Suggestions for Teachers of Students with ADD
 

(1) Expect the best, but accept limitations that truly exist. Try to discover how he best learns and capitalize on that.

(2) Provide a structured environment with minimal distractions. Soft music in the background, jangling bracelets, etc., may be very distracting to a student who cannot filter out distractions. Try to keep them to a minimum.

(3) Discover your student's need for routine: Some students thrive on novelty, while others will be thrown into panic with variations in the routine.

(4) Break assignments into smaller parts if a student is overwhelmed by a "normal" assignment, and give deadlines to help keep him paced (within his capabilities), IF that is helpful.

(5) Give directions in small segments, allowing for questions. Provide written directions for him or allow him time to write them down, if he cannot remember.

(6) Allow for individual movement, as long as it does not interfere with others. Some listen better while "doodling" or when sitting on their legs. Just check for comprehension and allow what works for him.

(7) Catch him doing something right and verbally reinforce it as much as possible.

(8) Allow the student to type his work as much as possible, even in the classroom, IF it is helpful. It may even be desirable to allow him to dictate compositions, so that his ideas can flow, when content is more important than the mechanics of writing.

(9) Be sensitive to the student's need for privacy. Develop a private hand signal, for example, that will remind a student to take his medication, rather than announcing it. Some are very embarrassed by being "different" already.

(10) Provide a private study cubicle, IF helpful, for work which requires concentration. (Make it clear that the privilege will be forever lost if he is ever caught cheating in it!)

(11) Utilize an active student's extra energy, by allowing him to distribute materials, run errands, etc., when he has shown himself to be responsible enough to do so.

(12) Recognize the potential of every student to do something well, even if it is cooking brownies for a class party or arranging the books on the bookshelf.

Having been a classroom teacher myself for a couple of years before going to medical school, I have a feel for some of the challenges you face in a classroom setting. I appreciate your willingness to do your best to help educate our young people. You have an awesome, and often thankless, task. Let me know if there is something I can do to help you.