How To Teach Social Skills to Children With ADHD

Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) often struggle in social situations. They miss social cues, act impulsively and don't understand the effects of their behavior. While all children can benefit from being taught social skills, for children with ADHD being taught social skills is vital. Otherwise they risk loneliness and ostracism.

Things You'll Need

• "Sparky's Excellent Misadventures" by Phyllis Carpenter
• "Taking A.D.D. to School" by Ellen Weiner
• camera
• printer
• photo paper

Instructions

Teach Social Skills

1. Discuss the social situation. Once your students trust you, talk to them about how they feel at school. Some questions to start the discussion might include: Who do you play with at recess? Do you have a lot of friends in your class? Do you have a lot of arguments in class?

2. Explain the purpose. Tell the children with ADHD that you're going to teach them skills that will help them get along with them peers better. Students who understand the purpose of their learning are more motivated and engaged.

3. Read "Sparky's Excellent Misadventures" to them. This book explains a child's perspective of living with ADD and can help students understand their own issues.

4. Identify emotions. Take photos of your students, yourself or other school personnel depicting various emotions. Focus on the more subtle emotions, such as the narrowing of the eyes before angry yelling starts. Have students practice naming the emotions in the pictures. You can also do this when reading picture books.

5. Model appropriate responses. Show students how they should react to typical school day frustrations. You and a colleague might act out a fight over a ball at recess or you might show students how to share math manipulatives.

6. Enlist other students. Read "Taking ADD to School" to the other students in the class to show them what it is like for children with ADHD. Talk to them about how they can help and ask 1 or 2 students to be special buddies for the children with ADD.

7. Practice appropriate responses. First with you, then with peer buddies, have children with ADHD practice the appropriate behaviors in social situations, such as how to join a game or how to handle a disappointment.

8. Create a signal. Help children with ADHD find a "calm down" signal that can help them stop, think and notice what's going on for them socially. The signal can be a word, a gesture or a gentle touch like a hand on the shoulder. Teach the signal to all staff members who work with the student.

Tips & Warnings

• Build trust. Children with ADHD respond more effectively when they trust the adults in their lives. Before teaching children with ADHD, develop a positive, trusting relationship through shared interests and/or positive experiences.

• Don't forget to talk to the parents and teachers of the children with whom you are working. They will have suggestions for specific skills to work on.

References

• Mental Health Today: ADD Children's Books
• Come Unity: ADHD Social Skills

Resources

• Additude: Social Skills 101