Identifying and Guiding Children with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)

Identifying and Guiding Children with ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)

🔘Identifying and Guiding Children with ADHD

Most common SYMPTOMS of ADHD children, which need to be accepted and acknowledged, are:

▪️Fidgeting or squirming, changing postures
▪️Not remaining seated, jumping, changing places
▪️Excessive running or climbing at wrong times
▪️Difficulty in playing quietly
▪️Excessive talking, talking fast or loudly
▪️Blurting out answers before hearing full question, trying to draw attention
▪️Difficulty waiting for a turn or in line
▪️Tendency to interrupt others intruding in their work

🔘BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY

▪️Check if the child is being restrained in a closed environment. Arrange and organize the child's living space to give maximum opportunity for him to bring out his physical and mental energies.
▪️Follow same schedule on daily basis, explaining clearly in advance, separating out the time for study, homework, household work and entertainment.
▪️Ensure that the child is given clear and brief directions, and rules that do not change.
▪️Give (non-material) rewards for good behaviour and when the child manages to keep his impulses under control.
▪️Avoid distractions as much as possible. During study time there should be no TV, mobile, family members conversing or people walking around.
▪️Some children tend to get confused if they are given too many choices. Give them specific and limited options in every activity.
▪️Avoid losing temper, shouting or becoming high-strung, as the child copies the same.
▪️Encourage the child to find some activity where he shows potential and talent beyond academics. Encourage and appreciate him for these activities

🔘Please do use the following principle:

"If a child cannot learn the way we teach, then we should teach him the way he learns."

Encourage the child to try out these activities:

1.Reading a book and completing it in one sitting

2.Listening to a short audio-tape, understanding, and memorizing it

3.Creating a list of tasks and prioritizing - and DOING them

4.Preparing a chart, drawing, filling in the details, colouring

5.Clearing up the room systematically not leaving out anything

6.Writing a letter to someone giving some detailed descriptions

7.Playing Board games, su-do-ku, puzzles, crossword, memory games and other such games that stimulate the mind.

SOME TIPS FOR PARENTS:

▪️Bring down your own stress levels, ensure that you are not high-strung or tense when interacting with the child.

▪️Do not bring past behavior or misdemeanours in dealing with the child, focus on issues at present.

▪️Be open and clear in communication, particularly when giving instructions, and check whether he has understood. If necessary, put it down in writing.

▪️Be a good role model. Show the kind of behavior you wish the child to follow. If you raise your voice, the child will also shout.

▪️Appreciate, encourage and reward small progress and changes. Praise should be after describing the good act of the child, what you felt, and how you appreciate that specific quality or habit of his.

▪️Punishment should be given in small incremental steps after giving sufficient warning, and ensuring that the instructions are clear. Try to ignore small lapses. Punish the act of the child if it is unacceptable, but do not punish the child (i.e. labeling him, putting him down, or hitting upon his self-worth).

▪️Be aware when there are arguments, tempers running high and unpleasantness among any of the adults in the family. If it does happen, explain calmly to the child why it happened and what you are doing to minimize it.

▪️Have faith that your child, however naughty he appears to be at present, will eventually grow out of the unwanted behavior patterns with some gentle and persistent guidance.

🔘TIPS FOR TEACHERS

▪️Teachers should avoid giving undue attention to the hyperactive child. Follow these simple classroom techniques to slowly get the child to be better connected and more inclusive in the classroom:

▪️Maintain a pleasant and simple dressing style, walk in with a smile, look around the class and students and indicate that you are happy to be with them.

▪️Smile and greet warmly, make eye contact through W-M technique i.e. allowing your glance to go up and down, back and forth covering all students in the class.

▪️Make empathic comments such as "Very warm today" or "Tired after 4 continuous classes?" "Hope you are not tense for today's test?"

▪️Recap what you had covered in the last class and check whether they remember. If not spend a couple of minutes repeating and highlighting salient features.

▪️Explain the gist of the topic you are going to cover actual life. and its relevance to

▪️Write on blackboard-board the main topics you are going to cover. Write from time to time some important key words

▪️If possible, show some visuals in the form of PowerPoint Presentations (PPT), charts etc. DO NOT have PPTs giving long theories or too many written words

▪️Ensure that you cover all the topics in more or less equal time

▪️Do not allow one or two students to hijack with repeated questions, particularly the hyperactive ones. Tell them that you will answer their queries personally after class

▪️Give a few seconds break after explaining an important point, and allow students to talk among themselves if they wish. Encourage them to discuss the relevant issue

▪️Ask for attention and order, start with a statement that arouses curiosity of the students e.g. "you will be amazed at what I am going to discuss now with you..."

▪️Ask questions to students who are getting distracted, to get their attention and to make them think deeper

▪️Announce a few minutes before the end of the class, some important points that are going to be covered before winding up

Leave them with some curiosity and excitement of what is likely to happen in the next class

End on a high note giving students some food for thought and asking

them to explore what you are going to cover next time. Encourage and praise students who did make efforts before the next class.

🔘Practical steps to improve lifestyle of a child with ADHD

▪️Observe the child when there are different types of noises all around, and when there are no auditory distractions. See if there is a difference.

▪️Initially avoid giving him two diverse tasks at the same time. Allow him to complete one at a time, and praise him when he does so. Then slowly increase instructions till

▪️You can give the child 4 or 5 sequential instructions, and see if he can follow and carry them out without being reminded. Train him slowly to do so.

▪️Observe impulsive behaviour and gently ask him to slow down and think deeper, praise him when he responds.

▪️Allot time slots and give short breaks for him to walk/jump around and get out his physical energy.

▪️Use flash cards, pictorial books, teach sounds of the letters through phonics for better learning and retention

▪️Set up a workplace with defined boundaries within which he has to stay for fixed period of time

▪️Give physical activities periodically to get out excess energy

▪️A structured and calm setting in the classroom is best for hyper-active children, a highly stimulating and chaotic environment can bring out his worst symptoms.

▪️Incomplete activities or anticipation of next activity can make him lose focus and start day-dreaming.

▪️Slowly winding down for the day, playing soft music or reading out a prayer, and making him sleep at a fixed time every night, brings discipline

▪️When he is distracted with movement or activities of others, allow him to see and fulfil his curiosity, otherwise he will not perform

▪️Be aware that his attention span is shorter than his peers. Do not force him to do sustained activity for long periods of time. Praise him for the time he did manage to focus, and allow him to move into a different activity

▪️He may have a tendency to jump a queue or answer before a question is completed. Do not stop him harshly, teach him gently not to do so and praise him when he does abide by your instructions.

▪️"Free-play" activities are ideal, he will merge well with others. When asked to involve in structured activities, they tend to become restless and even aggressive.


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