Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder
Not Everyone is Meant to Sit Still
Not Everyone is Meant to Sit Still
By Paige Hawthorne
The student can define ADHD.
The student can explain how ADHD affects the quality of education for students.
The student can describe how to adjust a classroom and lessons to better accommodate students with ADHD.
“What is ADHD?”
Attention-deficit hyperactivity Disorder is more commonly identified as ADHD. This disorder is understood to affect the behaviors of individuals and is generally easy to identify by signs and symptoms (CDC, 2021). Drtilkova’s experiment concluded that there was a “significant prevalence of A1 allele” in the subjects with ADHD (Drtilkova, 2008). This offers the information that ADHD is a genetic mutation that affects the individual’s focus and behaviors. CDC agrees with the genetic mutations, but also suggests that ADHD can also be caused by outside factors like the environment or brain injuries (CDC, 2021). ADHD can be seen in three different ways: inattentive presentation, hyperactive impulsive presentation, and a combined presentation (CDC, 2021). ADHD makes it difficult to perform everyday activities with ease, causes frequent daydreams and zoning out, and makes the individual feel disorganized (Reif, 2005).
“How can ADHD affect the quality of education for a student?”
Students with ADHD find it more difficult to adapt to the classroom setting, than other students. Some reasons for this is because schools are organized to teach students independence and patience in order to keep up with school work and receive instruction. It is also difficult in a setting that has students sitting in one spot for long periods at a time and involves a large amount of teamwork. These expectations are hard for students with ADHD to succeed because they are incapable of staying organized and following a structured instruction with no flexibility (Segal and Smith, 2021). These difficulties in the classroom will eventually affect the students' education because they will be unable to understand the instructions properly and will feel disorganized when given lists of things to do. With time, the students will begin to feel helpless and discouraged, leading them to give up on themselves.
Here is a cute cartoon I created to talk about a few ways you can accommodate students with ADHD without making them feel singled out!
“Accommodating the classroom for students with ADHD”
Accommodating the classroom for students with ADHD can consist of simple adjustments to help increase the quality of education for individuals. Starting with the environment of the classroom, the seating arrangements are a quick and easy way to help students. It is important to place students with ADHD toward the front and center of the room, keeping them away from any windows, or any other areas that have a lot of distraction. Also, including a spot in the corner of the room that has the least amount of distractions and noise for students to have a space to take tests or focus on their work more effectively (Segal and Smith, 2021). Student work is another area that offers a lot of opportunities to adjust factors slightly to better accommodate students. To allow the students to be able to easily follow directions on work, it is important to make worksheets that have simple instructions and have a more condensed version of the work. It is also helpful to offer sections in tests that are better suited for students with ADHD, by offering more short answer or oral response questions, and trying to avoid timed tests as much as possible (Segal and Smith, 2021). Another way to keep students engaged and encouraged in class is to create lessons that offer a “physical outlet” for the students, like games that have students walk around the classroom, act things out, or compete against one another. (Reif, 2005).
In conclusion, students who have been diagnosed with ADHD are faced with a genetic mutation that makes everyday activities more difficult to accomplish. ADHD causes individuals to lose focus more easily, feel more disorganized, and find it difficult to adapt to more structured environments (Reif, 2005). Although students with ADHD have a more difficult time adapting to the classroom, there are great accommodations that can help assist the students to ensure they are given an equal opportunity to receive quality education. Some accommodations can include their physical environment, like where they are seated in the class and providing a quiet corner for students to move to on assignments they are having more difficulty with (Segal and Smith, 2021). It will also help to keep lessons and assignments simple and easy to follow. Staying educated on the genetic mutation, ADHD can help increase the quality of education students are receiving and will in turn increase their motivation and esteem.
1) Which of the following is NOT a sign of ADHD?
a) Bored easily
b) Can restrain from acting out
c) Daydreaming
d) Unorganized
2) Ms. Brown has a student with severe ADHD. This student is unable to sit still, is overstimulated in loud environments, and performs poorly on tests. Ms. Brown wants all of her students to be able to be successful in her classroom, which accommodation would be MOST effective for this student?
a) Given a partner to help with assignments
b) Given a quiet corner in the class to work on tests and assignments
c) Given more time to complete a test or assignment compared to the other students
d) Send the student to the office for not following direction
Answer Key
1) D- unorganized
2) B- Given a quiet corner in the class to work on tests and assignments
Busch, B., Biederman, J., Glassner Cohen, L., Sayer, J., Monuteaux, M., Mick, E., Zallen, B., & Faraone, S. V. (2002). Correlates of ADHD Among Children in Pediatric and Psychiatric Clinics. Correlates of ADHD among children in pediatric and psychiatric clinics. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/epdf/10.1176/appi.ps.53.9.1103
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 23). ADHD in the classroom. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/school-success.html
Drtilkova, I. (2008). Clinical and molecular-genetic markers of ADHD in children. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.nel.edu/userfiles/articlesnew/NEL290308A05.pdf
Rief, S. (2005). How to Reach and Teach Children with Add/Adhd (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass Teacher.
Segal, J. and Smith, M. (2021, December 22). Teaching students with ADHD. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/teaching-students-with-adhd-attention-deficit-disorder.htm