Helping the Student with Attention Problems

By Judie Gade

Having a child in the classroom that has attention difficulties not only affects the learning of other more controlled & focussed children, but also can place stress on the teacher in more ways than one.

Perhaps there is a child that infuriates the teacher, so much so that they have difficulty even being civil to the child? Therein lays a real problem that is two fold: a troubled teacher who lacks control over their feelings towards a child that needs help, and also the stress on the child that can result in serious implications for the future. It exacerbates the problem of helping the child gain control.

But teachers are human too! There is another problem that is even worse than a teacher that really tries without the result: the teacher who does not believe attention disorders exist and that the child only has to "try harder" or "pay attention more as I have seen him/her do it in different classes". A teacher cannot base their treatment of a student based on their personal opinion contrary to scientific fact.

Recently, leading scientists, globally put out an International Consensus Statement on ADHD after too many incorrect and unsubstantiated reports especially by the media. I urge ALL teachers and those dealing with ADHD on a daily basis to read this document that was forwarded to me personally by Professor Russell Barkly.

Children who fit into this category are not made for the education system as it is now. They need small classes with fewer distractions, classes where they can go more at their own pace. Obviously, if there is a time table, this cannot be. So, what are some of the things that can be implemented into the classroom?

Firstly, an understanding of Attention Deficit Disorder is necessary, the different types, associated problems etc. Taking into account a study by the federal government stating that an average of 11.2% of Australian students present with ADHD traits, it is necessary to familiarise yourself with the variety of problems facing these children… and to give them HOPE.

TRAITS: These occur on a regular basis!

• Careless mistakes in schoolwork 
• Fidgets
• Spaces out/seems to ignore 
  Chronic procrastinator 
• Trouble starting and finishing work 
• Badly organised Loses things constantly 
• Easily distracted by non-essential stimuli
• Poor short term memory 
  Finds it difficult to sit still unless it is something they are really interested in (then a bomb could go off!) 
• Loud or extremely quiet 
• Chatterbox 
• Goes off topic easily - mind like a butterfly
• Has a problem waiting for turn 
• Butts in on conversations
• Cannot concentrate if there is irregular noise going on around them 
• Can be obsessive about certain things 
• Can lash out most often without thinking "I don't know why I did it……. I just did it!"  This is impulsivity, a major trait of ADDlets
• Unusual sense of fairness

**Another thing to note is that many children are not even diagnosed, so if a child does present with traits of an ADD child the following strategies can be applied.
 

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