The following shortlist illustrates specific ways to manage ADHD behaviour in school. The lists are based on four primary areas of focus when handling ADHD:
- Improving self-awareness,
- Making rules and time obvious and in physical form,
- Increasing incentives in the classroom, and
- Some possible discipline methods.
Improving Self-Awareness
To help with low self-management skills, improve self-awareness by:
- Having student record productivity on a daily chart on public display so they can see their behaviour over time
- Having a student use a daily conduct card to rate their behaviour and then meet with the teacher about it. This card might include class participation, following class rules, getting along with classmates, etc.
- Deciding on a cue word that has the student stop and monitor the situation and what they should be doing
- For teens, use nonverbal cues to call them to attention (e.g. dropping a paper clip by the student’s desk)
Visualising Time and Rules
To give information more visually, make rules and time obvious and in physical form by:
- Displaying rules on posters for each work period
- Giving students laminated, colour-coded card sets with rules on them for each subject
- Getting the students to restate rules before each new activity.
- Giving the student a recording of encouraging words and reminders of classroom rules - the student can listen to this with headphones.
- Using timers or taped time signals shows the amount of time left on an assignment. In general, this is a way to visualise time during the school day.
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Increasing Incentives for Children with ADHD
To maintain an effective behaviour plan, increase incentives by:
- Increasing praise, approval, and appreciation of student’s good behaviour and work performance
- Using a token or point system to organise privileges and their prices
- Trying team-based or group rewards to incorporate some competition.
- Have parents donate old games/toys for more fun activities, and even consider having an old video game as a reward.
Appropriate Discipline Methods
To refine your behaviour plan, consider some of these appropriate discipline methods:
- Gentle, private, direct reprimands - personalise it by going directly to the child with a brief corrective statement.
- Act fast! Immediacy is vital for the punishment to work truly
- Try the “Do a Task” procedure. When students misbehave, explain what they did wrong and give them a number. This number might mean, for example, the child will do that number of worksheets. Put a separate desk in the back for this purpose, and when the student finishes, they will place the work on your desk and return to their regular seat.
- Make a quiet place in the room for the student to regain emotional control.
- Use time-outs in the classroom or private room (hallway time-outs don’t work)
