Famous People with AD/HD

1. Alexander Graham Bell Albert Einstein Nelson Rockefeller Mariel Hemingway Walt Disney Steven Spielberg Eleanor Roosevelt Benjamin Franklin President John F. Kennedy The Wright Brothers Henry Ford Ann Bancroft Leonardo da Vinci Beethoven Whoopi Goldberg Thomas Edison Famous People with AD/HD

2. AD/HD A Teacher’s Guide

3. Outline • What is AD/HD? • How do we know AD/HD is real? • AD/HD in real life • How does it impact the family? • How can we help these children to be successful in school?

4. AD/HD: The Hidden Disability • If your child was diabetic, would you expect teachers to make accommodations in the classroom? • As a teacher, would you be willing to make accommodations for a diabetic student? (i.e. watch foods, watch for symptoms and intervene if necessary?) • What about a blind student? • What about a student who needs glasses?

5. AD/HD: The Hidden Disability • AD/HD is a medical condition. There are things that can be done to help, just like a diabetic watches what he eats. Sometimes interventions are enough, sometimes medication is recommended. • Keep a disability perspective • Would you get frustrated with a child with diabetes or a blind child? AD/HD is just another type of disorder. The children cannot control themselves. It is often called the “Hidden Disability.”

6. What is AD/HD? • A disorder of developmentally inappropriate degrees of: • Inattention • Hyperactivity-impulsive behavior • Or both (Combined Type) • Affects 8.7% of school-aged children when diagnosed with the DSM-IV

7. Be highly distractible Rush through work Interrupt Act on impulses before thinking Fidget or squirm Talk excessively Always seem to be on the go Blurt out Leave seat inappropriately An AD/HD student with hyperactivity may:

8. Daydream Work slowly Think slowly Sit quietly Have a short attention span Fail to give attention to details Be disorganized Fail to follow instructions Lose things Appear to pay attention, but then be confused Be forgetful An AD/HD student without hyperactivity may:

9. What Does AD/HD Mean in Real Life? • Limited hindsight and foresight • Poor social relationships (50-70%) • Impaired sense of time and time management • Difficulties following rules • Being more emotional • Less able to self-motivate • Reduced planning and problem-solving abilities • Thinking tangentially

10. Understanding AD/HD • These children often know what to do when they’re calm and relaxed. How logical are you when you’re upset? Now imagine that your brain doesn’t have the brakes to stop you from doing things you have the urge to do.

11. Knowing and doing are two different things. We all know how to eat healthy and exercise, but it’s a different story when it comes to following through on it, no matter how much we really intend to.

12. How do we know AD/HD is real? • Genes found, including: • DRD4-7 repeat gene (Novelty-seeking) • DATI gene (dopamine transmitter • Brain scans such as fMRI, PET, and SPECT have taught us that people with AD/HD have: • Less blood flow to the frontal lobe (controls attention, judgment, planning, etc.) • Smaller brain volume • Less white matter in their brains

13. Dr. Barkley and colleagues conducted a study in the 1970s. Gave children stimulants only some days (double-blind study) Videotaped results in the homes Does poor parenting cause AD/HD? • NO • A lack of consistency may aggravate the symptoms What do you think the results showed?

14. The parents were rated as “better” parents on days the children were given stimulants instead of a placebo. • Less yelling • Fewer signs of frustration • More quality time as a family • Did the stimulants change the parents? No, but with the proper medication the children were more cooperative and more likely to do what they were told the first time.

15. What can I do in the classroom? • Find the positives • An average child needs and gets 2 approvals for every disapproval. The disapprovals stand out. • Difficult children need 7 approvals for every disapproval because they get so many negatives. If it’s “just one more,” will they really listen? Would you? • Immediate, frequent, and tangible consequences-either positive or negative • Must be within 10 minutes of the behavior

16. Use visual cues for behavior • Numbers are too abstract • Color coded cards on a pocket chart • Externalize the important information • Put key reminders on sticky notes, cards, etc. • Use an overhead projector • Colored pens to help students focus • Cover up extraneous stimuli • Save writing time by copying onto transparencies in advance • Won’t need to turn backs on students

17. Develop and maintain routines • List the schedule on the board so the students know what will be happening throughout the period • Let student tap quietly on leg if it helps him to focus • Provide objects to fidget with (rubber bracelets, squeeze balls) • Do “First Five, Best Five” • Have students do first five homework problems in class and check them. If they are correct, they understand the process and may not need to do a sheet of busy work.

18. Be consistent! • Give both oral and written directions • Eye contact! They may not hear you without it. • Write a behavior contract with the child • Define the behavior when praising or correcting • Transitions can be a difficult time. • Give a 5-minute warning.

19. Limit unstructured time. This is often when children with AD/HD children lose control. • If morning medication is often forgotten, offer to keep an extra dose at school • Keep lessons short and provide frequent breaks • Redirect the child nicely when they get sidetracked • Frequently monitor work • Use logical consequences

20. Token or point systems to earn privileges, toys etc. • Small teacher-pupil ratio • Build in breaks • vary lecturing, working alone, and groupwork so the students don’t get bored (and more easily distracted) • Take a “Brain Recess” • Externalize time periods (use timers, especially visual timers)

21. Act, don’t yack • Break long-range tasks into small daily steps • Help the child find a place in the social setting • Teach the child how to act socially • Some don’t understand social cues • 20% younger emotionally • 70% have no close friends • Never embarrass or humiliate a child for poor social behavior. • Children with AD/HD usually don’t learn some skills naturally, but need them taught directly. Be a teacher.

22. Seat child near you • Seat child near a positive role model • Cue students to stay on task with a private signal (ex: pulling your ear) • Send daily/weekly progress report home • Use a homework plan book that can be initialed by parents and teachers • More touch, not talk (two-handed time in)

23. Allow student to stand when at her desk or to run errands for you • Graphic organizers • Teach to “turn their dial down” to slow their thinking • Assist the students in prioritizing their workload • Highlight the key points in instructions or on worksheets • Keep in mind that students with AD/HD are easily frustrated. Stress, pressure, and fatigue can break down their self-control and lead to poor behavior.

24. Keep in close contact with the parents. • Keep a Disability Perspective • AD/HD is a real, neurobiological disability that has been proven in countless medical studies. It is often called the “Hidden Disability.”

25. Amazing! • When comparing the ratings from the parents themselves, parents of AD/HD children rate parenting to be more stressful than parents of other children, including those with autism. • Give the parents positive reinforcement. They need it!

26. More Social Impairments • Peer Relationship Problems • Less sharing, cooperation, turn-taking • Intrusive, angry, reduced empathy and guilt • **Social impairments are results of the disorder, not causes** • What can you do to help children with AD/HD find social acceptance?