ADHD

Erin and Kalyn's stuff

RESEARCH

ADHD is a medical condition characterized by difficulties with paying attention and inability to control hyperactive and impulsive behavior. It is one of the most common mental disorders among children; approximately 5-7% of school age children are diagnosed with ADHD and about 2-5% of adults. Children with ADHD sometimes suffer from low self-esteem, troubled relationships, and poor performance in school, results which often stem from their inattentive and impulsive behavior. While ADHD is occasionally termed ADD (attention-deficit disorder), the more appropriate term--which is beginning to become more widely used--is ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). ADHD is a more appropriate term because it covers both ranges of the symptoms with which people who have ADHD struggle: both inattention //and// hyperactive impulsive behavior. Many children with ADHD will have a tendency to struggle more with one area over the other, but most children experience both difficulties. Usually symptoms of ADHD will appear before the age of 7 and often appear during activities which require focused mental effort.

The symptoms recognized by the most recent revision of the Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) are being characteristic of people suffering from ADHD fail into 3 categories:

1. Inattention symptoms
 * fails to give close attention to details
 * difficulty sustaining attention
 * does not seem to listen
 * does not follow through on instructions
 * difficulty organizing tasks or activities
 * avoids tasks requiring sustained mental effort
 * loses things necessary for tasks
 * easily distracted
 * forgetful in daily activities

2. Hyperactive-impulsive behavior symptoms
 * fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
 * leaves seat in classroom inappropriately
 * runs around or climbs excessively
 * has difficulty playing quietly
 * is "on the go" or "driven by a motor"
 * talks excessively
 * blurts out anwers before questions are completed
 * has difficulty awaiting turn
 * interrupts or intrudes on others

3. General symptoms
 * developmentally inappropriate levels
 * symptoms are noticeable for atleast 6 months
 * cross-setting occurrence of symptoms
 * impairment in major life activities
 * onset of symptoms by age 7

ADHD behaviors can be different in boys and girls.
 * Boys are more likely to be hyperactive, whereas girls tend to be inattentive.
 * Girls who have trouble paying attention often daydream, but inattentive boys are more likely to play or fiddle aimlessly.
 * Boys tend to be less compliant with teachers and other adults, so their behavior is often more conspicuous.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I have a student in my freshmen algebra class who suffers from ADHD. He has many problems with his classmates because of his hyperactive and impulsive behavior. He can't seem to help blurting out whatever comes to his mind at the moment, even if it inappropriate or offensive. He often yells out in class and will interrupt another classmate who is answering a question if he doesn't think the student is answering quickly enough. He also constantly gets up out of his seat to look out the window or sharpen his pencil or walk over to the whiteboard while I am writing notes on it; often he walks around the room distracting other students who are trying to work. The other students have realized how easy it is to set him up and make him fly off the handle (hyperactive and impulsive symptoms) and when he does or says things that make the rest of the students annoyed they will in turn say things back to him which are intended to make him have an outburst (and they usually succeed). The difficult relationship he has with the other students has been the biggest challenge in helping this student to cope with his disorder and ultimately be in control of it more than it is in control of him.

I am lucky to have a dedicated co-teacher who has worked tirelessly with me to constantly think up new options to help this student. We have tried secret hand signals to let him know when he is getting out of hand; we had a timer system which worked well for awhile where he timed himself to see how long he could go without experiencing an outburst or challenging another student aggressively. I think this timer system would be more successful if we had been more consistent with it, but it is difficult to keep re-affirming him for improved times when my co-teacher is not in the classroom because there are so many other students I am trying to keep track of at the same time. Although it is not perfect, what has worked best so far is that when this student feels like his behavior is getting out of control (or I or my co-teacher come around privately to let him know his behavior is becoming inappropriate), he will take out a book and read silently for the rest of class, or until he feels more relaxed and able to constructively participate. This approach has many issues, the first of which is that the time he spends reading he needs to makeup with me so I can re-teach the material for him; however, it gives him the space he needs to disengage from the classroom and re-center his emotions and mental faculties. It also helps to settle the rest of the students down so that they can turn their attention away from him and on to our lesson (which in turn helps him to relax and calm down even more when he does not feel like everyone is looking at him). While certainly far from perfect, this tactic is what has worked best for this student thus far but my co-teacher and I are constantly working as a team to seek new ways to help him manage ADHD.

RESEARCH []

Math