1、1,Teaching the Tornado: Strategies for Working With the Disorganized, Inattentive, Overactive Student Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org,2,ADHD Students Can Provide Early Warning in the Classroom About Problems With Instruction,3,ADHD: Definition,“a neurological condition that involves problems
2、with inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity that are developmentally inconsistent with the age of the child. This condition is a function of developmental failure in the brain circuitry that monitors inhibition and self-control. This loss of self-regulation impairs other important brain functions
3、 crucial for maintaining attention, including the ability to defer immediate rewards for later gain.”,Source: Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home (2003). U.S. Department of Education.,4,ADHD: 3 Sub-Types of the Disorder,ADHD: predominantl
4、y hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD: predominantly inattentive type ADHD: combined type,Source: Strock, M. (2003) . Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),5,ADHD: Statistics,3-5% of school-age population may have symptoms of ADHD Boys are 4-9 times more li
5、kely to have disorder,Source: Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home (2003). U.S. Department of Education.,6,Sources: Strock, M. (2003) . Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health; American Academy of Pedi
6、atrics Website: http:/www.aap.org/,ADHD: Common Comorbid Disorders (40-60% Affected),7,ADHD: Impact on Students,The students ADHD symptoms may differ across settings and situations. On tasks or situations that demand impulse control and focused attention, ADHD symptoms are most likely to appear.,Sou
7、rce: Strock, M. (2003) . Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),8,ADHD: Impact on Students,Teachers may misjudge the ADHD students inattention as willful ignoring of adults (inattention) or daydreaming impulsive behavior as purposeful acting out or atten
8、tion-seeking.,9,Domains of ADHD,Attention/Focus,Lower Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,Impulse Control,Lower Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,Level of Activity/Motor Behaviors,Higher Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,10,Example: Two Students Identified With ADHD,STUDENT A-Angela: Quiet student. Not a behav
9、ior problem. Said by her teacher to be lost in a fog most of the time. Has low grades. (Inattentive Type) STUDENT B-Benny: Is always the center of attention. Will blurt out answers in class without raising his hand, whether he knows the correct answer or not! Fidgets, squirms, and taps his pencil lo
10、ud enough to distract students around him. When the teacher assesses Kenny one-on-one, he shows that he can do grade-level work. (Hyperactive-Impulsive Type),11,Domains of ADHD,Attention/Focus,Lower Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,Impulse Control,Lower Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,Level of Activity
11、/Motor Behaviors,Higher Than Age-Peers,Age Appropriate,12,ADHD & Medication,Source: Strock, M. (2003) . Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),Stimulants are most widely prescribed treatment Generally, stimulants are safe for children The most common sid
12、e effects of stimulants are loss of appetite, insomnia, increased anxiety, or irritability About 1 in 10 children does not respond to medication for ADHD,13,ADHD & Medication (cont.),Stimulant medication can be very effective but does not typically result in fully normal behavior (e.g., only 38% of
13、children in one large stimulant study had behaviors in typical range after one year),Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of the school-age child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,14,ADHD: Myths About Its Cause,Research offers no evidence t
14、hat ADHD is caused by the following: Eating too much sugar Food additives Allergies Immunizations,Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Website: http:/www.aap.org/,15,ADHD: Appropriate Target Outcomes,Improvements in relationships with parents, siblings, teachers, and peers Decreased disruptive beh
15、aviors Improved academic performance (volume of work, efficiency, completion, accuracy) Increased independence in self-care or homework Enhanced safety in the community, such as riding bicycles,Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (2001) Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of the school-age chi
16、ld with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,16,ADHD: A Developmental Explanation?,“In youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the brain matures in a normal pattern but is delayed three years in some regions, on average, compared to youth without the disorder, an imaging stud
17、y by researchers at the National Institutes of Healths (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has revealed. The delay in ADHD was most prominent in regions at the front of the brains outer mantle (cortex), important for the ability to control thinking, attention and planning. Otherwise, bo
18、th groups showed a similar back-to-front wave of brain maturation with different areas peaking in thickness at different times.”,Source: National Association of Special Education Teachers. (13 November 2007). Brain Matures a Few Years Late in ADHD, But Follows Normal Pattern. Retrieved on January 15
19、, 2008, from: http:/www.naset.org/807.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2410&cHash=b9289c6fb9,17,Slowing the Motor: Helping the Hyperactive/Impulsive Student to Manage Problem Motor or Verbal Behaviors Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org,18,Slowing the Motor: Teacher Responsibilities,When working wi
20、th students who have ADHD and are hyperactive or impulsive, teachers should: keep in mind that these students are often completely unaware that others view their behavior as annoying clearly communicate behavioral expectations to students, encourage & reward students who behave appropriately, and be
21、 consistent and fair when responding to problem student behaviors. learn to ignore minor motor and verbal behaviors that dont seriously derail instruction,19,Slowing the Motor: Selected Ideas,Encourage Acceptable Outlets for Motor Behavior (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). If the student distrac
22、ts other students by playing with objects, substitute an alternative motor behavior that will not distract others. Give the student a soft stress ball and encourage the student to squeeze it whenever he or she feels the need for motor movement. Or if the setting is appropriate, allow the student to
23、chew gum as a replacement motor behavior.,20,Slowing the Motor: Selected Ideas,Ignore Low-Level Motor Behaviors (Sprick, Borgmeier U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Selective ignoring can be an effective teacher response to minor fidgeting or other motor behaviors. If the students fidgety behavio
24、rs are relatively minor and do not seriously derail classroom instruction, the teacher should simply not pay attention to them.,21,Slowing the Motor: Selected Ideas,Remove Unnecessary Items From the Students Work Area (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Students who tend to distract themselves and
25、 others by playing with objects behave better when their work area is uncluttered. Take away (or direct the student to put away) any items that the student does not need for the work assignment but might be tempted to play with (e.g., extra pens, paper clips).,22,Slowing the Motor: Selected Ideas,Sc
26、hedule Group Stretch Breaks (Brock, 1998). You can increase the focus of your entire class and appropriately channel the motor behaviors of fidgety students by scheduling brief stretch breaks. At their simplest, stretch breaks consist of having students stand next to their desks, stretch their arms,
27、 take a deep breath, and exhale slowly before resuming their seats. Or you can be creative, having students take part in different movements during each break (e.g., “OK class. Its time for a stretch break. Stand by your desk, arms over your head. Then take 3 steps back and 3 steps forward“). NOTE:
28、When using stretch breaks, be sure that you select movements that all of your students are physically able to accomplish without difficulty.,23,Slowing the Motor: Selected Ideas,Use Brief Reminders About Appropriate Behavior and Conduct (DuPaul Sprick, Borgmeier & Nolet, 2002). Provide students with
29、 brief reminders of expected behaviors at the point of performance, when they will most benefit from it. Consider using structured prompts such as the following for students who tend to blurt out answers: “When I ask this question, I will give the class 10 seconds to think of your best answer. Then
30、I will call on one student.“ Or you can remind students who have difficulty moving through hallways as part of a group, “Remember to keep hands to self and to walk quietly on the right as we walk to art class.“,24,Bringing into Focus: Helping Students to Attend to Instruction Jim Wright www.interven
31、tioncentral.org,25,Bringing into Focus: Teacher Tips,Inattention may be a symptom of an underlying condition such as ADHD. However, teachers should not overlook other possible explanations for student off-task behavior. A student who does not seem to be paying attention may actually be mismatched to
32、 instruction or preoccupied by anxious thoughts. Or the student may be off-task because the teachers lesson was poorly planned or presented in a disorganized manner. Remember also that even children with ADHD are influenced by factors in their classroom setting and that these students level of atten
33、tion is at least partly determined by the learning environment.,26,Bringing into Focus: Selected Ideas,Provide Attention Breaks (DuPaul Martens & Meller, 1990). If students find it challenging to stay focused on independent work for long periods, allow them brief attention breaks. Contract with stud
34、ents to give them short breaks to engage in a preferred activity each time that they have finished a certain amount of work. For example, a student may be allowed to look at a favorite comic book for 2 minutes each time that he has completed five problems on a math worksheet and checked his answers.
35、 Attention breaks can refresh the student and also make the learning task more reinforcing.,27,Bringing into Focus: Selected Ideas,Transition Quickly (Gettinger Gettinger, 1988). When students transition quickly between educational activities and avoid instructional dead time, their attention is les
36、s likely to wander. Train students to transition appropriately by demonstrating how they should prepare for common academic activities, such as group lecture and independent seatwork. Have them practice these transitions, praising the group for timely and correct performance. Provide additional coac
37、hing to individual students as needed. During daily instruction, verbally alert students several minutes before a transition to another activity is to occur.,28,Bringing into Focus: Selected Ideas,Use Advance Organizers (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). One strategy to improve on-task behavior i
38、s to give students a quick overview of the activities planned for the instructional period or day. This advance organizer provides students with a mental schedule of the learning activities, how those activities interrelate, important materials needed for specific activities, and the amount of time
39、set aside for each activity. All students benefit when the teacher uses advance organizers. However inattentive students especially benefit from this overview of learning activities, as the advance organizer can prompt, mentally prepare, and focus these students on learning right when they most need
40、 it.,29,Extinguishing the Blaze: Avoiding Power Struggles and Helping Students to Keep Their Cool Jim Wright www.interventioncentral.org,30,Extinguishing the Blaze: Teacher Tips,While you can never predict what behaviors your students might bring into your classroom, you will usually achieve the bes
41、t outcomes by remaining calm, following pre-planned intervention strategies for misbehavior, and acting with consistency and fairness when intervening with or disciplining students.,31,Extinguishing the Blaze: Selected Ideas,Allow the Student a Cool-Down Break (Long, Morse, & Newman, 1980). Select a
42、 corner of the room (or area outside the classroom with adult supervision) where the target student can take a brief respite break whenever he or she feels angry or upset. Be sure to make cool-down breaks available to all students in the classroom, to avoid singling out only those children with ange
43、r-control issues. Whenever a student becomes upset and defiant, offer to talk the situation over with that student once he or she has calmed down and then direct the student to the cool-down corner. (E.g., “Thomas, I want to talk with you about what is upsetting you, but first you need to calm down.
44、 Take five minutes in the cool-down corner and then come over to my desk so we can talk.“),32,Extinguishing the Blaze: Selected Ideas,Ask Open-Ended Questions (Lanceley, 2001). If a teacher who is faced with a confrontational student does not know what triggered that students defiant response, the i
45、nstructor can ask neutral, open-ended questions to collect more information before responding. You can pose who, what, where, when, and how questions to more fully understand the problem situation and identify possible solutions. Some sample questions are “What do you think made you angry when you w
46、ere talking with Billy?“ and “Where were you when you realized that you had misplaced your science book?“ One caution: Avoid asking why“questions (e.g., “Why did you get into that fight with Jerry?“) because they can imply that you are blaming the student.,33,Extinguishing the Blaze: Selected Ideas,
47、Have the Student Participate in Creating a Behavior Plan (Walker, Colvin, & Ramsey, 1995). Students can feel a greater sense of ownership when they are invited to contribute to their behavior management plan. Students also tend to know better than anyone else what triggers will set off their problem
48、 behaviors and what strategies they find most effective in calming themselves and avoiding conflicts or other behavioral problems.,34,Extinguishing the Blaze: Selected Ideas,Keep Responses Calm, Brief, and Businesslike (Mayer, 2000; Sprick, Borgmeier, & Nolet, 2002). Because teacher sarcasm or lengt
49、hy negative reprimands can trigger defiant student behavior, instructors should respond to the student in a neutral, business-like, calm voice. Also, keep responses brief when addressing the non-compliant student. Short teacher responses give the defiant student less control over the interaction and can also prevent instructors from inadvertently rewarding misbehaving students with lots of negative adult attention.,35,Extinguishing the Blaze: Selected Ideas,
