When accommodating ADHD in a classroom all other students are given an advantage. 

Things to consider:

• Length of lesson

Splitting lessons into clear sections or chunks with a short task connected to each may help a student with ADHD keep their focus as you are working with, not against their attention span. 

• Movement Breaks

With clear boundaries and expectations set with the child, regular movement breaks can help those who fidget by giving their brains the extra stimulus as needed. Fidget toys can also be helpful

• Variation

Consider different ways of recording work such as using a computer to type work, or speech-to-text software 

• Gradual increase in difficulty

Students with ADHD need to experience success and will soon give up if they think they can’t finish or will get something wrong, so build up the difficulty slowly and give them positive and specific feedback. 

• Visual aids

Students with ADHD can benefit from visual aids – as reminders, planners, and something to check and tick off as they go through a task. (see: Executive Function for further ideas)

• Positive feedback

Students with ADHD need feedback, particularly a lot of constructive and positive feedback. They can find it difficult to assess when they have done something right and may constantly ask you. This seeking of feedback can seem to take up all your time so one thing you can do is write a list of skills you are looking for in a task.

MYTH: Poor Parenting Causes ADHD

FACT: Research studies point to genetic (hereditary) and neurological factors (such as pregnancy and birth complications, brain damage, toxins, and infections) as the main causes of ADHD rather than social factors including poor parenting.

MYTH: If a child isn’t hyperactive, they can’t have ADHD. 

1. Hyperactive-impulsive presentation: symptoms may include being fidgety and extremely active as if they’re driven by a motor. They also include impulsive behavior –– not thinking before they act.  Excessive talking and interrupting, extreme impatience, and trouble playing quietly are all examples of this presentation. This is what a lot of parents think of when they hear ADHD. 

2. Inattentive presentation: Children in this group may get easily distracted and have difficulty focusing on things that require sustained effort, like homework. Other executive functioning difficulties, like forgetfulness and trouble with organization, also fall under this presentation. Hyperactivity is not a symptom here.  

1. Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, MD and John J. Ratey, MD

2. ADHD 2.0 by Hallowell and Ratey.

3. Parent Child Journey: An individualized Approach to Raising your Challenging Child by Dr. Dan Shapiro

Understanding and accommodating sensory issues can ease discomfort and increase opportunities for autistic people to learn, socialize, communicate, and participate in the community. 

Examples of accommodations for hypersensitivity:

• Using light covers, sunglasses, or a hat under fluorescent lights

• Wearing earplugs or headphones in noisy environments

• Working in spaces with a closed door or high walls

• Adjusting schedules to avoid crowds

Examples of accommodations for hyposensitivity:

• Visual support for those who have difficulty processing spoken information

• Using fidget toys, chewies, and other sensory tools

• Arranging furniture to provide safe, open spaces

• Taking frequent movement breaks throughout the day

• Weighted blankets, lap pads, or clothing that provides deep pressure

• Sensory Break for kids in school

• Top 8 Sensory Breaks for Kids in School

MYTH: All individuals with autism are the same. 

FACT: Just like people without autism, people on the spectrum differ vastly and are highly capable and desire a variety of things. 

MYTH: People on the Autism spectrum are intellectually disabled. 

FACT: Autistic people are all different in their abilities and exist along a spectrum. (Hence the term Autism SPECTRUM Disorder.)  There is a wide, wide range of skills, abilities, and communication levels among people on the autism spectrum.  Many people on the spectrum excel in various fields, for example, Elon Musk.

MYTH: People with Autism do not experience the full range of emotions 

FACT: Research confirms that people with Autism have a full spectrum of emotions. How each person expresses emotions and the level of their ability to express emotions varies.  It is important to remember that the feelings of people with Autism can be hurt, just like anyone else. 

However, as part of the social communication challenges associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is not uncommon for people with Autism to have trouble recognizing and interpreting the emotions of others,

1. A Practical Guide to Autism: What Every Parent, Family Member, and Teacher Needs to Know

2. A Parent's Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive.

3. The Asperkid's Secret Book of Social Rules by Jennifer Cook

4. Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

5. www.autismspeaks.org  - Autism Speaks is dedicated to creating an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/teachers-and-administrators

https://researchautism.org/educators/teachers-corner/#basics

https://www.autismspeaks.org/screen-your-child

There are so many different ways that anxiety can be present in the classroom.  Knowing the different ways anxiety can be seen in the classroom is a great first step in helping a student.  

• If there is disruptive behavior, it may be anxiety.  

• If the child keeps going to the school nurse with stomach aches, it may be anxiety.  

• If the child is not coming to school, it may be anxiety and school refusal.  

Knowing what anxiety looks like, and checking in with the family, could be helpful.  

For a list of different types of anxiety you might see in the classroom, please check out this link from Child Mind Institute.

Myth:  If you eat right, sleep enough, exercise, and avoid stress, you will not have an anxiety disorder.

Fact:  Anxiety comes from genetics, environment, and the way a brain responds to stress.

Medication and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help with certain types of anxiety. Practicing mindfulness has been proven to help. 

• Give a short review or connection to the previous lesson, before teaching a new concept

• Identify and explain sarcasm or puns

• Provide a rubric that describes the elements of a successful assignment

• Use organizers or mind maps

• Use a non-verbal signal with a student to indicate the need for a brain break, before they get overstimulated or frustrated

• Teach social rules like how to interpret body language 

• Respond to inappropriate behavior using respectful redirection

Source

MYTH: Very verbal Children are not struggling with communication 

FACT: Children with above-average verbal abilities may struggle with understanding or expressing abstract concepts, visual information, social cues etc.

MYTH: Older students who do not follow instructions have ADHD, or are being stubborn

FACT: Children with NVLD can struggle with information overload, prioritizing information or processing complex instructions

MYTH: Unless diagnosed with a defined disorder, children eventually outgrow challenges in nonverbal communication

FACT: Nonverbal learning disorders can persist into adulthood. Measures for specific skills training (e.g., organization skills) or supportive measures to boost their self-esteem can help

MYTH: Children who have NVLD do not like sports, or don’t try hard enough to make friends

FACT: Children with NVLD may have motor and social skill deficits, that make them anxious or handicap their sports and social participation

Kids with sensory processing differences need to work extra hard to process and filter out irrelevant stimulations to do what other kids without these differences can do easily.  Their battery goes flat sooner than others.

Strategies for use in the classroom to promote the learning potential of every student, including those with sensory processing differences include:

• Provide heavy work opportunities

• Seating modifications

• Flexible work area

• Keep those hands busy

• Movement breaks

• reducing visual and auditory stimulus

• Snack time

• Noise cancelation

• Chill out zones

Source & also here

If you prefer, here is a YouTube video that outlines 8 movement breaks that cover the 8 sensory areas to help the students be more regulated and then more able to learn.

MYTH: Children with sensory processing challenges just need to “toughen up”. 

FACT: Their brains work differently. Telling a child to “toughen up” isn’t going to change that.  Children with sensory processing challenges may need a little extra support or accommodations to help them manage a world that can feel very overwhelming.

MYTH: Kids with sensory processing challenges lack self-control.

FACT: Sensory processing challenges can make it harder for kids to respond the same way other kids do. That may look like a lack of self-control.  But it’s an in-the-moment response, not a lack of self-control.  

A child who is sensitive to noise may try to run away if someone turns on a hair dryer. It’s the same kind of instant reaction you might have when you yank your hand away from an open flame. 

A child may bump into people because of motor skills challenges. Or they may crash into things or fidget with objects when they seek out sensations.

MYTH: Whole Body listening is the way to good listening for all children.

“Not every brain is created biologically the same, so why do we think we could learn, listen, work, or play the same way?“ 

Listen to this podcast to learn about the thinking behind and the updated methodology.

Book recommendation: 

The Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences

Against the Odds: Sensory Processing Disorder and the mum who transformed her sons lives

Emotional regulation can be thought of as a skill that needs continued practice. 

If you taught the skills, practiced and there are still struggles?  

Again Dr. Ross Greene has detailed examples on his website that takes you through the three components of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model

1. Consider changing your lens about why a child is having trouble with emotional regulation. 

2. Identify lagging skills and lagging unresolved problems

3. Solve problems collaboratively and proactively

MYTH:  Kids are not regulating their emotions because they are willful, goal-oriented, manipulating, lack motivation, or because of poor parenting.

FACT:  Kids do well if they can.

Three Ross Greene books for further reading:

1. Lost at School

2. Raising Human Beings

3. The Explosive Child

Sitting in a regular classroom can become very frustrating -  “The research indicates that for most gifted children, from a quarter to half of the regular classroom time is spent waiting for others to catch up."

• offer differentiated support, adults can best help these gifted / twice-exceptional children to manage the impacts of their brain differences through understanding and scaffolding.  There's no one-size-fits-all approach, and education excellence means tailoring to individual students (equity, not equality). For example, a student who is gifted in languages and has dyspraxia/dysgraphia would require more advanced reading and writing material, while also simultaneously requiring support to correct handwriting.   Getting support can help gifted / twice-exceptional children reach their full potential, both in terms of academics and on the emotional front.

• Instead of thinking of gifted and talented pupils as a special cohort that needs a separate provision, a far better question to ask is  'How do we cater to the needs of all your students?'.  The answer to this question will include strategies that benefit all pupils: 

  • Differentiation

  • Accelerated Learning

  • Streaming

  • Gifted and Talented Programs/enrichments

  • Avoid labeling students as gifted and talented as it promotes students to hold a fixed mindset

  • Be aware that our expectations can impact students' attainment

  • Emphasize the role that effort can have on achievement

  • Hold a growth mindset for yourself and your pupils

  • Encourage determination, persistence, and resilience, as these are a better indicator of future achievement than baseline data

  • Create a culture that values hard work and celebrates effort

  • Provide all students to succeed, both within and out of the classroom

MYTH: That student can’t be gifted; they don’t get all A’s 

FACT: Children develop asynchronously - uneven cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development of a child. A student may be highly gifted in math, yet still have trouble riding a bicycle.

Underachievement describes a discrepancy between a student’s performance and their actual ability. Some gifted students may be bored with having to re-learn material they already know and end up not trying. Some gifted students under-achieve on purpose to fit in socially

MYTH: Gifted students don’t require support 

FACT: Special educational services and support are necessary to fully develop their potential and talents. 

Gifted students bored with “busywork” can also become disruptive to the class.

There is a risk of gifted students developing a fixed mindset if they are labeled as "smart" and the grade-level curriculum is not challenging enough. They may not give their best effort, yet they still get decent results. Sometimes, when these students finally get placed at an appropriately advanced level, they shy away because it challenges their self-identity of being “smart”. They may prefer to avoid failure instead of embracing the joy of experimenting. For gifted students to develop a growth mindset, differentiation and accelerated learning are key, allowing them to run into obstacles and receive negative feedback, yet still persevere with their best effort and continue to learn.

MYTH: Gifted students are happy, popular, and well-adjusted in school. 

FACT: Gifted students have a “hyper-awareness” of the world around them. They notice things that others don’t. This heightened sensory processing may also be linked to increased emotional processing and anxiety. Hand in hand, this creates a double whammy where they have a stronger emotional reaction to world issues like climate change, homelessness, and war. 

Some gifted students try to play down their intellect to fit in with their class. Gifted girls may be more susceptible, especially in middle school where they feel the need to be socially accepted by their peers. 

At higher levels of ability, children can have fewer opportunities to form friendships with children with similar interests. They have a hard time finding a true friend. Gifted adults are mobile and can find similar individuals to befriend, but children are generally bound by their school where they spend much of their waking hours. 

While other neurodivergent types generally call for inclusion and integration within the classroom, gifted students can benefit from being pulled out for enrichment with other gifted peers or older students, to form a better social network where they can be themselves

Gifted Reading Sources

1. Living with Intensity

2. Positive Disintegration

Twice Exceptional Reading Sources

Differently Wired