Is ADHD a Child Problem or a School Problem?
Children who don’t sit still and work quietly at school often earn labels such as ADD or ADHD. A few children really do peg the unnaturally active meter, but in most cases, I believe the sedentary, indoors school setting carries most of the blame. Many children thrive when allowed more time to move outside. Richard Louv details the research on this in Last Child in the Woods
Some Things to Try with an Active or Disorganized Child
-
- Actively explore what works and what doesn’t in the environment: furniture placement, music, lighting, smells, clothing, etc. For example, fluorescent lights make study impossible for some people because of the flickering which is too fast for most of us to notice. LED lighting is a better choice.
- Schedule transition time and downtime. The child needs some time each day when there are no expectations; he/she can daydream or pursue personal interests.
- Use a clear plastic or wire office-style magazine rack to sort loose papers (homework, music, etc.) while keeping them all visible.
- If writing is a frustration, provide computer access and keyboard training, or have the child compose orally while someone else types what he/she says.
- Break large tasks into steps and chart progress in color.
- Use color-coded files or plastic folders to organize school work or projects.
- Each evening, in a friendly manner, ask, “What do you plan to do tomorrow?” Listen carefully to the response. Guide the child with questions if necessary to help him think through a plan for the next day. This includes weekends and holidays.
- Get the child a watch with multiple alarms
for getting up, going out the door, taking medication, doing chores, etc.
- Teach students to use a pocket calendar
that goes everywhere with them for recording commitments or scheduling changes.
- Provide a place to study that has all necessary items but nothing extraneous. For example, a translucent window covering
could provide natural light but make the scene through the window less distracting.
- Use a grid to plan the week. Color code it.
- Show the child how to use colored highlighters
to track various ideas while studying.
- Have students type class notes on the computer as soon as possible after the class.
- Teach the child to self-plan incentives: “If I finish my math by 6:00 I will let myself read a chapter of Robin Hood before bed.”
- Provide the child with a “portable office
” so he can study anywhere. This is useful for families that spend a lot of time commuting or who aren’t at the same house each evening. A portable office might consist of a lap desk
with paper, pencils, erasers, highlighters, white-out, and ruler.
- Keep clothes and toys in wire storage baskets
so they are visible.
- Post checklists at transition points such as the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, the front door, the car dashboard, and the bedroom door. Checklists can be things to be sure to do or take.
- Provide plenty of exercise time scattered throughout the day.
- Give frequent positive feedback whenever the child is successfully managing a task.
- Use routines and rituals whenever possible so that mundane necessities become habits.
- Allow the child to read and study in unusual positions such as upside down in the chair or under a blanket or up in a tree.
- Prioritize with the child so he knows what’s most important to you.
- Provide a whiteboard and markers for getting ideas or answers down. They can be copied later if necessary and the whiteboard is less intimidating than paper because it can be quickly erased if the student is unhappy with his work.
- Let the child read while bouncing gently on a large exercise ball
or balancing on a T-stool
(round seat with one leg in the middle). Balancing improves neural connectivity in the brain.
- For the child whose sheer energy prevents study, a weight vest can sometimes help. This is a loose vest such as a fishing vest
, with pockets all over it. Load the pockets with pebbles or marbles until the child feels calm. Weight calms some children and makes others feel claustrophobic or wild. Do not force a child to wear a weight vest! If this is right for the child, he or she will react happily and say they feel better. Exercise weights
that attach to ankles and wrists with velcro can also be used.
- If a student is having trouble remembering to do important assignments, he can call himself or his parent and leave a message reminding himself to do the assignment
- Allow the student to challenge and skip material he already knows.
- Allow students to demonstrate mastery in a variety of creative ways other than a written test. (examples: drama, tape recording, art project, oral exam, computer written essay, photo essay, poetry, write and bind a book, cooking project, etc.)
- Allow the student to plan and take breaks as needed and provide for the type of movement that calms and focuses that particular child: trampoline, bike, swing, jump rope.
- Incorporate two-handed tasks (piano, knitting, basketball, swimming, etc) and balancing tasks (bicycle, balance beam, ladders) whenever possible. These activities develop the brain in ways that aid reading/writing.
- Explore the effects of sleep patterns and nutrition. Some children respond dramatically to changes such as no sugar, or more sleep, or sleep at a different time. If the child always seems sleepy, have a doctor check tonsils, adenoids, etc. They may have sleep apnea.
- Allow time for hobbies and unstructured outdoor play, especially those that develop motor skills and produce joy.
- Google TED.com and listen to Ken Robinson’s 15-minute talk, Do School Kills Creativity? You’ll never think the same way about your ADHD child again!
for getting up, going out the door, taking medication, doing chores, etc.
that goes everywhere with them for recording commitments or scheduling changes.
could provide natural light but make the scene through the window less distracting.
to track various ideas while studying.
” so he can study anywhere. This is useful for families that spend a lot of time commuting or who aren’t at the same house each evening. A portable office might consist of a 
with paper, pencils, erasers, highlighters, white-out, and ruler.
so they are visible.
or balancing on a 
(round seat with one leg in the middle). Balancing improves neural connectivity in the brain.
, with pockets all over it. Load the pockets with pebbles or marbles until the child feels calm. Weight calms some children and makes others feel claustrophobic or wild. Do not force a child to wear a weight vest! If this is right for the child, he or she will react happily and say they feel better. 
that attach to ankles and wrists with velcro can also be used.by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed.
and
Dr. Alta Graham
