Children with Special Needs #3 ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
As most of you know our school is planning a department for learners with special educational needs, and most of the learners at our school has ADHD.
What is ADHD?
ADHD is an acronym for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. In the past, we also knew it as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) but nowadays they have grouped everything under ADHD with three subtypes:
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- Inattentive ADHD (Formerly known as ADD)
- Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD
- Combined ADHD
Let me shortly elaborate more on the types of ADHD
Inattentive ADHD
Inattentive ADHD are those learners who struggle to pay attention, to listen, to follow instructions. They are easily distracted.
Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD
Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD are those learners who screams out an answer without thinking, they can't sit still. They always seem to be on the run.
Combined ADHD
Combined ADHD are those learners who show signs of Inattentive ADHD and Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD. This is also the most common type being diagnosed nowadays.
How is ADHD treated?
Most of the time doctors treat ADHD by prescribing any of the ADHD medication (Ritalin etc.)
Some doctors first recommend adopting a learners diet. Cut out certain food, sweets, food colors etc. before they go the extreme route of putting them on medication.
BUT...
Are all the learners, who are diagnosed with ADHD, truly ADHD?
I know about a school where the teacher tells the parents that their child is ADHD, without going through the proper channels, and then telling them that they will not pass the child if they, the parents, don't put the child on ADHD medication.
This needless to say makes me
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No teacher has the right to "threaten" parents with their child's future so that they must put them on ADHD medication.
An Educational Psychologist I work closely with at school made the following comment a few weeks ago:
"Only a small amount of learners who are on ADHD medication is drinking it because they truly have ADHD, the other group is on ADHD medication for the sake of there parents and/or the teachers. " Especially at the above-mentioned school.
I nearly had a fit when someone asked me a little while ago if my five year old has ADHD because he was running around and teasing his sister etc. He is a typical 4 year old boy who loves to play and run around. Yes, he is sensitive to green, orange, and red food coloring, but at least we know that now, and have adapted his diet accordingly, and we won't find it out when he has to go to school. I am definitely not sending him to the above-mentioned school since I know they will persist that we put him on ADHD medication.
As a teacher I can understand that you want a peaceful class, where everyone sits still and listens, BUT how can you expect from a 5 year old to sit still for nearly 8 hours. That is IMPOSSIBLE! Rather channel their excitement and energy into activities that are educationally acceptable.
Here are a few tips on managing ADHD learners in your class:
- Make them your workers, the ones handing out the books, running the chores. (Most of them can't sit still for very long so this will constructively channel their energy. (Used the call them my "Worker bees" when I taught Grade 3's)
worker bee.png - If they seem fidgety let all the learners get up and do some stretching exercies or any gross motor or fine motor exercises. You can incorporate math here (Ex. Hold the stretch while counting in 2's from 0 to 40. etc.)
- Seat the learners away from the windows and doors, where there attention can easily be distracted. Also seat the learner as close to you as possible, since you can easily see when they are distracted, is becoming fidgety etc.
- Make the lesson as interesting as possible. Use visual clues (charts, powerpoints etc.)
- Don't "overload" the learner with instructions. Give them one at a time. This ensures you that they have heard what you said and can't get confused that easily.
How do you manage your ADHD learners in your class?
The above tips are just few you can use, but please leave your tips in the comments so we can assist each other.
Are you an adult with ADHD?
I recently realized that maybe I have had ADHD my whole life. But ADHD wasn't a go-to diagnosis when I was little. Over the years I have learned to manage in a big room, learn to sit still, learned to give attention when needed. Yes, it is not always possible but since I can remember the teachers struggled to hold my attention. I struggled to sit still, and usually got distracted by any sound that was different from the sounds generally heard in the classroom.
How are you as adult managing and surviving in today's work environment. Are you on any medication? What strategies are you using to survive and make working easier?
Please comment your tips/advice/strategies on living with/managing ADHD.
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Like yourself, I believe that I've probably suffered from this all my life but people did not even know about ADHD in my childhood days. I always had to have music in the background to get down to studying or when doing mundana tasks, this really helped me focus, as crazy as it sounds!
I do believe there's many undiagnosed adults living with this affliction!
Music in the background doesnt sound crazy at all. That is exactly how I used to study or do anything when I was at Varsity. And I still do it nowadays
So I'm not crazy after all :):)
Medication no matter what has side-effects, as mentioned altering a diet, trying various ways of assisting, always an excellent choice.
Alternative ways will always be my go to. As parents we have to determine what food etc triggers hyperactivity etc. In my son it is Oros, green and red food colourants and all jelly sweets. So we have just gone from having it in our house to only giving him when we know he has loads of time to run it of and out of his system.
@steemiteducation
It must be difficult to find out what triggers hyperactivity, food colourants I have heard are problematic. (A friends child suffered with red food colourants.)
To me, running wild is just being normal for a child, they do grow out of it.
I agree. Prefer to let him run wild. As long as his mind is stimulated and he is intrigued then he doesnt look like a hyperactive kid
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Thanks for this post! I really wish their were more teachers with your take on the busy bees! 🐝 That picture of the lady with the smoke coming out her ears is exactly the reaction I have when I hear about ADHD.. it’s so normal for children to be busy right up until they are 8-12 even and the classroom environments are just not suitable for their phase of development.. while I understand there are a few people that really battle with concerntration, I really believe they are the minority and the mainstream school system is just not natural and with the ever increasing work loads they are stuffing into the curriculums for the kids the more and more “ADHD” is becoming a problem- but to me it’s just not natural for little kids to be in a classroom environment from younger and younger ages.. the other factor is also of course diet- our diets have become so overprocessed for convenience sake that we are developing many unnatural ailments too..
@wildwanderer thank you for your comment. Kids must run and be wild, but I think our society has grown into a set-up where both parents must work to make hencemeat and then the kids are enrolled into "schools"way to early. They do not get the appropriate amount of time to run and be wild, to discover and just be a kid.
I am fortunate to live outside of town on a farm with a nanny that can look after my kids while I work, and they can still run wild. Easiest way and mind I say cheapest way to get rid of all my son's energy.
Oh that is so perfect! I’m homeschooling / unschooling my kids at the moment because I believe the exact same thing..
I wish I could live on a farm! Do you feel safe on the farm here in SA?
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