With patience and a few tried-and-true strategies, you can help your student harness their enthusiasm and energy in the classroom while minimizing blurting. Use these ideas to spark your next brilliant behavior plan or classroom-management strategy.

1. Try planned ignoring. During a classroom activity, acknowledge students who raise their hands and wait to be called on. (Be sure to repeat this expectation prior to and during the lesson.) When a student who was previously blurting is now raising their hand, call on that student right away, and praise their enthusiastic efforts to contribute while following classroom expectations.

[Get This Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior]

2. Three nods and a deep breath. For students who struggle with waiting their turn to contribute to a conversation (especially when it’s an exciting one that relates to their interests), encourage them to work and refine their patience muscles with a quick exercise: When the urge to blurt comes up before a friend has finished their statement, slowly and slightly nod three times and then take a deep breath before jumping in. Even if the student does end up blurting, it’s the practice of mindfully waiting that counts. This exercise also teaches students to be active listeners.

3. Use self-monitoring tools. Sometimes, students are unaware that they are blurting and how often they engage in the behavior. Self-monitoring tools can raise their awareness (without causing shame) and help control its frequency. My favorite way to use self-monitoring in the classroom is for both student and teacher to track the student’s blurt count for a lesson/period and compare results.

If the blurt tally is the same, then the student gets to pick from the big prize box for recognizing the number of times they blurted. (If the tally is off, you should reward the student anyway for making progress, perhaps by allowing them to pick a smaller prize.)

Over time, once the student’s baseline number of blurts is established, you can set clear goals around limiting those interruptions. If five is the average for a lesson, then aim for the student to blurt no more than three times a lesson. Praise and reward the student, perhaps with additional time for recess for the whole class.

[Read: Impulse Control Strategies for School and Home]

4. Do an environmental check. Thinking critically about the environment in which our students learn is essential to maximize their learning and make sure everyone is on the same page with respect to the classroom rules.

• Review classroom expectations frequently with your students. Make sure that the rules are clear and easy to understand, and write them on the board or keep them on a poster hanging up for all to see. Ensure that students understand when it is okay to talk softly to friends in their desk pod and when it’s time to be absolutely quiet, like during tests.
• Consider seating. Put a student who blurts near your desk or away from other students who also blurt. Consider creating a designated space in your classroom that students can go to if they need to self-regulate to control blurting and other impulsive behaviors.
• Don’t overlook the importance of a clutter-free space. Where is my notebook? Pencil? Last week’s homework assignment? A cleaner environment can reduce these questions, which may come out as blurting. During transition times, have your students take a few minutes to do individualized environmental check to keep organized.
• Check noise levels. Soft music may calm some students, which helps with impulsivity, while others need absolute silence to avoid being “activated.” Think of what works for your students and consider using noise cancelling headphones for students who need quiet.

How to Stop Blurting: Next Steps

• Free Download: Solving Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: Disruptive Behavior — Solutions for the Classroom and at Home
• Read: Behavior Problems at School —  A Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

The longer I’ve spent in this field, the more I’ve come to realize that the strongest educators are skilled at ignoring mildly inappropriate behaviors from students. This is a different tune from approaches of the past that emphasized, for example, trying to get students to face forward and not move a muscle while in class. Today, many teachers understand that as long as a student is learning and producing work, it’s okay if they have to stand or squirm around a bit during class.

As far as ignoring behaviors in some students, an educator put it to me this way: Fair doesn’t always mean equal.

[Get This Free Guide: Solving Classroom Behavior Problems]

The reality is that there will always be some students who are going to need more or different approaches to help them achieve the same goals that all students are being asked to achieve. This applies to students who struggle with behavioral challenges due to ADHD and/or other conditions that affect learning.

Children with ADHD are more likely than their neurotypical peers to be on the receiving end of commands, reprimands, criticisms, and negative comments because of ADHD-related behavioral challenges. These experiences add up, causing low self-esteem, academic underachievement, and other functional impairments. This is what makes a positive learning environment especially important for students with challenging behaviors. They need much more praise than probably all the other students in the class combined to counteract all the negatives that are dumped on them. These students don’t need further negativity, and that’s where planned ignoring comes in.

Keeping things positive for children with challenging behaviors — by focusing on the good and ignoring minor behaviors here and there, especially if the behaviors are attention-seeking — will help keep them motivated to continue to produce and succeed in the classroom.

Besides, if you maintain a positive environment for the entire classroom — liberally praising and encouraging all students — then every student is getting their fair share of positivity, which is what matters most.

Planned Ignoring for ADHD Behavior Problems: Next Steps

• Free Teacher Training: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Read: The Good Behavior Game Is a Hit with Students — and Teachers
• Read: “My Student’s Daily Report Card Isn’t Working!”

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Students with ADHD thrive in a positive classroom environment, and peer interactions and relationships play a big role in shaping that learning experience.

Teaching your students to be kind and supportive of their fellow classmates, including their peers with ADHD and learning differences, starts with you, the educator. A positive classroom environment is one where praise and encouragement are liberally doled out to students — and where commands, demands, and reprimands are used sparingly.

[Sign Up for the ADHD Learning Series for Educators]

Constantly correcting or negatively commenting on a student’s challenging ADHD-related behaviors only opens the door for other students to do the same. So be sure to set a tone of collegiality and respect in the classroom. Create an environment where all of your students feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. Saturate your class with positive comments and don’t hold back on praising students for their efforts to collaborate and work well with each other. Say to your students, “I’m so proud of the way that you helped out your friend.”

Teaching Kindness to Students: Next Steps

• Free Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD
• Read: “Neurodivergent Kids Are My Favorite Students”
• Read: “Students with Learning Differences Need Outspoken Champions”

 The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude webinar titled “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students.¹ It’s a simple game that doesn’t cost a single penny to set up, and it increases your ability to teach students in an engaged, disruption-free classroom.

How to Play the Good Behavior Game

To set up the game, start by identifying a few behaviors you’d like for your students, who will be split up into two (or more) teams, to work toward. You can set a goal, for example, of no more than three interruptions while you’re teaching a lesson.

[Get This Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior]

The teams who meet the goal earn a reward at the end of the lesson. Rewards can range from a quick game of freeze dance to free reading or drawing time — anything that motivates your students to want to win.

Communicate the goal and rules of the game to the class, and then write them down for all to see for easy reference. Use a chart to mark and display each team’s progress toward the goal.

Benefits of the Good Behavior Game

Apart from imparting lessons in teamwork and camaraderie, The Good Behavior Game effectively encourages good behavior through the school day. If a team doesn’t win during one lesson, they will have another opportunity to play and win in the next lesson. Another advantage of the game is that it changes the focus of peer attention. Rather than laughing at a fellow student who may be breaking a class rule or otherwise being disruptive, students instead turn their attention to winning the game.

The game improves behavior in the long run. Compared to other first graders, students in classrooms that implemented the Good Behavior Game were rated less shy and aggressive by teachers at the end of the school year.²

[Read: Positive Teaching Strategies to Uplift Students with ADHD]

What About Behavior Games for High School Students?

Do behavior games work for older students? Absolutely. Here is one game that has proven effective for encouraging better behavior in high school students:³ At the beginning of class, set a two-minute countdown timer. If the timer goes off without a single disruptive or off-task behavior from any student, the class earns a point, and the timer is reset for another chance to earn. But if a negative behavior does occur, the timer is reset, and no point is earned. The goal is for the class to arrive at 17 points — or 34 minutes of no disruptions — so that they can win free time at the end of class. Teens are highly motivated to win the game because it cuts a lesson short by about five minutes, and they can use the time to talk with their friends, which is really important to them.

Play the Good Behavior Game with your class — and spread the word so that all students in your school can join in on the fun.

Classroom Behavior Games: Next Steps

• Free Download: How to Solve Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Impulse-Control Strategies for Students with ADHD

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Barrish, H. H., Saunders, M., & Wolf, M. M. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2(2), 119-124.

² Dolan LJ, et al. The short-term impact of two classroom-based preventive interventions on aggressive and shy behaviors and poor achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 1993;14(3):317–345.

³ Christ, T. J., & Christ, J. A. (2006). Application of an interdependent group contingency mediated by an automated feedback Device: An intervention across three high school classrooms. School Psychology Review, 35(1), 78–90.

Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.

1. Well-Defined Goals

Your student’s daily report card should list a few clearly defined target behaviors. The following are some examples of well-defined daily report card goals for students with ADHD:

• Follows class rules with no more than three reminders per class
• Completes assignments within the designated time
• Completes assignments with 80% accuracy
• Complies with teacher requests with no more than three instances of noncompliance per class
• Engages in no more than three teasings per class
• Follows lunch rules (<3 violations)
• Follows recess rules (<2 violations)

Avoid listing vague goals like “I was well-behaved in class today” or “I had a good day today.” The daily report card should be clear so that everyone — educators, parents, and the students — understands what’s expected.

[Read: Behavior Problems at School — a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents]

2. Well-Calibrated Behavioral Goals

You know you have a well-calibrated report card when the student has earned more Yeses than Nos on it at the end of the school day. If the student is getting mostly Nos and failing to meet goals, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Even if the goals that are currently on the report card are well-defined, the point is to set goals that are reasonably attainable for the student now. These goals can become more challenging once the student has demonstrated that they can consistently achieve them.

Bear in mind that, when starting a new behavioral support plan, it’s not uncommon for a student’s behavior to get worse before it gets better. A behavior analyst may be able to identify additional strategies to decrease instances of challenging behaviors.

3. Immediate Feedback

You should praise and compliment your student for demonstrating desired behaviors, but you should also provide immediate feedback — privately — if they break a rule reflected in the report card. If rule-breaking happens, say, “This is your first reminder for following class rules.” This framing works because it keeps students on track. Once a student gets close to the limit, they typically button down and really focus on following the rule.

4. Parent/Caregiver Involvement

Caregiver accountability is by far the most important aspect of the daily report card. Daily report card review will help parents or caregivers notice patterns to their child’s behaviors and intervene quickly with the help of the school if needed.

[Read: How to Team Up with Parents — Tips from Teachers for Teachers]

Caregivers must also implement home-based privileges or consequences tied to their child’s report card performance. The child can earn three minutes of screen time, for example, for every check mark they earned toward the goal behaviors. If screen time matters that much to the student, they will be more focused on meeting daily report card behavior goals throughout the school day. If setting up home-based rewards isn’t feasible, school-based rewards may fill this need.

Behavior Report Card: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Behavior Problems at School – a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, Ph.D., which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Why is attention deficit still dismissed, overlooked, and misunderstood at school? It’s important to note that ADHD is not considered a learning disability in special education law.¹ Of the 13 categories listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADHD is classified under “other health impairments” and not as a specific learning disability. Perhaps it’s time for a change.

Explicitly naming ADHD in the IDEA could help unlock more specific and helpful accommodations in IEP and 504 Plans. It could also facilitate the teacher training needed to guarantee an equitable education. For now, though, that training is rare and misunderstandings abound.

The Misunderstood Era of ADHD

We asked caregivers to reflect on their child’s relationship with teachers, or to look back on their own experiences in the classroom. What do educators most often misunderstand about ADHD? About learning differences?

“My 10-year-old son is answering this question, and he says, ‘They often don’t realize that we need more breaks, and think more creatively about problems and solving them, which can sometimes look different than the way the teacher would want to see the problem solved.’” — Jonathan, Texas

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior]

“My 14-year-old son is a student in a public high school in New York City. I can’t believe that the school still treats his occasional unregulated behavior with both detentions and suspensions. They take any backtalk from him personally and punish him for it instead of recognizing that it is a symptom of a neurodivergent condition and treating it as such.” — Josephine, New York

“[Educators think] ADHD students are not fit for public school, and that they will not flourish in a public school setting.” — Lisa, Texas

“As a former educator, I was not adequately trained to understand or identify learning differences. I took an entire credit course on ADHD and did not know that I myself had ADHD.”

“Because of my daydreaming, I often didn’t pay attention. Then my anxiety would keep me from answering when questioned by a teacher. I feel like I was written off as ‘stupid’ in elementary school.” — Debbie, Ohio

[Read: 10 Ways We Would Fix the U.S. School System]

“Educators do a great job trying to understand ADHD. School administrators that handle behavioral issues are where we run into problems…” — An ADDitude reader

“Educators don’t seem to have an understanding of invisible disabilities and take ADHD as a personal affront to their authority.” — Denise, Alabama

“Even now, too many educators believe having ADHD is a choice. It is not! I was labeled unruly and unwilling to ‘settle down’ or take my studies seriously.” — Cee, West Virginia

“Fidgeting does not mean that I am not listening. This accusation was placed on me at a teacher training. When I stressed out, I started to crochet to calm my mind and was written up for rudeness.” — Ann, California

“I think they don’t know a lot about the differences between ADHD and LD. Even today, educators use the term ‘ADHD’ just because a child cannot focus in class. They fail to understand that even kids with LDs will not stay focused when they do not understand what is being taught.” — Boon Eu, Malaysia

“I think they understand [ADHD], but they don’t have the resources to respond appropriately. The most important thing, in my opinion, is for teachers to be kind and not label kids as naughty or deliberately disruptive.” — Jen, Australia

“Educators with enough sensitivity or compassion can work well with ADHD kids because they can intuitively make changes to help the child. Others, who just aren’t as sensitive or compassionate, can be taught about ADHD but will never be excellent teachers for ADHD kids. I left the regular school system because I got tired of teachers telling me that my kids were lazy or just weren’t trying, even after we did educational assessments to prove that they had ADHD.” — Sarah, Canada

“Many teachers do not see past disruptive behavior. My report card always said I was ‘distracted’ or ‘bored.’ As a result, they put me in advanced classes and never even talked about [my] ADHD. My kids weren’t as disruptive as I was, but I feel like most people get annoyed and ignore the behaviors rather than try to question or find the source of the it.” — Stephanie, Florida

“Educators don’t understand that you can’t just try harder like everyone else. They think you can adopt neurotypical learning styles and succeed. So, they push these tactics that work for neurotypical students rather than receive training on what else to do.” — Anne, New Zealand

“Most educators, then and now, still marginalize students with any neurodivergent condition. Some of that seems to be on the parents; not all guardians are willing to have their children tested and diagnosed. It may seem odd that adults still worry about stigma — but as a parent to an ADHD teen, an ADD sufferer myself, and a language teacher for the past 12 years in elementary schools, it has become painfully obvious that these issues still aren’t adequately addressed. I believe this is due to the challenge of educating every unique individual in what, to me, has become an outdated and ineffective educational system — one in which we still warehouse youth. Large-group learning can’t help but require conformity. And that’s obviously not a solution.” — Sandra, Pennsylvania

“Most think it is an excuse and not a real diagnosis. Also, my child is autistic with ADHD. If the teachers have ADHD experience, they don’t realize or understand that there is a difference when comorbidities are involved. Different methods are needed.” — Maureen, Texas

“They think that ADHD is something that can be changed if the person tried harder. People with ADHD can be ‘extra’ if they are not in environments that are conducive to learning. Instead of realizing that the environment is the problem and making appropriate accommodations, they view the person with ADHD as the problem. They require students to ‘suffer through it’ because they think this will somehow make the ADHD go away.” An ADDitude reader

Misunderstood ADHD in the Classroom: Next Steps

• Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD
• Read: “We Are Behind the Times:” Only 4 in 10 Educators Receive ADHD Training
• Read: How to Talk to and Uplift Students with ADHD

Sources

¹Jones, L. (n.d.) Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA? Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/are-kids-with-adhd-covered-under-idea

Sadly, this is an increasingly common situation, often referred to as “informal removal” or “off-the-books suspension,” which some schools use to “manage” students they deem to be disruptive. However, what ends up being disrupted is the student’s rights — their ability to learn and make academic progress, as well as to benefit from the social interactions of the school day.

What can you do when your student faces this situation? How can schools balance the rights and needs of students they deem to be disruptive with the safety and needs of other students, staff, and the school community?

Students’ Rights to a Free, Appropriate Education

Let’s start with some basic principles. First, no student can be excluded from school, or from part of the school day, without at least minimal “due process” notice of the school’s intent to exclude them and a chance to present their side of what happened. This right applies to all students, regardless of whether they have a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Students with IEPs, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), are entitled to a free, appropriate public education. If a student with an IEP is acting out, having behavioral issues, or otherwise not functioning appropriately in school, the IEP team is required to look at the student’s IEP and examine how that student’s behavior may be related to their disability. This can be done through a functional behavior assessment (FBA), which should result in a Behavioral Intervention Plan. The presumption is that if there are consistent behavioral issues, the student’s IEP is not appropriate or adequate to address their disabilities.

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior]

In addition, if a student with an IEP faces a suspension of 10 days or more, an FBA is required as part of a manifestation determination — a determination as to whether the student’s conduct is connected to their disability. If this is the case, the school needs to strengthen the services it provides to that student. This can mean adding supports to their day, placement in a smaller or more appropriate class, or otherwise helping the student moderate their behavior while adhering to the requirement of the IDEA that their education take place in the least restrictive environment.

Like those with IEPs, students with 504 Plans have been determined to have a disability and are entitled to the same kind of school day as their non-disabled classmates. If their day is shortened because they are sent home early or put on “home instruction” because of their behavior, they are not receiving the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. They, too, are entitled to an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

Keep in mind that schools are required to keep records of suspensions; informal or “off-the-books” suspensions often fail to comply with this record-keeping requirement.

Parents’ Role as Advocates

As a parent advocate, you need to be a detective, getting as much information as possible from your child and others (a cooperative teacher, a classmate, or a sibling) about what happened at school. Did your child push Sammy? Or did they push Sammy back? Has there been bullying going on that the school knew or should have known about? Or did this incident arise out of the blue? Have there been other issues you have not heard about?

Next, you need to be an advocate. When you get a call from the school, advise them that you will not agree to any kind of removal without an opportunity to hear the basis of the school’s action and to respond to these claims. You want to hear what happened and have a chance to present your child’s position. It can be as informal as a meeting with the principal, but you and your child have the right to this basic due process.

[Quiz: How Well Do You Know Special-Ed Law?]

If your child did something that merits action by the school, you should consider having them evaluated without delay. Do behavioral issues need to be addressed? Is a 504 Plan or an IEP needed, or are modifications to an existing plan warranted to provide the student with the behavioral support they need? Is the school proposing to suspend your student for 10 days or more or exclude them from a regular program to the extent that your child’s school placement would change? Either situation would trigger their right to a manifestation determination (reviewing whether their behavior was related to their disability).

Your child has a right to get the supports and services that they require. The school’s failure to provide these does not give administrators the right to exclude your student from the regular school day.

It’s important to note that very different rules apply when students bring guns or other deadly weapons to school. Every state is required by federal law to suspend such students for at least a year, providing them with alternative education. This is where a student’s right to be educated with appropriate supports comes up against the safety of the school community, and the law is clear that safety is paramount.

The National Disability Rights Network prepared a report on informal school removal in 2022 that looks at the policies, practices, and remedies for these situations. It can be found online at additu.de/isr-report and makes for informative reading.

ADHD Students’ Rights: Next Steps

• Free Checklist: Fight for Your Child’s Rights at School
• Read: When Behavior Interferes with Learning
• Q: “Can the School Expel My Child for ADHD Behaviors?”

Susan Yellin, Esq., is the Director of Advocacy and Transition Services at The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education, an innovative learning support and diagnostic practice in New York City.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

These ADHD disruptions, daydreams, and delays are largely beyond students’ control, but too often, they incur punishment from weary teachers rather than positive behavioral interventions. ADDitude asked more than 200 caregivers if their children received harsh or over-the-top punishment at school for their behavior, and the answer was overwhelmingly “yes.” Here are some of their stories.

Disciplinary Actions That Muzzle Learning

“We had to move our son from the school where we both, as parents, teach! The head teacher used the words ‘liar,’ ‘difficult,’ ‘defiant,’ and ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ to describe his ADHD behaviors, such as not responding straight away to instructions or continuing to hyperfocus when an activity had ended. We were told that if his focus (cooperation) didn’t improve, he would be suspended, then excluded. He was five at the time and we held senior positions at the school. We were appalled.”

“Our son was always bullied, but he was the one who got in trouble and sent to the principal’s office. The school ostracized him. It was horrible.”

“I could write a book on this topic. Some of the punishments were so uncalled-for. What training is given to teachers and school administration for working with ADHD and LD students? Do teachers think ADHD is a fake diagnosis, a cop out? How can we change perceptions?”

[Sign Up: Free Teacher Training on ADHD]

“I am a certified special education teacher and the special education coordinator for the district. I see such a difference between the training given to the special education staff versus the general education staff when it comes to discipline.”

“My son has been suspended due to his behavior. I have worked extremely hard, with the help of ADDitude resources, to educate the teachers and staff and increase my support for them, rather than be seen as an adversary.”

“When my oldest was in elementary school, he was often punished with lost recesses, detention, and extra work — things that made the problem worse.”

“This happened repeatedly. The worst was in fifth grade when he was 10. His principal told our son that he could not go on the three-day overnight trip with his class because of his problems with ‘staying in place.’ The principal did not know that it was illegal to exclude a child with a disability from a school event. I didn’t either, but I learned from an advocacy group that I should tell the principal to call the Department of Education legal department, which he did. The decision was reversed. My son was told he was allowed to go just a few days before the trip.”

[Resource Center: School Advocacy for Neurodivergent Students]

“My child received many harsh punishments, much criticism, removal from the classroom, and seclusion.”

“My son is now nine. In kindergarten and first grade, he was often isolated from the rest of the class and kept inside at recess due to his inability to sit still, keep quiet, and engage in ‘whole body listening.’”

“I pulled my son out of school and am homeschooling now because of this issue. His infractions were blurting out in class, not being able to stay in line in the hall and be quiet, saying hi to classes that had their doors open as he walked the halls, and being ‘defiant’ because he was hyperfocused and reading a book instead of doing math. He was called problematic and made to walk laps at recess for hugging his sister when he was told to get in line. His teachers had no training about kids with ADHD.”

“We’ve dealt with inappropriate consequences for sure. A teacher working with our son used ‘planned ignoring’ when he tried to tell her something. He became frustrated, so she directed him into the hallway. He thought he was in trouble and couldn’t calm down. When the class left for an afternoon recess, he had to stay inside to work on the assignment he did not complete while he was in the hallway. His teacher didn’t explain the situation to him until I came to pick him up at the end of the day.”

“My daughter had a lot of misunderstanding, frustration, or anger from teachers who didn’t understand ADHD. One teacher has traumatized her so that she has trouble trusting female teachers. It is almost like PTSD.”

“My son was traumatized by the director at an upscale private school. He was made to sit for hours while he was told about every little thing he did wrong. My kid started talking about wanting to die because he felt worthless. Thank you, expensive private school, for ruining my eight-year-old’s sense of self-worth because he didn’t fit your mold. We were grateful to move to a local public school this year with a fantastic staff and administrators who work to make a positive environment for all.”

“My child was suspended, cited by the police, and placed on probation at age 17 due to fighting in class. He should not have fought, no question. But involving the police makes it all seem punitive.”

“The worst was when there was a minor infraction that one teacher chose to share with all the teachers and staff. I was horrified. My son is attending a new school now and is happier and getting great grades.”

“My daughter’s current teacher seems irritated and frustrated with her most of the time. It has caused her to have lower self-esteem and not want to go to class with that teacher.”

“My son didn’t fit their mold. Instead of helping, they’d send him away, out of their schools, to alternative schools. How much can a kid take? When he reached his breaking point and quit, I was OK with it. He’s doing great now! Great career, great income.”

ADHD Behavior at School: Next Steps

• Download: Your Child’s Rights at School
• Sign Up: Free Success @ School Course for Parents
• Read: Dear ADDitude, What If the Principal Is Unfair?
• Learn: How to Encourage Good Behavior in Children with ADHD

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Given the prevalence of ADHD, every educator should assume they’ll be teaching at least one student with ADHD (diagnosed or not) — likely many more. But, for myriad reasons, few of us receive adequate information and training about recognizing common ADHD characteristics or bringing out the best in students with ADHD.

This webinar will highlight some ADHD facts that educators need to know, and address some of the myths about ADHD in the classroom. Topics include how ADHD might present in girls, the different types of ADHD (and what they might look like in a classroom), executive function and ADHD, working with families of ADHD students, and easy accommodations that will work for ADHD — and other students — in your classroom. We will also address how undiagnosed and/or untreated ADHD, as well as our own perceptions and tolerance levels for ADHD behaviors, might impact a child’s social, emotional, and academic growth.

In this webinar, educators will learn:

• Commons facts and fallacies about ADHD
• Surprising ways ADHD might present in the classroom for different populations
• Why working with families of students with ADHD is important and how to do it well
• Evidence-based classroom accommodations for students with ADHD (and others) that can be easily implemented

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on ADHD at School

• Download: “The ADHD Iceberg” Poster for School
• Read: 7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom
• Read: How to Get Students Engaged in Learning

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 20, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Evelyn Polk Green, M.S.Ed., is a past president of both ADDA (the Attention Deficit Disorder Association) and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). She is an adult with ADHD and the mother of two adult sons, Perry and Robert, both of whom also have ADHD. Active in ADHD and mental health advocacy for almost 30 years, Evelyn has served as a leader representing the family and educator voice in the ADHD and mental health communities in many capacities, including as a member of the Network on Children’s Mental Health Services funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Learn more about Evelyn here.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is…

Play Attention: Backed by research conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine, Play Attention provides the most advanced NASA Inspired technology that improves executive function & self-regulation. Turn your ADHD into your Superpower! Our digital trainer will teach cognitive skills so you can go to infinity and beyond. Your program will include a Personal Executive Function Coach to customize your plan along the way. Home and professional programs available. Call 828-676-2240 or click here to schedule your free 1:1 consultation! | www.playattention.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

We asked a panel of veteran teachers to share teaching strategies and classroom accommodations that had made a real difference in the lives of real students with ADHD and learning differences. Here are some of their favorites:

ADHD Accommodations That Work

• Offer movement breaks.
• Allow quiet fidgeting while working.
• Provide noise-canceling headphones.
• Reduce homework load.
• Provide extra time on tests.
• Maintain a daily report card.
• Use preferential seating.
• Administer tests orally.
• Provide an extra set of books for use at home.
• Tap student on shoulder or use another cue to refocus.

[Download: Free Expert Resource for Teachers of Students with ADHD]

Teaching Strategies for More Engaging Instruction

• Focus on strengths. (An artistic student can draw pictures to summarize book chapters.)
• Start every class with a few minutes of mindfulness.
• Use a step-by-step format with visually matching cues.
• Break tasks into small, quickly achievable goals.
• Divide the class into small groups and use a buddy system.
• Create opportunities for students to self-correct their work to feel more motivated and in control.
• Help a student start a task, then move away and check in frequently.
• Give real-world examples to illustrate why the lesson matters.
• Use a daily check-in and check-out procedure for middle and high school students.
• Use their interests as a launching pad for learning skills.

Teaching Strategies to Boost Executive Function

• Use timers and visual aids to plan and get organized.
• Encourage self-directed goal-setting.
• Lead the class in developing collaborative solutions to a problem to increase awareness and flexibility.
• Identify students’ strengths and incorporate their successes into leadership opportunities.
• Reduce pressure and anxiety. Emphasize a growth mindset.
• Praise students for finding and correcting their own mistakes.
• Administer the executive skills test in the book Smart but Scattered and share ways to compensate for their deficits.
• Cultivate a child’s self-confidence.

[Download: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators]

Teaching Strategies to Improve Behavior & Emotional Regulation

• Give immediate rewards and consequences for behavior.
• After an emotional trigger, encourage self-reflection when students are calm.
• Help students brainstorm different ways to respond to a difficult situation next time.
• Incorporate physical challenges into brain-break times.
• Stay calm with your body language and words.
• Give a five-minute break to chat and snack.
• Lead the class in a quick burst of exercise to refocus their attention before starting the next task.
• Use checklists and constant communication to share a student’s victories with their family.
• Practice mindfulness strategies, from meditation to deep breathing, to build a bit of calm.
• Offer rewards (unstructured time, being a teacher’s helper) for working a specific amount of time.

Teaching Strategies for ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: Positive Teaching Strategies to Uplift Students with ADHD
• Read: 7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom
• Read: 27 Classroom Accommodations That Target Common ADHD Challenges

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Click each image below to read detailed advice and strategies for the school year ahead.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the long-term academic outcomes for students with ADHD are strikingly poor. Compared to students without ADHD, those with ADHD have lower grades, more discipline referrals, and more special education placements. These issues can follow students into adulthood, leading to poorer adult occupational outcomes and lower lifetime earnings, likely due to underachievement.

Students with ADHD Sit in Every Classroom

Given that 9 percent of school-age children have an ADHD diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,¹ it is surprising that scant formal attention has been dedicated to supporting teachers, and by extension, students with ADHD. In a 1999 survey, only 15 percent of teachers stated they had received “a lot” of training related to ADHD. When this survey was repeated 20 years later, the number of teachers reporting this level of training had doubled to 29 percent. In other words, more than two-thirds of educators are in classrooms without substantive training on ADHD, and without knowing how to support the condition in school settings.

Educators in special education settings may also need additional training to help students with ADHD in classroom settings. In a recent study of students with ADHD receiving special education supports, only those who worked with a behavioral consultant to establish a daily behavior report card that addressed goals and objectives improved in behavior and academic productivity at the end of the year.² Students who received special education as usual did not improve on these outcomes, suggesting more direct and ongoing behavioral supports are needed for many students with ADHD supported by special education.

Current school policy may exacerbate these problems. For example, there is no special education category for ADHD, even though this is the reason many students receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP).  Students with ADHD may also be eligible for a 504 Plan, but these are characterized by considerable heterogeneity and inconsistencies in application. Indeed, many formal school interventions and supports are unlocked only when a family secures an outside diagnosis or for a co-occurring concern (e.g., specific learning disability). The lack of explicit school policies to govern ADHD-focused support and intervention may explain why more than 10 percent of complaints to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, “involved allegations of discrimination against a student with ADHD,” according to Wrightslaw.com, a legal resource website.

[Read: Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD That Help Every Child Shine]

Routines and Reminders: Setting Up For Success

All too often, the reactions by educators to a student’s misbehavior or challenging academic situation result in suspensions, expulsions, exclusions, class failures, and grade retention. Instead, parents and educators should focus on addressing the antecedents of school success, such as getting the child to school on time and prepared for the day so that there is not a difficult transition into the morning activities. This also means frequent reminders of rules and expectations prior to starting a new activity in class. Clearly established routines and procedures will also help a child with ADHD be successful in academic settings. Once these procedures are in place, consequences can focus on positive results and outcomes rather than negative ones.

ADHD Accommodations That Work: Improving IEPs

IEPs and 504 Plans can be useful mechanisms for promoting effective supports, accommodations, and interventions in school settings. Yet, they can also be insufficient or ineffective. Most children with ADHD who have a 504 Plan or an IEP will spend the majority of their day in a general education setting, the very setting that may have resulted in the initial referral for additional supports. If these mechanisms do not provide additional and adequate support for the general education teacher, they are unlikely to improve important functional outcomes.

Parents and educators should make sure that the content of these plans address improvements in academic learning and progress, social relationships with peers and adults, and the child’s self-esteem, rather than addressing the symptoms of ADHD (e.g., fidgeting, distractibility).  Indeed, there is now clear evidence that symptom-focused accommodations—providing extra time to complete tasks or provision of fidget-toys—do not result in meaningful improvements. Parents should make sure meetings with school professionals continue to focus on how to include effective interventions in these plans (a daily behavior report card is one such example).

[Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD: A Poster for School]

There is surprisingly little empirical research to help parents and teachers know the best accommodations and interventions to include in 504 Plans or IEPs. Often the contents of these plans include out-of-class therapies or accommodations of unclear effectiveness (e.g., preferential seating). Parents and educators should ensure that the contents of these plans include:

• Specific positive behavior support procedures that will help the child meet behavioral expectations and goals. This includes a daily behavior report card or contract, school-based rewards contingent on meeting behavioral expectations, and privileges that can be accessed if goals are met.
• Academic accommodations that are functionally linked to the child’s areas of impairment. For instance, if a child is having difficulty completing work in the time given due to difficulty sustaining attention, it is unlikely extra time to complete assignments will help. Rather, breaking tasks into smaller chunks might be indicated.
• Parents and educators should choose their battles. If it is important for a child to complete homework each evening, an accommodation of an extra set of books/materials at home, or an emailed nightly homework assignment overview from the teacher, may be preferable to the child coming home unprepared and thus avoiding the homework tasks.
• Social goals are under-represented in IEPs. Parents and educators should ensure that social-emotional behaviors are adequately addressed in the plans.

Building Better Behavioral Support

I believe all students with ADHD should have a daily behavior report card and older children in middle or high school should have a behavioral contract. (MyGoalPal is a free app that creates a daily report card that parents and teachers can use). These approaches clearly outline specific goals and expectations, provide a mechanism for frequent (i.e., daily) parent-teacher communication and, importantly, positive consequences at home are contingent on meeting the daily goals. For most children with ADHD, a daily report card or contract will provide a critical foundation of positive behavioral support.

Teacher Training and ADHD Accommodations: Next Steps

• Read: 27 Classroom Accommodations That Target Common ADHD Challenges
• Download: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Watch: ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings – An Evolution in Education
• Read: The Educator’s Guide to Executive Functions – How to Understand Students in Need

Gregory A. Fabiano, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Florida International University. He has written two books, Interventions for Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Daily Behavior Report Cards.

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF ADDITUDE
Since 1998, ADDitude has worked to provide ADHD education and guidance through webinars, newsletters, community engagement, and its groundbreaking magazine. To support ADDitude’s mission, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹Bitsko RH, Claussen AH, Lichstein J, et al. Mental health surveillance among children—United States, 2013–2019. MMWR Suppl. 2022;71(2):1-48.
²Gregory A. Fabiano, Rebecca K Vujnovic, William E. Pelham, Daniel A. Waschbusch, Greta M. Massetti, Meaghan E. Pariseau, Justin Naylor, Jihnhee Yu, Melissa Robins, Tarah Carnefix, Andrew R. Greiner & Martin Volker (2010) Enhancing the Effectiveness of Special Education Programming for Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using a Daily Report Card, School Psychology Review,39:2, 219-239, https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2010.12087775″>10.1080/02796015.2010.12087775

It took me back to my time as a teacher. As soon as I got my class list, I arranged to go to the parents’ homes to introduce myself and to relieve anxiety for the child who was nervous about returning to school and working with a new teacher. I also invited the parents and the student to visit my classroom before the school year officially began so they could see what the room looked like and preview the exciting things I had planned for the year.

Welcoming students early and setting the tone for a successful school year can take many forms. Here are some actions teachers can take to build positive relationships from Day One.

[Sign Up: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators]

Ice Breakers & Bond Builders

1. Write an introductory letter to the student before the start of the school year. Tell them a bit about yourself and how eager you are to have them in your class.

2. Invite the student and parent to write a personal note so you know them better before the year gets under way. Invite the student to include a photo, then hang everyone’s photos in the classroom. Alternatively, you can snap photos of your students on the first day of school.

3. Send a survey to the child prior to the start of the school year, asking them about their favorite foods, TV shows, games, videos, school subjects, and so on. This information can seed a book for each student that you will help them to create.

4. Have each student develop a PowerPoint or a collage about themselves and their passions.

[Read: ADHD Secrets My Teacher Should Know]

5. Build relationships by using the students’ names in lectures and in assignments. Students love to hear their names in a positive way.

6. To build camaraderie, play “two truths and a lie,” where each student writes three personal facts, one of which is not true. Other students figure out which statement is a lie.

These are just some examples of how you can develop relationships with your students. The more you get to know them, and the topics that interest them, the better. When our students feel accepted by us, and know that we care, we can reach and teach them best.

Back-to-School Anxiety & ADHD: Next Steps

• Download: Introductory Worksheet for Students
• Read: How Can Teachers Create a ‘Safe Space’?
• Listen: Meet the Teacher — How to Build Relationships This Back-to-School Season

Beverley Holden Johns is an author and learning and behavior consultant. She has more than 30 years’ experience working with students who have learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders.

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF ADDITUDE
Since 1998, ADDitude has worked to provide ADHD education and guidance through webinars, newsletters, community engagement, and its groundbreaking magazine. To support ADDitude’s mission, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

In a recent ADDitude survey, less than half of educators said they receive formal training to help them understand and effectively teach students with ADHD and its comorbid conditions. Many teachers rely on the expertise and ideas of their students’ families, which is why ADDitude has created this guided, curated email learning series to equip caregivers with accurate, up-to-date information about ADHD, plus realistic and effective solutions to the specific academic and behavioral challenges associated with ADHD in the classroom.

Your training will begin immediately with an introduction to ADHD and executive dysfunction, myths and misinformation that impact learning and self-esteem, and ideas for starting off the school year right. Each week, you will receive a new lesson about effective accommodations, common learning differences and behavior problems associated with ADHD, homework strategies, social skills help, and much more…

PART ONE: ADHD Misinformation
PART TWO: ADHD Accommodations
PART THREE: Distractibility and Inattention
PART FOUR: Weak Executive Functions
PART FIVE: Behavior Challenges
PART SIX: Homework Problems
PART SEVEN: Learning Differences
PART EIGHT: Social Struggles
PART NINE: School Collaboration
PART TEN: Motivation and Resilience

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.