| A Child with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder | | | | strengths of the ADHD /ADD child may include: good |
| tend to be more physically active, inattentive, difficulty | | | | at math, read well, artistic, good gross motor skill, good |
| responding appropriately, difficulty working steadily | | | | computer skills, good memory, helpful, kind to others, |
| toward goals (even their own goals), and may not be | | | | loves outdoor activities, good with animals, and they |
| able to control their behavior on command. | | | | have a variety of interests (Swee Huat, 2002). |
| These children fail to give close attention to detail and | | | | Some challenges in teaching a child with ADHD is that |
| will make careless mistakes. They have trouble | | | | long assignments may overwhelm them, therefore to |
| sustaining attention in tasks and/or play activities. They | | | | teach this child you must only give them a few |
| do not seem to listen when spoken to, nor do they | | | | problems at a time with clear consequences for |
| follow directions, usually leaving them not completing | | | | completion. Another approach to teaching the child with |
| their schoolwork. They have difficulty in their | | | | ADHD effectively is a combination of instruction in |
| organizational skills, and avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to | | | | learning with memory strategies and motivational |
| engage in work that involves mental effort. These | | | | training. The teacher should try and develop the "skill |
| children often lose the things necessary to complete | | | | and will" to improve the students achievement, another |
| activities, and are also easily distracted and forgetful. | | | | thing is that the teacher should encourage the student |
| They suffer from impulse control problems such as | | | | to be persistent and try to get them to see |
| blurting out answers, waiting for their turn, or interrupting | | | | themselves as in control, using the SMART approach. |
| or intruding in on others conversations or games. There | | | | Some suggestions for important teaching opportunities |
| are some noticeable physical indicators of ADHD and | | | | to overcome challenges these students may |
| that is the child tens to fidget with their hands or feet, | | | | encounter come best from the students with ADHD. |
| squirms in his or her seat, tends to leave seat during | | | | Some of these documented suggestions are to use |
| inappropriate times, talks excessively, and has difficulty | | | | visual clues (lots of pictures), to offer choices, do more |
| playing or engaging in leisure activities. These children | | | | then lecture, to realize that these children are intelligent, |
| are described to be acting as though they are "driven | | | | to notice their accomplishments, to conceal their |
| by a motor". | | | | problem, to let them walk around the classroom, to be |
| According to theorist Russell Barkley, a Professor of | | | | patient, do not overload on homework, and to know |
| psychiatry and neurology at the University of | | | | when to bend the rules. |
| Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, and a | | | | Lesson Plan Teaching Addition |
| author of numerous books on ADHD, including ADHD | | | | To teach Mathematics to a child with ADHD I would |
| and the Nature of Self-Control and Attention- Deficit | | | | try to keep the problems short, and would also teach |
| Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and | | | | them by incorporating it into a game. The following is a |
| Treatment, | | | | lesson plan created to enable the child to concentrate |
| "Well, I've begun to study self-control in ADHD children, | | | | on one problem at a time, but also in a game situation |
| because we began to realize that the problems with | | | | so that way the child can have fun, it is not just a |
| attention that ADHD children were having were not | | | | lecture, the child can be recognized for doing well, and |
| problems with how they perceived things or see the | | | | it uses visual clues. |
| world around them. It really was more of a problem | | | | Addition Game Add it Up! Addition Objective: The |
| that they couldn't persist at something as long as other | | | | students will roll a dice and create two numbers that |
| people. And they couldn't resist the distractions around | | | | consist of two digits. The students will then add |
| them as well as other people, particularly when they | | | | together the two-digit numbers. The students will be |
| were involved in very boring or very tedious work. | | | | able to understand and perform the concept of |
| That began to suggest that there was a problem in | | | | carrying. The students will also be able to read their |
| how they were controlling behavior, not in how they | | | | problem and solution aloud. |
| were seeing the world. It would therefore be a | | | | Materials: Pencil,Paper consisting of many Addition grids |
| problem with how the output of the brain--behavior--is | | | | Directions: |
| organized, and not a problem with input coming into the | | | | 1. Distribute a paper to each student. Have each |
| brain, with how you perceive and see your world. . . . | | | | student have a pencil and eraser. 2. Introduce the |
| What we've found is that ADHD children can pay | | | | game as an "Addition Game". 3. Discuss how many |
| attention to things that are around them in the | | | | numbers are in a two-digit number. Explain to the |
| immediate situation, so that it's really not an attention | | | | students in this game we will be adding 2 two-digit |
| problem. | | | | numbers. 4. Then begin by playing a game with the |
| What they don't pay attention to is what lies ahead in | | | | students, in which you will all insert the number into the |
| time, what has to be done next in order to get ready | | | | same place. 5. Roll the dice. Use that number as one |
| for the future. They're not stopping to think about that | | | | of your numbers in a two-digit number. 6. Repeat 3 |
| future. So they don't have a problem with attention; | | | | times until all spaces are filled. 7. Use this as a way to |
| they have a problem with intentions. Intentions are the | | | | refresh to the children their concept of carrying. 8. |
| things we are doing to get ready for what lies ahead | | | | After giving an example, have the students compete |
| in time--our goals; our plans; the assignments that we | | | | against each other. Roll the dice and let the students |
| should be working on; the paths that other people have | | | | pick where to put the number. Their goal is to get the |
| given us that we need to be paying more attention to | | | | highest number. 9. After calling all the numbers. Have |
| in order to be ready when that time gets here. That's | | | | the students read their math problem out loud. 10. |
| what ADHD children are not doing . . . " | | | | Decide who has the highest number as a class. 11. The |
| These are things that have to be kept in mind when | | | | students will are now able to play on their own. |
| teaching a child with ADHD, that is not that the have | | | | PA Standard: 2.2.3.B Computation and Estimation. |
| an attention problem, but rather an intention problem. | | | | Solve double-digit addition problems with regrouping in |
| According to SPARK, a society for the promotion of | | | | vertical form. |
| ADHD research and knowledge, children with ADHD | | | | Works Cited |
| had good qualities to, such as, children with ADHD / | | | | PBS FRONTLINE (2001).Interview with Russell Barkley. |
| ADD are usually creative and daring. Some other | | | | |