Children With ADHD In Elementary Schools

First step to understanding this disorder is to understand how it is diagnosed and what criteria is required. There are 18 possible symptoms for ADHD that are divided into two categories, inattentive and hyperactivity/impulsive (Barkley 1997). In order to be diagnosed with ADHD an individual must show at least 6 symptoms in one category for 6 months (Barkley 1997). Depending on what category the symptoms were in the child would also be assigned to a subtype, either: predominantly inattentive or predominantly hyperactive/impulsive; but if the individual met criteria for both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive then the child would be diagnoses with ADHD combined (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 2013). Some of the symptoms that fall under the inattentive subtype are inability to stay focused on tasks (i.e. during lectures, conversations,

ADHD children have trouble in school with reading, handwriting and paying attention to what is important. They constantly fidget and squirm and can't express their thoughts into words. Detecting ADHD is a complicated matter since there are no blood tests or evident genetic tests to confirm this syndrome.

The increase academic and social demands of formal schooling, as well as stricter standards for behavior control often illuminate the problems of the child with ADHD. Elementary school teachers typically report that this type of child has difficulty in working independently, completing seat work, and organizing work. Restlessness and distractibility are also very common. These problems are more likely to be observed in repetitive or taxing tasks, or tasks the child perceives to be boring, such as completing worksheets or doing homework.

From the research, children with ADD/ADHD seem difficult to control and teach. It has been discovered that these children act different in home and school. At school, they have difficulties sitting still for a long time, blurting out, distracting others, and completing assignments in a timely manner. Joined with other children in the class, the teacher is unable to give them the one-on-one time that is needed to make sure everyone succeeds, academically. Most of the time, preschools children with ADD/ADHD fail their grade and do not learn the required information in education because of the common disorder that takes over their body and mind.

ADHD affects eight to ten percent of school aged children and - even though specialists cannot figure out why - boys are three times more likely than girls to be diagnosed (Kingsley, MD). Teachers are normally the first to see a difference since they can compare that child to other children in the class. Michigan State University states that sixty percent of children that are diagnosed with ADHD are one of the youngest in their class. They stand out more considering that they’re not as mature as their classmates. “Many ADHD diagnoses may be driven by teachers' perceptions of poor behavior among the youngest children in a kindergarten classroom," Paddock states. "But these 'symptoms' may merely reflect emotional or intellectual immaturity among the youngest students." (Paddock)

doctors prior to making the decision of whether or not to medicate their ADHD children. Capaccio, George. ADD and ADHD. Tarrytown,

Kids with ADHD are eligible for special services or accommodations at school under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and an anti-discrimination law known as Section 504. Keep in touch with teachers and school officials to monitor your child's progress.

My oldest nephew was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of eight and as he was growing up, it was really tough to understand and control him. He would be very impulsive, disobedient and would constantly pace around the house along with periods of hyperactivity. When he would get his report card sent home, some of his teachers would write a note saying that he constantly called out in class without raising his hand, shake his legs uncontrollably, got out of his seat to walk around or disrupt the other kids and have such short attention span. The thing about all of those disturbances, he maintained very good grades and is a very smart kid. As he got older, he began to learn about the triggers and where his ADHD would kick in and he’s doing great now; he’ll still have his moments where the ADHD will kick in, but it is much better present day. And he was never administered medication or therapy; he learned how to push the urges away but allow them to come out when the surroundings were not overwhelming.

Children who are diagnosed with ADHD struggle with managing behavior in school environments. As research has shown, students have difficulty paying attention and can be disruptive in class. This often leads to a decline in their academics and can hurt future academic achievements. There are a number of tools, programs, contracts, and classes that are available to students with ADHD. Along with a lack of attention and an abundance of hyperactivity, “twenty to thirty percent of ADHD children have an associated learning disorder of reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic” (Daley & Birchwood, 2010). It can be difficult, as a teacher, to manage a classroom with children with ADHD. It is important that teachers, parents, and students, understand the opportunities available to them to help the child succeed.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can sometimes be first noticed when a child starts school. Children have difficulty staying in their seats and controlling what they do or say. They have less control of their physical ability and can be inappropriate in certain conditions. Children easily lose focus during a lecture and are easily distracted, they may understand what is expected of them but have trouble following through with the commands. Dolgun, Savaser, and Yazgan (2013), states that ADHD causes children to be avoided in school and at home by their friends and family; they are excluded from group games and constantly reprimanded. Teachers may feel the need to talk to the parent about their child lack of attention in school and it will be up to the parent to contact the pediatrician for further evaluation.

There is also a combined disorder that features symptoms similar to both ADD and ADHD. Students can also be inattentive. They usually do not pay attention to detail. They often make careless mistakes. They have trouble staying focused. They appear not to listen when spoken to because their attention is focused elsewhere. They also have problems staying organized.

When people think of ADHD they tend to think of overactive, noisy boys who are disruptive in class and won’t sit still. In reality, ADHD affects both sexes and all age groups. Also, hyperactivity is only one part of ADHD and may not be relevant at all for some children. When present, the hyperactivity often burns out by adulthood. In many cases children at school with the disorder tend to be quite smart and creative but the lack of focus can result in not doing their work, constantly daydreaming and not making contact with the present world. To help the child focus, there are some tips to follow. One of them is to keep a special journal with all the time to write down things, like what homework I have and when things are due. You can try to

The child who is showing some symptoms of ADHD should get the proper diagnoses and the parents should bring their child to a specialist. First of all, the child would be seen by a pediatrician or a child psychologist. The specialist would gather information from everyone, the school, caregivers or parents. The health care provider will look over the information and compare it to the regular children of the same age group.

Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life.

Students, who have ADHD have trouble focusing in class, are easily distracted, have very short attention spans, have trouble following through and completing projects, often jump around between tasks, and following simple conversations and instructions. This would obviously make being successful in a traditional classroom very difficult for students who have this type of learn disability. Simple things like going over instructions, explaining assignments or completing homework. These students could easily become behavior problems in the classroom as they have growing frustrations levels over not being able to complete tasks get good grades or follow along with the class. They would require preferential seating and one on one contact with the teacher. By sitting towards the front of the room that would allow to the teacher to constantly check for understanding and make sure the student is on task. They would also require ILP or individual lesson plans. ADHD students would need long term projects and complex assignments broken down into smaller more manageable segments and would need the curriculum and grading expectations adjusted according to the student’s ability. You could also pair an ADHD student with another student in the class to help them with simple task and assignments. These are some of the challenges and solutions that would face students that have ADHD in a classroom.