How to Help a Child With ADD Behave at School

Children with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) often have difficulty maintaining attention to tasks at school. This inability to attend sometimes results in misbehavior, which is disruptive to the child's learning and the learning of other students. Teachers and parents can implement a few strategies to decrease chances of misbehavior.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Provide very clear and concise directions that are broken into segments or chunks. Children with attention difficulties frequently have difficulty following directions that are not clear and not presented in a step-by-step manner. Whenever possible, present information in written and oral form.
2. Follow important steps when introducing material or providing instructions to a child with attention difficulties. Be sure they are sitting near you and maintain regular eye contact. Alert the student by saying, "This is important," or by subtly placing your hand on his desk. Check for understanding by asking the student to repeat or rephrase steps as you go.
3. Recognize that students with attention problems are poor organizers. This poor organization leads to subsequent behavior problems. Thwart these problems by helping the student organize materials and keep track of homework assignments. If you're the teacher, initial the child's planner or assignment book before she leaves the classroom.
4. Address problem behaviors immediately. Children with attention problems need to be aware of inappropriate behaviors right after they've occurred. If you wait to address such problems, it is likely that the child will not see the connection between the behavior and the consequence.
5. Reinforce children with attention problems frequently and immediately. Pair verbal and nonverbal reinforcement. Use point sheets or tokens, which can be turned in for larger rewards.
6. Involve the student in tracking his behavioral progress. Use graphs and charts to monitor positive behaviors.
7. Establish and maintain regular contact between the parents and school staff. Behavior improves when expectations and consequences are consistent across settings.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't take behaviors personally. Children who have difficulty attending to tasks are not deliberately ignoring you. No matter how hard they try, attending is difficult for them.
• Don't punish children for behaviors. Instead, provide rewards for positive behaviors and allow for natural consequences of inappropriate behaviors.
• Don't embarrass the student when he makes a mistake. Redirect the student in a firm but caring manner.