From an ADHD Student to Teaching with ADHD

As a female student growing up in the 70's and 80's ADD and ADHD diagnoses were not common and it was definitely not common for girls to be diagnosed. School was very hard for me. I got into lots of trouble for talking and not sitting still. I I was impulsive and I was in the lowest reading group for most of elementary school. However, I made straight A's.

It was also a very lonely time. I did not have many friends. I wasn't invited to any sleepovers until high school. I always felt different. I would lay awake at night and wonder what I could do differently to get into less trouble and make people like me. I tried so hard to change myself.

Eventually, I learned some tricks. I always sat in the front of the class. I always took notes because that helped me focus. I started chewing on my nails and pencils so I would quit fidgeting around. But I still found it so hard to find the motivation to do school work so then, I begin making it a game. If I had to write my spelling words 10 times a piece for homework, I would time myself to see how quickly I could do it. I made every dull school assignment a game. I found a way to motivate myself in order to get through my mundane school work and even my chores. When I would dust, I would imagine I was cleaning a castle or the cave of a dragon so I could stay focused and get the mundane done.

My point to all this is to say, I had to teach myself how to cope. I knew I was different. I knew I was struggling and I "fixed myself". I had no help from home or my schools. I was just always the impulsive problem kid. But I figured out a way to cope and managed to graduate from high school, barely and then went on to graduate from college summa cum laude.

I received an official diagnosis of ADHD at 47. This changed my life. I began taking medication that helped me focus and controlled some of my impulsiveness. Now, I teach more effectively with ADHD. I use all my "tricks" from my years of being undiagnosed to keep me on task and help students stay organized. I have learned from studying universal design for learning how to create lessons and activities that help my ADHD students stay focused which of course also benefits my others students as well.

Three Things to Keep me on Track in the Classroom:

I use a timer for every activity. My students think its for them to keep them on track, but its for me. People with ADHD can get hyper focused on a task and will loose track of time. I use a timer to keep me from getting lost in another task or helping another student.

I make lots of list. I have post-it notes everywhere. I love to see how many things I can check off a list before the end of the day. Sometimes I give myself a treat like a CC's coffee if I complete a list in record time. I need games and fun to keep me motivated just like I did when I was a kid.

I set deadlines. I say them aloud or I tell someone. My OCD will not let me break a deadline. This keeps me on task and keeps me from loosing my motivation to keep completing those mundane chores and tasks.

Four Things I do in my Classroom to Keep my ADHD Kids on Task:

I keep it consistent. My students need the same supplies and materials in every class. We follow the same routine; bell work, lesson, reflection. The routine for labs is the same. I even use the same black trays for all lab materials to stay on at their tables. All materials are kept in the same place all year long. Students always know what to expect in my class.

I keep things neat and clean. My lesson presentations are all with a white background and black, clear font. I do not use any unnecessary images to make it pretty. Pretty can be distracting. I use images, charts, and diagrams that add to the understanding of the content not the aesthetic of the presentation. I keep all anchor charts in the same colors and I use the same colors for emphasis on my charts.

I keep things moving. I walk/move around a lot. Mundane activities like watching a teacher lecture in the front of the room will not keep an ADHD student's attention. I also try and change activities every 20- 30 minutes. (I teach fifth grade). We might read a book, do a SIM, an investigation, take some notes, compete an EdPuzzle, watch a BrainPOP, do a Nearpod, or a Quizlet. Usually, I have 3 different activities/or presentations in a lesson. ADHD students need to keep it moving. I have a lot less discipline problems in my classes, I think, because of this.

I have fun. We play games and have competitions. I use technology to find games for my students that will add to the understanding of the content like turning a exit ticket into a game on Nearpod or letting students play Jungle Jeopardy to study ecosystems. We make salad dressing to understand why some liquids mix and stay mixed but others mix and separate. ADHA students need a reason or more motivation than other students. But making lessons more fun also benefits all my other students, too.

Conclusion

ADHD people lack motivation to complete things we are not interested in. Find a way to make the mundane fun. Keep your classrooms nice and neat. Be consistent with routines and where materials are located in your classroom. We don't like so much stuff. It overstimulates us and makes it harder to focus. Set deadlines, keep lists, and set time limits on tasks. Living and teaching with ADHD is not a burden. Its a gift! You and your students are creative, social, and make life more fun!