Services Site

Hearts & Minds, TDSB Psychology

TDSB Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy Site

TDSB ADHD Fact Sheet

TDSB Special Education and Inclusion

These slides were adapted from print and online resources and presentations by a number of colleagues in TDSB Psychology Services

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Resources

Land Acknowledgement

Let's talk about ADHD - YouTube

Understood.org

Smart But Scattered Kids

OT4ADHD

Simply Psychology

These slides were adapted from print and online resources and presentations by a number of colleagues in TDSB Psychology Services

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Land Acknowledgement

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Exit Survey

Land Acknowledgement

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Or use this slide from schoolpsych.com

The executive functioning part of the brain, the frontal lobe, is in charge of directing actions, regulating behaviours and motivating us to begin daily activities and plan for the future. It can be described as being like the an orchestra conductor who coordinates the musicians in an orchestra to play well and integrate sounds together to make music or like an air traffic controller who manages the take offs and landings to coordinate flying,

Executive functioning skills include:

Organization
Task initiation
Time management
Attention
Planning and prioritizing
Self-monitoring
Emotional regulation
Impulse control/inhibition
Flexibility
Working memory

When you think of the elementary school report card, many of these executive functioning skills are what are rated on the learning skills section of the report card.

Some students pick these skills up incidentally - observing, watching, some children learn them easily with practice and others need to have these skills chunked, rehearsed, prompted with much much effort. Students with ADHD and other developmental conditions such as ASD have challenges in areas of executive functioning that are significant. For students with ADHD, challenges with sustaining attention with activities that aren’t interesting, beginning and planning and completing tasks within a time frame, noticing careless errors and keeping their thoughts and materials organized is a struggle. Holding their impulses to think before they act and to regulate their emotions can be very challenging.

(These skills have been described as developing slower for students with ADHD by about 30% so if you think of an 11 year old (grade 6), the ADHD student’s executive functioning might be more like an 8 year old (grade 3 student)).

https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/

https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/?src=embed_link

https://www.additudemag.com/executive-functioning-adhd-teacher-guide/

Hearts and Minds

The executive functioning part of the brain, the frontal lobe, is in charge of directing actions, regulating behaviours and motivating us to begin daily activities and plan for the future. It can be described as being like the an orchestra conductor who coordinates the musicians in an orchestra to play well and integrate sounds together to make music or like an air traffic controller who manages the take offs and landings to coordinate flying,

Executive functioning skills include:

Organization
Task initiation
Time management
Attention
Planning and prioritizing
Self-monitoring
Emotional regulation
Impulse control/inhibition
Flexibility
Working memory

When you think of the elementary school report card, many of these executive functioning skills are what are rated on the learning skills section of the report card.

Some students pick these skills up incidentally - observing, watching, some children learn them easily with practice and others need to have these skills chunked, rehearsed, prompted with much much effort. Students with ADHD and other developmental conditions such as ASD have challenges in areas of executive functioning that are significant. For students with ADHD, challenges with sustaining attention with activities that aren’t interesting, beginning and planning and completing tasks within a time frame, noticing careless errors and keeping their thoughts and materials organized is a struggle. Holding their impulses to think before they act and to regulate their emotions can be very challenging.

(These skills have been described as developing slower for students with ADHD by about 30% so if you think of an 11 year old (grade 6), the ADHD student’s executive functioning might be more like an 8 year old (grade 3 student)).

https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/

https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-executive-function-disorder/?src=embed_link

https://www.additudemag.com/executive-functioning-adhd-teacher-guide/

Hearts and Minds