by EDITHA R. MARTELINO (Manila Bulletin)
In a week’s time, the longer periods of sleep and leisure time will be over. Students will have to go back to the regular grind of transporting from home to school (and back), doing assignments, submitting projects and reports, preparing for exams, etc. This transition can be difficult to all children, most specially to those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.
But if some students may seem excited with the opening of classes (new school items, classmates and teachers) children with ADHD may feel anxious about it most specially if their experiences in school have been frustrating.
PREPARING THE CHILD
The remaining days before school opens should be the best time for parents to gradually prepare their child for going back to school. The following tips could be helpful:
Adjust bed and wake up times. As early as now, help your child adjust to a new schedule by moving the "sleeping time" and "wake up" times to the "real time" they will be during the school year. Just make sure the new schedule will allow for enough sleep time at night. It is very important for children to get good quality sleep to help them in the learning process and for the child’s health in general.
Organize school supplies. Make your child enjoy and be a part of buying new school supplies and organizing his/her school bag. This will be a good time too to talk with your child about his/her feelings about school. Be a good listener.
Visit the school. Work out a visit in his/her school. This will be a good chance for the child to get acquainted with his new classroom and the school premises before school starts. Try to get an appointment with your child’s new teacher so he/she could meet your child and also show him/her around.
Create a study area. It doesn’t really have to be a big space – just a small desk or a small room would make for a nice study area. Just make sure this space will be your child’s permanently identified place for study. To make it more conducive to learning, prepare all necessary materials like pencils, pencil sharpener, paper, good light, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, ruler, etc so it will be easily accessible to your child when he/she needs it. Also list down the homework rules – what time it will begin, no television during homework time, no clutter on homework desk, etc and post it prominently in the study area.
Identify storage places. Designate special areas where your child could keep his/her school bag, lunch kit, school ID and other school paraphernalia. This will help him/her get into the habit of putting important school items in their designated areas when he/she comes home from school each day. It will also help him/her keep better track of important school items. Assist your child too in fixing his/her school bag each day.
THE TEACHER GETS READY TOO!
Although there are still no local statistics on ADHD, estimates run as high as having at least 3-5 percent of school-aged children’s population. Roughly, these amounts to at least one child in a classroom of 25 to 30 children will have ADHD.
Teachers are on the front line in dealing with and helping children with ADHD. It is therefore important for them to understand that the normal expectations from a "regular" student to sit still, stay in their seats, focus on their lessons, remember what they have been taught, submit school work on time, etc. will be more difficult for children with ADHD to perform.
It should also be emphasized that children with ADHD do not necessarily have "low IQs" , but on the contrary, they are very intelligent and creative. They may have no problem understanding the concepts being taught, but they may be unable to complete their work because of the difficulty they have staying on task. These children may also be emotionally immature and oftentimes, have low self-esteem.
Understandably, teachers, especially those with big class numbers, are often pressed for time and thus, do not have the ability to individually help each child. With both limited time and resources, teachers can truly be at a loss as to what they can do to help the child with ADHD. However, there are some simple and effective ways teachers can utilize to assist children with ADHD in their regular classroom:
Seat the child where distractions are minimized. The teacher can sit the child directly in front of him/her, along the aisle or beside a student who could easily focus and concentrate. Avoid sitting a child with ADHD by the doors, windows, and trashcans to minimize distractions.
Use a signal to help the child stay on task. Create a "special signal" between you and the child with ADHD. Signals could include tapping the child’s shoulder or your desk, just so the child would know that he/she is distracted and should get back on task. On the other hand, the child may also want to create a signal for you to know that they do not understand the lesson and may just be embarrassed to ask a question out loud. Agree on both signals and let the child know you are comfortable with it.
Find ways to praise the child. Look behind each accomplished task and recognize the effort. A tap on the shoulder or a small word as they leave the classroom can mean a great deal to a student with ADHD.
Center constructive criticism between compliments. If there is a need to let the student know about an off-task behavior in class, start with what they have done well first before offering constructive criticism. More importantly, let the student know that you appreciate their effort. This will make the child feel good about him/herself and be more open to listening to your comments in the future.
Find opportunities to allow hyperactive children to use their energy. Give them special tasks − get supplies from the office, distribute papers to the class, clean the board or fix the books on the shelf, etc. − to let them help you and at the same time channel their boundless energy. Giving them opportunities to move around will help them stay still during periods when sitting in their seat is a necessity. If possible, do not make the child finish work or complete tests during recess or lunch breaks. These hyperactive children need these breaks to use up their excess energy.
Find a "homework buddy." One of the major difficulties for students with ADHD is forgetting their homework and which items they need to bring home each day. A "homework buddy" can help the student with ADHD get the homeworks correctly written in his/her assignment notebook and also make sure that he/she brings home all books and papers needed.
STAY POSITIVE!
Another new school year can create anxieties not only to the child with ADHD but also to both parents and teachers. As parents, try your best to keep calm and positive yourself in order for your child to feel positive about school. School should also mean fun. The parents must remind your child to enjoy him/herself too!
Teachers on the other hand can start to think about the items listed above and work on more creative ways to reach out to the students with ADHD. Keep in mind that the child’s successful inclusion in your classroom is not only rewarding and fulfilling for the student but for you too!
