The Educator Magazine U.K. Jan-April 2024 issue - Magazine - Page 70
How to help your
ADHD students thrive
in the classroom
person sitting next to you, stop
looking out of the window, concentrate
on what you’re doing…
You can clearly see how these messages
really add up and why an ADHD child
is constantly on edge wondering what
they are going to get told off for next.
Always remember that ADHD is causing
these actions. They aren’t purposely
doing any of the above.
ADHD children are more sensitive than
neurotypical kids, which can lead to
them being called drama queens or
divas, always wanting to be the centre
of attention. In fact, it is their ADHD
brain that has emotional dysregulation
and rejection sensitive dysphoria which
can cause them to be dramatic and
react strongly.
Both of these comorbidities combined,
mean ADHD children can be sensitive
and emotional. This is particularly
heightened during puberty. However,
here are some very quick and easy
techniques for making sure they don’t
feel hurt, humiliated or rejected. Make
sure everybody understands that they
will not like having the mickey taken
out of them. However kindly it is meant,
it will always be perceived as rejection
by an ADHD child. So don’t ever use an
ADHD child as a butt of the joke, because you will very often get an angry
response.
Next, remember that ADHD children
do not like being told what to do.
This is not them being precocious and
contrary. It is the way their brain is
wired. So, one very easy way around
this is to always phrase your requests
and instructions as a question.
For example, ‘get on with your history
essay’ is not going to be received
anywhere near as well as “have you got
all the information you need to start
your history essay or is there anything
else you need?” ADHD children like to
be in control. So, the first will put their
back up. The second will not.
It’s very easy, once you start, to always
phrase things as a question. Everything
from “do you want to do your maths
now or would you rather have a break
and then start” to “would you prefer to
stay behind after school for half an hour
for me to help you, or we could always
come in half an hour earlier tomorrow
morning if that suits you better?” Very
few ADHD children will refuse to answer
this question because they will feel that
they have just been put in charge and
will therefore delight in passing on their
wisdom!
Something important to look out for
is their self-esteem. ADHD children
are estimated to receive up to 20,000
negative messages before the age of
12! What could those messages be?
Here are a few examples: Sit down, stop
rocking on your chair, don’t shout out,
stop doodling, stop distracting the
Always remember ADHD children are
going to be impulsive. This means that
sometimes they will interrupt you.
Primarily, they do this because if they
don’t say what they need to say at that
exact moment, it will fly out of their
head. So, if a child does interrupt you
understand that they literally cannot
hold onto the thought long enough
while you finish your conversation.
Another good tip is to never shout or
raise your voice at an ADHD child. Much
as this might be tempting especially
when they are losing their temper, you
shouting is just going to make things
worse. Always keep your voice calm and
constant. You will then have a much
better chance of an ADHD child
calming down.
When you talk to an ADHD child, taking
all the ADHD traits into account will pay
dividends. Most importantly, remember
they like to feel in charge, don’t like
being told what to do, always feel they
know best and want things their own
way. So, if you can word things cleverly
so that these ADHD ways of thinking
are accepted and played into, rather
than ignoring them, your life is going
to be a lot easier and your classroom an
oasis of peace rather than a war zone.
Sarah Templeton is an ADHD
campaigner, founder of ADHD
LIBERTY and author of Teachers!
How Not to Kill the Spirit in Your
ADHD Kids, available on Amazon,
priced £22.99.