ADHD

1. How Do You Qualify?

1.1. Rating scales completed Informational interviews conducted with families, teacher reports, review of school records and grades Must have a medical diagnosis to qualify under Other Health Impaired Disability Category or for a 504 plan

1.2. We will look one in class

2. Diagnostic Criteria - Six or more symptoms persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level

2.1. ADHD Inattentive

2.2. ADHD Impulsive and Hyperactive

2.3. ADHD Combined

2.4. Co-Morbid Conditions

3. Other Characteristics

3.1. Selective attention Failure to sustain attention; Bored by repetitive tasks Careless errors due to difficulty paying attention to detailed cues Poor working memory and lack of learned strategies to adjust Attention difficulties lead to avoidance or tasks Difficulty organizing, planning, multiple step directions, mental processes (i.e., mental math)

3.2. Social challenges – difficulty resolving conflict, managing emotions, recall solutions for joining and sharing, possible social exclusion, and maintaining relationship

3.3. Big Picture Thinkers

4. Reflections on the PERSON - two quotes I found from a parent and individual

4.1. “I am a mother of four children. My second child, Damon, has been diagnosed as ADD. He does have a limited memory and is a daydreamer, however, he also reads on a 6th grade level and has a very big imagination.”

4.2. “I am 12 years old and I have ADHD, which basically means I’m more aggressive than others. I have very unique qualities, such as I am able to speak out to say what I feel. I like to write letters, I wrote to the president twice and got two letters back and a picture of him. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, but I think I started too early, because I got in trouble a lot last year for arguing. I like to get to the bottom of things quickly. I try to understand everything. I have quicker reactions. I just automatically say something I am thinking. I’m not letting people that call me names get to me right now, because I have a lot more life to go through. I handle a lot of rejection. I like games and puzzles. I hope to go to Yale when I go to college…I’m not very patient. Well that’s me.”

5. Strategies to Support and More Insights on ADHD

5.1. Use sensory strategies for calming, regulation, and to provide sensory input child is seeking

5.1.1. Movement breaks are good for all students!

5.2. Provide positive behavior supports, reinforcement, lots of interest based activities, leverage student's strengths and play to what motivates them.

5.3. Don't mistake lack of attention for laziness, misbehavior, or fall into the trap that student does not care or is just being "bad."

5.4. Some specific accommodations that address executive functioning, listneing, and processing

5.5. Keep consistent routines and a structured classroom