22-ADHD

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is generally considered to be a neurobiological disorder. It is believed to be caused by dysfunction of the brain’s chemicals in certain part of the brain. It affects about three to five percent of school going children. This translates to about two in every forty children.

Children with ADHD typically exhibit the following characteristics;

· Short attention span.

· Impulsivity

· Hyperactivity

Based on the diagnostic criteria of the American Psychiatric Association, ADHD may be classified into the following category;

1. ADHD with the combined characteristics of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention,
2. ADHD with inattention as the primary characteristic, and
3. ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsivity as primary characteristics.

ADHD affects school going children with regards to their learning and development. Due to the student’s inattention, they may not be able to effectively follow through and understand the lessons that are taught. They also have great difficulty completing their homework and are typically poor organizers. These can affect their academic performances and lower their self-esteem in class.

Their impulsivity and hyperactivity are a constant source of classroom distraction which disrupts lessons. They have low self-esteem and sometimes they mask this by playing up their defiance against authority. They are also prone to getting into fights due poor their social skills.

1. What would I expect of the student with the chosen area of special needs:

· he/she will want to be part of the class and activities in school

· he/she will want to have friends

· he/she may need extra support in terms of…

2. How will this affect the other students in my class? How do I work with them to understand their peers and to create an inclusive classroom?

3. What would I suggest in terms of provisions/accommodations to meet the student’s needs? (suggest only in areas which are appropriate)

· learning environment (physical and socio-emotional)

· behaviours (look also into the reasons for inappropriate behaviours)

· instruction

· collaboration (school, home, agencies)

4. Do I have the skills to meet the student’s needs?

· knowledge of basic principles of effective learning and teaching

· need to know more about…

Case Study Guiding Questions

1. From the case, identify the problems which occurred in Miss Lim’s classroom and

explain why they took place. Cite evidence from the case to support your answer. (6

marks)

2. What relevant classroom management strategies and models would you have

adopted to prevent the problems discussed in 1 from taking place in your class? (7

marks)

3. At one point in the case study, it was stated that ‘Miss Lim looked at David and

Susan ...’ What should Miss Lim have done to handle the situation? Give reasons for

your answer and substantiate with the relevant classroom management strategies

and models that you have learnt in this course. (7 marks)

4. Miss Lim suspects that Paul might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD). What are some characteristics that indicate that a child might have ADHD?

In your opinion, does Paul display some of these characteristics? (3 marks)

5. What difficulties/problems did Paul experience? How might the difficulties/problems

that Paul faced affect his development and learning in the short and long term? (6

marks)

6. Using the model for accommodating the needs of diverse learners as a guide,

discuss how Miss Lim could better manage Paul’s case. What would you suggest

Miss Lim do in terms of provisions/accommodations to meet Paul’s needs? Make

recommendations only in areas that are appropriate and prioritise where necessary.

(12 marks)

Q6) Miss Lim has to first identify the three characteristics of ADHD Paul is associated- Inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

Based on our analysis and DSM-III-R, Paul’s ADHD characteristics can be classified as combined Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity characteristics.

Miss Lim can consider the following to address to Paul’s Inattention problem:

· If normal student find it difficult to pay attention as quoted in the case study - All throughout her presentation, the pupils were yawning while others had their heads on the table tops. How would Miss Lim expect Pau to be attentive? Miss Lim should decrease the length of the discussion or presentation by breaking into smaller parts to be completed or presented at different times.

· Paul, in the meantime, had lost interest in the discussion and had deserted his group. Miss Lim should decrease the length of the discussion by breaking into smaller parts to be completed at different times.

· Identify Paul’s preferred task and complete it first before proceeding to the less preferred task.

· Be concise in given instruction

· Direct Paul’s movements personally instead of shouting across classroom which she initially failed to do so - Paul, I want you to join the group over there.” Paul ignored her and continued to examine the Lego exhibits on the shelf at the back of the room.

· Arrange Paul to sit or be closer so that he is not easily distracted. However, in the case of Paul it may be difficult as hyperactive nature requires him to have the free space to move when necessary.

· Allow Paul to partner or preferably find Paul a regular and a preferred partner for discussion and group works as this partner can assist Miss Lim to direct Paul and also Paul may be given direct attention through this partner in order to avoid situation for example He started to wander around and bothering his classmates in the other groups.

· Make task interesting by using game based learning activity for example incorporate Lego playing as part of lesson learning activity.

· Alternate high and low interest tasks.

Miss Lim can consider the following to address to Paul’s Hyperactivity problem:

· Use special activities like running an errand; cleaning board or organizing table or notice board or Paul’s preferred activities as individual reward for improvement. For example, Miss Lim can assign Paul to go around collecting worksheet from each group when he started to d wander around and bothering other group.

· Use active responses in instruction.

· Use teaching activities that encourage active movements like communicating with partner, organizing, and hands-on tasks.

· Encourage Paul to express his emotion in writing or painting by giving a Paul a large flip paper or whiteboard situated one corner of the classroom.

· Encourage Paul to ask questions that are relevant to the discussed topics.

In the case of Paul’s ADHD, it is more challenging as some solutions proposed to address Hyperactivity problem are contradicting to that proposed for Inattention for example, allowing space for Paul to move and act freely might affect or worsen his inattentive nature. Thus balancing and careful consideration for each remediation is crucial in order to meet Paul’s learning needs effectively. Stimulating and well planned lesson structured to meet to needs of students and above all else, managing the class with heart is the way to go in helping students with ADHA or other learning disabilities.